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Bollard light efficiency chart

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Access Fixtures recently launched new 15w LED round flat top bollard lights and 15w LED round dome top bollard lights. Both styles feature LED arrays with Samsung LED chips and a high-performance, industry-leading specialized aluminum cone reflector. With the LED array mounted in the head of the bollard and the LEDs pointing down, out, and reflecting off the reflector, the design has proven to be tremendously effective. For years, the industry standards have been the 100w round flat top and 100w round dome top bollard lights with cone reflectors. The question is: How do the 15w bollard lights compare to the 100w bollard lights? Click on the chart for a quick answer or read on for details.

Download the results of the 15w LED bollard light vs. 100w metal halide bollard light test.”

Bollard Light Efficiency & Energy Use—LED vs. PSMH Bollard Lights

When looking at energy efficiency, we can see that a 100w PSMH bollard light (including the lamp and ballast) uses a total of 129 system watts, while a 15w LED bollard light (including the array and driver) uses only 17 watts. This means the LED bollard uses 87% less energy. Based on $0.16/kWh, the annual energy cost to operate an LED bollard light is only $9.86; conversely, a PSMH bollard light costs $74.82.

 15w LED

15w LED Dome Top Bollard Light with Specialized Cone Reflector

Comparing Light Output—LED vs. PSMH Bollard Lights

LED bollard lights do not sacrifice performance for energy efficiency, though it may seem so when comparing the initial lumens of each light source. The 100w PSMH lamp and ballast produce 8,500 initial light source lumens while the LEDs and driver produce only 2,089, but this data point does not tell the whole story. The 100w PSMH lamp suffers rapid lumen depreciation, whereas the LED maintains a more consistent lumen output throughout its lifetime.

The specific design of each bollard light affects its performance. When energy use was not considered a relevant issue, bollard lights were designed with a luminaire efficacy of 24%. That means only a small amount of the lumens from a PSMH lamp were usable. This is still the case with PSMH bollard lights used today. The 15w LED bollard light, however, has a 62% luminaire efficacy and emits a far greater percentage of its luminaire lumens.

To summarize: Despite drastically different wattage consumption rates, after 4,000 hours of operation, the two bollard lights produce similar light levels. The 100w PSMH bollard emits 1,320 lumens and the 15w LED bollard emits 1,191 lumens.

 

Comparing Maintenance—LED vs. PSMH Bollard Lights

LED has other benefits, too. The 100w PSMH lamp needs to be replaced every 10,000 hours, while LED chips still emit 70% of their initial light output after 50,000 hours. LED also has a higher color rendering (CRI) index of 83, as opposed to the 63 offered by PSMH.

Summary—LED vs. PSMH Bollard Lights

What is the total savings after ten years? The replacement cost for PSMH lamps is currently $16.70 a lamp. These lamps will need to be replaced approximately five times over ten years, for a total of $83.50. Combined with energy use, the ten-year operating cost for the PSMH bollard is $1,489.60. In comparison, the ten-year operating cost for the LED bollard is only $185.30, a difference of $1,304.30 per bollard light.

To calculate what you could be saving with LEDs, contact an Access Fixtures lighting specialist by calling (800) 468-9925.

Speak to an Access Fixtures Lighting Specialist about Choosing the Right Fixture

Access Fixtures is your factory-direct source for all light fixtures needed to suitably illuminate your property. If you have a lighting question, we will be glad to answer your questions. We want to make sure you get the exact fixture for your needs, your budget, and your goals. We are passionate about lighting and love what we do—we’ll get you an answer. To speak with an Access Fixtures lighting specialist, call (800) 468-9925.