At Macy Industries Inc., we understand that running a successful small business requires a lot of hard work. Keeping both customers and employees happy while contributing to the community is no small task! Efficiency is an important element in what makes everything tick and we’re always excited when improving our business goes hand in hand with making a positive impact.
Macy has recently completed an industrial energy saving project at our Hooksett facility that entailed installation of some innovative upgrades. These simple additions will help us to save energy and preserve the environment while making our shop a more efficient workspace!
Metal Halide vs LED Lights
Metal halide lights were the industry standard until LED lights began to gain popularity. While metal halide is still often used in industrial applications, we’ve replaced our shop’s old metal halide lights with new LED lights for a number of reasons. Here are some benefits of LED lights when compared to metal halide lights:
- LED lights use about 1/10th the amount of energy metal halide lights do
- Metal halide lights require up to a 30-minute warmup period before reaching full brightness while
LED lights reach 100% efficiency instantly - Metal halide lights emit light in all directions, resulting in the need for reflection and subsequent loss of efficiency. LED lights are more directional and require less energy lost through reflection.
- The lifespan of LED lights is considerably longer than metal halide lights. LED lights also retain their performance over their lifespan while metal halide lights drop in efficiency as they age.
- Metal halide lights emit up to 15% of their consumed energy as heat; LEDs do not emit heat energy.
- LED lights are shock resistant while metal halide bulbs can break easily. Metal halide bulbs also contain materials that are hazardous to humans and the environment.
Industrial Air Circulation Fans
We’ve also installed 2 high volume, low speed (HVLS) Rupp fans. These fans de-stratify the air, pushing the hot air down from the ceiling to evenly heat the entire building. They provide significant natural gas savings in winter. In summer, they can be sped up to provide cooling for our fabricators.
These investments have been a win-win. Our industrial energy saving project has improved the work environment for our employees, and will save enough energy to quickly offset the fiscal investment and continue to provide savings for years to come.
