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.
Thank you for the info. Aha! Got to tell the husband, then, to quit buying the cheap ones.
"Cheap?
LED manufacturers can adjust the phosphors in the LED to achieve almost any desired color temperature, and at the individual device level the cost doesn't vary much with color temperature.
Lumens to watts is not fixed for each technology. There are many differences between manufactures of LEDs.
Do you sell old fashioned bulbs? You seem to be making irrelevant claims and complaints about this story.
Fenix is one of the most respected lights.
I hope you used their guarantee.
What kind of guy puts down Fenix, and tries to sell Coleman and Maglite as “great” lights?
Good,dd my driveway lights are on 24/7 - 4 40watt eq LED bulbs. I'll be thrilled if they last over 4 years on.
I use 40 wa LEDs for outdoor lights in the Northeast - so far so good.
I’m aware of what a lumen is. The other guy apparently doesn’t have a clue. If an incandescent bulb and an LED bulb each put out 500 lumens, they are equal in terms of light output. Other guy is trying to declare that the type of bulb matters in this measurement. It’s like saying a mile is a different length measurement for walking than it is in a car. It’s ridiculous.
Sorry I must have replied to the wrong poster. My bad.
No, it was a couple of years old at that point. Honestly I didn’t even ask. I did pick up a Fenix TK 35 that I like - it is *bright*!!! I’ve taken it camping and on some nighttime work - one of my favorites.
I’ve got a 20 year old maglite that still works like the day I bought it. The Coleman is only about a year old but I like the size/feel and spill.
Maglite fell behind many years ago, I gave away my Maglites except for some for reference and comparison, now my top lights are almost all Fenix.
Shoot, they could have made that up by selling an extra three hot dogs.
doesnt matter what kind of bulb if the power goes out like it did in the superdome 2 years ago.
Very cool.
> Do you sell old fashioned bulbs? You seem to be making irrelevant claims and complaints about this story.
Sure. Want to buy some? Of course I don’t sell them...
My only complaints about the new LED lighting is the substantially higher cost and the type light source which is different and not as bright or should I say as “illuminating” as the older technology, all being in the name of “green”.
LED lighting is still in it’s early stages, the best led lighting is expensive.
I only use led bulbs and I buy them on sale for $5.00 or cheaper and have been doing so for several years, so I know what you mean about the low end stuff.
I am a flashlight guy, so I saw the white led first hit the consumer market and make it into flashlights, and now bulbs, I will be surprised if this stadium is making a mistake.
Actually, it makes a lot of difference.
If the lights ever go out due to a power surge, like they did for 34 minutes at the 2013 Super Bowl in New Orleans, the delay will be minimal. LED lights can be turned on and off with the flick of a switch. Metal halide fixtures require a 20-minute warm-up period.
Not to mention, reduced lighting and associated cooling loads means less strain on the power system.
The level of ignorance on this thread regarding LED lighting technologies is astounding. You would think we were discussing some Communist plot to destroy our children’s eyesight.
Not to mention comparing the LED lighting system installed in the stadium to the cheapest lights they find Walmart, is like comparing a F1 racecar to a low-end golf cart.
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