Posted on 01/30/2015 5:42:48 AM PST by thackney
Before the start of the 2014 NFL regular season, University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona, home to Super Bowl XLIX, retrofitted 312 high-performance light-emitting diode (LED) stadium light fixtures. The LED fixtures replaced more than 780 metal halide high-intensity discharge (HID) fixtures and will illuminate the field during the Super Bowl on February 1.
University of Phoenix Stadium was the first stadium in the NFL to light its playing field using only LEDs. The new lights draw approximately 310 kilowatts of energy compared with the 1,240 kilowatts required by the old system, a savings of about 75%. Assuming an electricity cost of 15 cents per kilowatthour, that means the new LED lighting costs about $47 per hour to light the field, compared to $186 per hour using the HID lighting system. Lighting maintenance costs for LEDs are also expected to be lower. The vendor also projects a 30% decrease in stadium cooling costs as a result of the LED fixtures, which generate less heat than HID lights. Given the limited hours that stadium field lighting is used, there are other considerations beyond energy costs and savings for selecting LED lighting. The light output from LEDs may allow for better color representation and more detail during televised viewing, especially during slow-motion replays, improving picture quality as consumers adopt higher definition displays. In addition, the LED lights turn on without the 15-20 minute warmup period required by metal halide and other HID lamps. In the unlikely event of a power failure such as occurred during Super Bowl XLVII at the Superdome in New Orleans, LED field lighting could return as soon as power was restored.
Although University of Phoenix Stadium was the first NFL stadium to light the playing field exclusively using LEDs, it is not the only NFL venue using the technology. Levi's Stadium in San Francisco uses LED lighting to illuminate 40% of the stadium, and NRG Stadium in Houston recently installed 480 luminaires with 650,000 individual LEDs to help light the playing field.
Any chance that future houseing might have a DC circuit to ceiling fixture and some outlets to accommodate this LED bulbs?
Another benefit, depending on how they’ve got these fixtures wired, is that you can set them so a few of the LEDs in each light unit are also connected to a battery backup system. If power is lost, the batteries can keep a few of the elements in each fixture lit for a considerable amount of time due to the low current draw, maintaining at least some illumination on the field and stadium for safety. IOW LED fixtures can have built-in “mercy” lights.
Are you confusing these with those crappy fluorescent junk bulbs? If so, I agree. But so far, I really like the light and power consumption of LED's. Most of the ones I have been buying have been rated for 22 years. Can't gauge that success so far, but I do have a few earlier ones that have stayed on 5 years with no problems. Still hoping the prices keep going down though.
Will they have time to increase the number of bulbs by threefold, in order to get the same amount of light?
My experience will certainly change at some point as I install more and more throughout my home and workshop. I'm buying 40W Utilitech LED's at Lowes now for $4.00. 60W are around $7 I think.
“you can’t dispose of them in the trash and you create a hazmat zone if you break one.”
They are easy to dispose of. Just take them to where they came from, like Home Depot. Drop them in a basket in the lot or put them in the restroom trash can. Problem solved!
The first super bowl lit with energy-efficient LED lights. Wow, this is one for the history books. Why not take it a step further? The first super bowl lit with energy-efficient LED lights that were installed by an all-black maintenance crew!
If they were serious about “saving energy”, they would play the game in an outdoor stadium with a 1p.m. kickoff.
You will note, however, that your oil or gas burner uses more oil. Incandescent lighting has an added benefit of 100% efficient resistive heating.
Huh?
"The light measured on the field nearly doubled to 277 foot candles."
"Ephesus fixtures continue to maintain 90% of their original output after 10-years with no maintenance as compared to metal halide bulbs degrade by 40% in 18-months."
I doubt it. I see AC power LED fixtures as the appropriate solution. Easy to change to any type of future fixture as needs or technology changes, rather than dedicated wiring tied to one technology.
Light level on the field is about double from prior levels with 10 tons less in fixtures.
The other thing that gets me... the wavelength they have developed for the "blue" strobes for modern LED equipped lightbars on cop cars... I think it was intentionally made to disorientate people on a roadside sobriety test. To me, those things are like "Puke Lights". Pretty sure that was the intent.
Ephesus’ patented technology uses extremely-high-frequency pulse-width modulation (PWM) to allow HDTV recording of up to 1,000 frames per second for reduced glare, superior slow motion and flicker-free recording. The Ephesus custom-designed circuitry adjusts the CCT and CRI to quantify the light source for optimizing HD camera telecasting. Pulsing at a much higher frequency than any frame rate used today ensures the highest quality of light for HDTV recording to guarantee an excellent television viewing experience.
http://ephesuslighting.com/innovation-technology/
I am a strong believer in LED for my industrial applications.
Our total installed cost is more than double the material cost of the fixtures. The total cost of the installed light more than justifies using LEDs for our lighting system with lower power which means less wire, panelboards, transformers etc, not to mention the cost savings with energy and maintenance costs.
But project after project, we get managers fixated on the initial fixture cost and will not make smart project decisions.
Bellichick was caught switching out the light bulbs.
Imagine that... CAPITALISM (the pursuit of more profit though cost savings) solved another problem.
and without a government order!
The LEDs of today are so far removed from those of 3 years ago that any comparison is silly. I could not even guess how may exterior LED wall packs, floods and high masts we have replaced in the last two years but I can tell you that the results are universally applauded. More light, with better color rendition, less than half the wattage, lifetimes in the 100K range and very low failure rates.
We are just finishing up an installation of LED high bays in a rather large building - over 2,000 fixtures with individual daylight dimming and occupancy controls. We replaced 250W sodium units with 166W LED and increased light levels 15 - 20%.
Home LEDs are usually offshore manufacture and more prone to failure but they are catching up quick. The recessed lights in my office are LED, have been in for 2 years and no on e can tell that they're not fluorescent until I take off the lens and show them. And they are fully dimmable and are connected to a building automation system too, all with CAT5 cables.
LED is the best option, especially for anyplace where maintenance is an issue or electricity is expensive.
And there would be FReepers who would bitch about how transistors suck in comparison to their grand-pappy’s tubes.
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