With any type of facility we talk about, LED lighting seemingly always improves the environment and facility in so many ways that just beats all other technologies. Lighting within a food production environment is even more critical to get right otherwise it could lead to some issues.
If you are a facility manager, building owner, or just a general manger for a facility or building that deals with food production you probably know the requirements for your lighting system. They’ve got to be washed down, and be able to withstand that. They must be food safe, and if broken be able to clean up safely, and so on.
Common technologies in food production building consist of metal halide, HPS, and more and more often we are seeing LED technology being installed. Here we are going to discuss the added benefits that LED can bring to your lighting system within your facility and how much they can improve your buildings standards.
LED reduces costs. It’s practically a known fact that LED can save you money when it comes to your energy bill. But how much exactly people often don’t really know. So, how much can LED fixtures save you vs metal halide or HPS fixtures? The savings can be up to 50% or more! That’s a surprising and staggering number to any building; small or large. If you run your lights 12 hours a day, imagine the savings you could realize by making the switch away from older technologies to LED.
They last longer. Food grade lighting can be a pain to change out when they burn out and no longer work. You often have to be very careful as to not break the light which could force you to stop your production line which costs you money. Since LEDs can last 2-3 times longer; it will require less changing of bulbs and more production time on the line. The added benefit to longer fixture life food grade LED lights can bring is a reduced maintenance cost. We all know changing lights high up can be costly; especially when your lights burn out quickly. If you can increase your lights life span by 2-3 times; this incurs a 2-3 times decrease in maintenance cost related to the switching of your bulbs. This alone can be a huge cost saving benefit that appeals to any facility manager or building owner that is cost-saving oriented.
High quality light is produced. LEDs not only offer higher quality of light but also a wider range of light too. This creates a safer environment for everyone within the facility; which is especially important to your line workers or any guests that you may have. Liabilities in the workplace can cost you bigtime and it’s almost paramount to such fragile and dangerous environments to put safety first. On top of the quality of light LED offers; the lumen depreciation is much slower and less overall. This allows for you to buy less lights initially to avoid overcompensation for your lumen degradation of 1, 5, and 10 years. This can prove to be a great way to ensure your lighting doesn’t become useless after just a few years due to high depreciation in lumens. This high lumen depreciation we talk about is very popular in regards to HPS and MH technology; which depreciate at much higher rates than LED products do.
They meet food code standards. As long as you ensure to buy fixtures specifically qualified for food grade environments; LEDs can prove to be an approved lighting fixture that meets food code standards. Only thing we warn is to always question and ask your supplier that they meet food standards in your state and country. Any reputable company will be able to answer these questions, but you should also be prepared to educate yourself to avoid not-to-code light fixtures.
Conclusion
There you have some reasons that LED food grade systems will greatly improve your food production building.
Always remember these few key points and you’ll be much more likely to gain approval of an upgrade to LED products from those above you:
● They save lighting energy costs by 50% or more
● They offer quality lighting that increases safety and consistency in your products
● They can meet food code standards (just be sure to educate yourself and ask questions!)
There you go, keep all of these things in mind next time you run into issues with your lighting. Have questions? Ask them in the comments!
source http://my-led-lighting-guide.tumblr.com/post/150816061108
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