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Lighting Comparison: LED versus HID Lights
Source: | Author:zhongpuled | Published time: 2020-03-19 | 2084 Views | Share:
Ever wonder what’s better: High-Intensity Discharge (HID) lights or Light Emitting Diodes (led lighting)? Well here’s a head-to-head comparison of the two followed by an in-depth discussion of each technology in turn.


Lighting Comparison: LED versus HID Lights



HID vs LED Comparison:



Topic LED Notes HID Notes Winner
CCT(Color Temperature) LEDs generally have better color temperature options than HID.
 HID lamp color temperatures are determined by the materials used to generate the light.
High-Pressure Sodium, Metal Halide, and Mercury Vapor all utilize different chemical compositions to generate light and have specific color temperatures associated with the composition within their bulb.
 LED
CRI CRI for LED is highly dependent on the particular light in question. That said, a very broad spectrum of CRI values is available ranging generally from 65-95.
 Typical CRI values range from extremely low in the case of low and high-pressure sodium lamps (0-25) to moderate in the case of metal halide lamps (60). Some HID lights may reach CRI as high as the mid 90s.
 LED
Cycling
 LEDs are an ideal light for purposely turning on and off because they respond rather instantaneously (there is no warm-up or cool-down period). They produce steady light without flicker.
 HID lights require a noticeable warm-up period that ranges from half a second in the case of car lights to several minutes in the case of stadium lighting. They may also flicker or cycle on and off as the bulb reaches the end of its useful life.
 LED
Dimming LEDs are very easy to dim. They do this by either lowering the forward current or modulating the pulse duration.
 HID lights can be manually dimmed through the use of different electric or magnetic ballast but the process changes the voltage input to the light and can consequently alter the light characteristics.
In some cases (particularly with older HID bulbs) dimming can cause the light to prematurely expire. Otherwise, HID bulbs cannot be dimmed.
 LED
Directional LEDs emit light for 180 degrees.
 HID is omnidirectional meaning it emits light for 360 degrees.
 LED
Efficiency LEDs are very efficient relative to every lighting type on the market. Typical source efficiency ranges 37 and 120 lumens/watt. Where LEDs really shine, however, is in their system efficiency (the amount of light that actually reaches the target area after all losses are accounted for). Most values for LED system efficiency fall above 50 lumens/watt.
 HIDs are very efficient compared to CFL and incandescent lights (120 lumens/watt source efficiency). They lose out to LEDs principally because their system efficiency is much lower (<30 lumens/watt) due to all of the losses associated with omnidirectional light output and the need to redirect it to the desired area. By far the most efficient HID variant is the High-Pressure Sodium lamp whose source efficiency can range from 100-190 lumens/watt.  
 LED
Efficiency Droop LED efficiency drops as current increases. Heat output also increases with the additional current which decreases the lifetime of the device. The overall performance drop is relatively low, however, when compared to HID.
 HID lights also experience efficiency losses as the device ages and additional current is required to achieve the same lighting output. Efficiency losses are greater and the degradation time shorter in the case of HID.
 LED
Emissions LEDs produce a very narrow spectrum of visible light without the losses to irrelevant radiation types (IR or UV) associated with conventional lighting.
 HID lights produce relevant amounts of both IR and UV radiation.
 LED
- Infrared
 N/A Roughly 30% of the emissions from HID lights are in the infrared spectrum (thus completely useless for the purposes of regular illumination)
 LED
- Ultraviolet
 N/A
 HID emits a lot of UV radiation. So much so that special filters are required to prevent fading of dyed surfaces exposed to HID light, serious damage to light fixtures, and/or even serious harm to human beings and animals (e.g. serious sunburn or arc eye).
 LED
Failure Characteristics
 LEDs fail by dimming gradually over time.
 HIDs exhibit an end-of-life phenomenon known as cycling where the lamp goes on and off without human input prior to eventually failing entirely.
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Foot Candles Foot candle is a measure that describes the amount of light reaching a specified surface area as opposed to the total amount of light coming from a source (luminous flux). LEDs are very efficient relative to every lighting type on the market. Typical source efficiency ranges 37 and 120 lumens/watt. Where LEDs really shine, however, is in their system efficiency (the amount of light that actually reaches the target area after all losses are accounted for). Most values for LED system efficiency fall above 50 lumens/watt.
 Foot candle is a measure that describes the amount of light reaching a specified surface area as opposed to the total amount of light coming from a source (luminous flux). HIDs are very efficient compared to CFL and incandescent lights (120 lumens/watt source efficiency). They lose out to LEDs principally because their system efficiency is much lower (<30 lumens/watt) due to all of the losses associated with omnidirectional light output and the need to redirect it to the desired area. By far the most efficient HID variant is the High-Pressure Sodium lamp whose source efficiency can range from 100-190 lumens/watt. 
 LED
Heat Emissions
 LEDs emit very little forward heat. The only real potential downside to this is when LEDs are used for outdoor lighting in wintery conditions. Snow falling on traditional lights like HID will melt when it comes into contact with the light. This is usually overcome with LEDs by covering the light with a visor or facing the light down towards the ground.  
 HIDs emit a lot of heat. In some circumstances this could be beneficial, however, it is generally a bad thing as heat losses represent energy inefficiencies. The ultimate purpose of the device is to emit light, not heat.
 LED
Lifespan LEDs last longer than any light source commercially available on the market. Lifespans are variable but typical values range from 25,000 hours to 200,000 hours or more before a lamp or fixture requires replacement.
 HID lights have a good lifespan relative to some bulbs but not compared to LEDs. Typical lifespan values range from 6,000 hours to 24,000 hours before a bulb requires replacement. Note: sometimes HID lights need to be changed out before the end of their useful life to preempt serious degradation effects like color changes or cycling.
 LED
Lifetime Costs
 LED lighting has relatively high initial costs and low lifetime costs. The technology pays the investor back over time (the payback period). The major payback comes primarily from reduced maintenance costs over time (dependent on labor costs) and secondarily from energy efficiency improvements (dependent on electricity costs).
 HID is relatively cheap to purchase but it is relatively expensive to maintain. HID bulbs will likely need to be purchased several times and the associated labor costs will need to be paid in order to attain the equivalent lifespan of a single LED light.
 LED
- Maintenance Costs
 LED has virtually zero maintenance costs and the frequency with which bulbs have to be changed out is by far the best on the market.
 HID bulbs require regular relamping and ballast replacement in addition to the labor cost to monitor and replace aging or expired components.
 LED
- Upfront Costs
 LED light costs are high but variable depending on the specifications. The typical 100W-equivalent LED light costs somewhere between $10 and $20.
 HID bulb costs depend on the specific type of HID light. HPS lights are relatively cheap ($5-$10 for a 100W bulb) while a 100W mercury vapor light typically costs around $15. A 100W Metal Halide light costs somewhere between $10 and $30 per bulb depending on the specifications.
 LED
Shock Resistance
 LEDs are solid-state lights (SSLs) that are difficult to damage with physical shocks.
 HID bulbs are relatively fragile. Perhaps more importantly, broken HID bulbs require special handling and disposal due to hazardous materials like mercury inside of many lights.
 LED
Size
 LEDs can be extremely small (less than 2mm in some cases) and they can be scaled to a much larger size. All in all, this makes the applications in which LEDs can be used extremely diverse.
 HID bulbs can be small but typically aren’t produced below roughly a centimeter in width.  The size of the lamps is limited by the wattage and light output required for a given application
 LED
- Cold Tolerance
 Minus 40 Degrees Celsius (but turns on instantaneously)
 -40 Degrees Celsius
 LED
- Heat Tolerance
 100 Degrees Celsius. LEDs are fine for all normal operating temperatures both indoors and outdoors. They do, however, show degraded performance at significantly high temperatures and they require significant heat sinking, especially when in proximity to other sensitive components.
 We couldn’t find any objective data on HID bulb performance in high-temperature situations. If you have any information please contact us.
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Warm-Up Time
 LEDs have virtually no warm-up time. They reach maximum brightness near instantaneously.
 HIDs require a noticeable warm-up time that varies depending on the light. HID lights in automobiles take roughly half a second to power up while HID lights for sporting stadiums might take several minutes to arrive at maximum brightness.
 LED
Warranty
 Often 5 to 10 years.
 Typically 1-2 years.
 LED
Wintery Weather Conditions
 LED’s ability to withstand colder temperatures without a compromise in lighting performance is an advantage in winter weather conditions, particularly for outdoor lighting applications.  Since the light generated from LEDs occurs from electroluminescence, the colder temperatures do not result in an extended “warm-up time” and as a result, the light generation is almost instantaneous.  LEDs also produce significantly less forward heat than HID lighting.  This is typically a positive, however, for the unique case of an application with traffic lights, there is a small potential that snow can accumulate on the bulbs. In reality, however, this is generally not an issue due to the use of visors and/or proper orientation of the light within a fixture that shields it from the elements.
 HID Lamps require that the materials within the lamp reach a certain temperature (often very high) in order for the actual light to be generated.  In colder temperatures it can take longer for the lamps to reach those optimal temperatures, resulting in longer “warm-up” times and on certain occasions a shortened operational lifetime.  However, since HID bulbs produce significant forward heat, they have the advantage of melting snow that may build up in horizontal lighting applications by virtue of being turned on.
 LED
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