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Please click on a question to jump to the answer below:
Does
the controller have ANY adverse effects on the HID lamps?
No. Not only that, but it should have a beneficial effect on the
lamps. All HID lamps experience LLD (Lamp Lumen Depreciation) where
the arc creates a high temperature
inside the lamp and the electrodes and gasses inside "burn" and creates
debris which coats the inside of the lamp. This debris coating builds up over
time, slowly decreasing the luminosity of the lamp. Our Controller lowers the
temperature inside the lamp, slowing the accumulation of debris. Technically
we don’t make the lamps brighter, we just slow down the process by which
the lamps get dimmer. This lower temperature also slows the disintegration of
the electrodes, causing the lamps to last longer, as much as 40% greater than
the rated life of the lamps.
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Does the controller harm
the ballasts?
No. Studies have shown that decreasing the temperature of the ballast increases
the life of the insulation, and thus, the life of the ballast. It is reported
that a 1degree centigrade decrease in temperature can result in a 10% increase
in ballast life. Our controllers decrease the temperature of the ballasts
from 8 to 10 degrees, increasing the life of the ballasts by 80 to 100%.
Recent studies indicate that some ballasts are experiencing a
decrease in temperature of over 20 degrees Centigrade, which would
further increase the life of the ballast.
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Does the controller work
with electronic ballasts?
For electronic ballasts with PASSIVE inputs (ask the manufacturer if
you are unsure) we provide an estimated 15% savings using our technology. Should
your lighting system include some ACTIVE input electronic ballasts, our controller
will not adversely effect them. However, the nature of those ballasts is to
accommodate fluctuations in power, and their function attempts to "undo" what
our controller does. We have experienced only a 4% improvement in efficiency
on active electronic ballasts. Our Controller works very well with all other
ballasts, namely magnetic ballasts.
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Will the light output be reduced noticeably?
Only if you request such a deep savings (well over 22%). This is a more complicated
question than it appears. There are a wide range of factors to consider,
and we will briefly address them all here. First, most lamps will reduce
their luminosity by 40 to 50% during their rated life. (Rated life is the
amount of time it takes for half the quantity of lamps to extinguish.) For
the half that is still remaining lit, they are only 50-60% as bright as when
they were first installed. Organizations use the "designed luminosity" which
is determined after 40% of the rated life has passed, which is much lower
than the initial luminosity as their lumen standard. Some even wait until
the lamp extinguishes before replacing it, which is even a further reduction
in light. So if that luminosity is adequate, then the brightness, when first
installed, is excessive. The site is technically over-lit. When our controller
brings the power down 18-22% on a new lamp, it is about 12-15% less bright
than a non-controlled lamp. But this is much brighter than the second half
of the non-controlled lamps life. In addition, since our controller reduces
the LLD rate, these lamps are BRIGHTER than the non-controlled lamp during
the second half of their rated life. So when using our controller, the luminosity
is more stable during the entire life of the lamp. Not too bright at the
beginning, not too dim at the end.
Please note: When the controller is installed in
a circuit with lamps that are near the end of their rated life,
such lamps may not stay lit once the controller switches into power
savings mode. Ideally, such lamps should be replaced before installing
the controller.
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Does the controller have a negative effect on the power to other
parts of the facility?
No. In fact, the controller reduces the damaging harmonics by the same percent
as the reduction in energy consumption. It slightly improves the power quality.
In some cases, it has also been shown to have a slightly beneficial to no
effect on the power factor.
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How does the controller reduce the power?
It does not "chop" the sine wave, which can cause damaging harmonics
and wreak havoc on lamps. It brings down the sine wave to the pre-selected
level without interrupting the power to the lamp. If the power to the
lamp is
interrupted, even for a millisecond, the lamps may extinguish. And hot lamps
need to cool down before they can be restarted. The controller senses when
the lamps are turned on (even various banks of lamps at various times) and
allows full power to go to them until they are fully ionized. Only after that
period, roughly 15 minutes, does the controller reduce the power to start
saving money.
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What are the maintenance costs over time?
There are no customer-serviceable parts in the controller. The components are
rated to last over 30 years of normal use. The only maintenance is keeping
the intake vents clear of anything that may block them. You should be able
to install and forget about the product, other than noticing a smaller utility
bill.
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Can I add more lamps to the load being controlled?
We use UL standards which provide a 20% buffer on the capacity of the controller— However,
we specify the size of the unit based on your load. If you anticipate increasing
this load, tell us at the time of purchase and we will select
the correct unit for that load. Changing the load after installation could
void the Warranty.
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Will the Controller work with our existing EMS (Energy Management
System)?
Yes. Basically, an EMS turns lamps on and off when appropriate and that is
where the savings come from. Our controller saves you money when the lamps
are on. As long as you anticipate that the lamps will be on for a "normal" period
of time (for shifts, security, etc.) and not turned off and on minute by minute,
then our system will work well with an EMS. HIDs do not work well with EMS’s
that turn off the lights too frequently. They need time to fully charge, and
when lit, if they are turned off, they need time to cool before they can be
re-lit. A rule of thumb is: whatever is bad for your HIDs is probably bad for
our controller.
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How can I measure the savings?
Normally your utility bill includes power consuming devices beyond your lighting,
so there may not be an easy way to tell from your bill. But you should be
able to see a dramatic reduction comparing two similar months’ bills
where all the non-lighting loads are consistent. Things like air conditioning,
number of shifts, etc., need to be similar to be able to use your bill as
a gauge. What Active ES will do is physically measure your energy consumption
using a professional, independently calibrated meter and demonstrate the
power consumption prior to installation of the controller and, then, after
the
controller switches to energy savings mode. What may change is your utility
rate… and that usually increases. If so, your savings will be even
greater than expected.
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Will I have to spend more money on lamps and ballasts using the
controller?
No. The ballasts will start extending their life on day one and the lamps (except
those near the end of their rated life) will have a decreased rate of LLD.
However, those lamps that are near the end of their life will have to be replaced,
as they should be anyway.
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Does the controller
work on incandescent or other lamps?
The technology is specifically designed for gas discharge lamps (HID’s,
Fluorescents) because of the special nature of those lamps in that they require
less power to maintain the arc than to ignite the arc. With incandescents the
more you reduce the power the more the luminosity is reduced. Therefore, the
savings vs. light output is not an advantage.
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Are there financing options that minimize the cash outlay for
the controller?
Yes. There are two additional options outside a direct purchase which not only
minimize the cash outlay, but can actually show a positive cash
flow from year one. Please read more about our financing
options.
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