Utilize hybrid HID & fluorescent lighting systems to accomplish more with your design. When looking at industrial and warehouse projects, it is hard to ignore the lower initial cost of a 400 watt metal halide highbay system. But the trend is definitely pushing for a fluorescent highbay system today.

So, which is best? Well, why not both. The metal halide system seems to be getting a bad rap today. This is most likely because the vast majority of HID highbays sold today in Northern Nevada are the standard probe start system. This system quickly depreciates in light output which makes it a easy target for T5HO highbay retrofits. However, if the owner had spent the extra $25 per fixture for a pulse start system, the fixtures would perform as much as 50% better over the life of the lamp as the standard probe start fixtures. This means substantially less fixtures and energy use.

So why use fluorescent products if the HID pulse start system is so good? Because the fluorescent products offer us several things that are hard to resist such as instant on, multi-level switching or dimming & battery back-up. But a total fluorescent system will typically require more fixtures and a higher initial cost to accomplish these things. That is where a hybrid system can offer the best of both worlds. In projects where little or no multi-level lighting is required and initial cost is a concern, I recommend using a HID system such as a 320 or 400 watt pulse start. You can then sprinkle in about 10%-20% of the lighting fixtures with a fluorescent highbay fixture which have some battery back-up capabilities as well as the instant on.

Now the facility will never have to worry about darkness when the power is momentarily turned off and on. In addition, the quality of the fluorescent emergency light is clearly superior and more cost effective on a lumen per watt basis.

- Patrick O'Flaherty