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Metal Halide (MH) and High Pressure Sodium (HPS) are the two most commonly used high efficiency light sources.
Common Features:
- Both are High Intensity Discharge (HID) light sources
- Both require a warm up period of approximately 4 minutes to reach full brilliance.
- Both require a ballast a provide the correct electrical environment for the lamp
- Both have relatively long lamp life (MH = 10,000 hours & HPS = 24,000 hours) compared to the 2000 hours for non HID (incandescent & quartz) lamps
- Both have arc tubes containing a light emitting gas
Differences:
|
Feature |
Metal Halide (MH) |
High Pressure Sodium (HPS) |
|
Efficiency in Lumens per Watt |
83 |
107 |
|
Lamp Life |
10,000 hours |
24,000 hours |
|
Light Color |
Bluish White |
Yellow-Orange |
|
Color Rendition (CRI) |
65 |
21 |
In summary:
- Choose HPS if you want the maximum in energy efficiency and lamp life
- Choose MH if you want the excellent color rendition with good efficiency
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