3 Types of HID Bulbs Explained

Homeowners or others looking for alternatives and home lighting can take a look at  High Intensity Discharge or HID bulbs and the benefits they provide for a range of lighting installations. HID bulbs come in various types. Here are some of the main types of HID lighting that are popular for use in some home and commercial fixtures.

Mercury Vapor HID Bulb

The mercury vapor bulb is a variable lighting source offered in an array of wattages, often from 50 to 1000 watts. The mercury vapor HID light bulb is one of the older types of HID bulbs around. These days, mercury vapor HID bulbs are largely being replaced by compact fluorescent lights or CFLs that are so commonly touted as energy savers in the home or anywhere else. CFLs have become a kind of standard for using mercury based light in place of traditional halogen bulbs. But many of the benefits of CFLs apply to mercury vapor HID bulbs as well, and these light sources also offer long life and strong color stability, making them a good choice for many types of home lighting systems, especially for the outdoors.

Metal Halide HID

The metal halide type of HID bulb provides a specific kind of brilliant illumination to an indoor or outdoor area. There are some concerns for using metal halide HID bulbs. First, the light requires a 3-4 minute warm up time to provide its full brilliance. Also, metal halide HID bulbs put out a good amount of UV rays, which can damage some kinds of surfaces. However, the metal halide HID bulb is superior in providing great color rendering. Color rendering for a light source rates the ability of the light to showcase bright colors. With a color rendition rating of nearly three times that  of other HID types, metal halide light gives a quality result for colorful spaces.

High Pressure Sodium (HPS) Bulbs

The high-pressure sodium bulb is another type of HID bulb that competes with the metal halide. These light sources do not deliver a high quantity of UV light, and the warm incandescent light that they throw off can add comfort to a space. High pressure sodium lights provide 107 lumens per watt, in contrast to a lumens per watt ratio of 83 for metal halide lights, according to industry sources. They also last up to 24,000 hours, making high-pressure sodium bulbs a good idea for spaces where frequent bulb replacement is a serious and time-consuming task.

All three of the above types of HID lights have several large benefits over the traditional halogen lights seen in yesterday’s homes. HID bulbs last longer, provide more light, and are much more energy-efficient, since they do not throw off a lot of energy in the form of heat. HID bulbs also operate without a filament, which makes them less breakable, an asset in some kinds of home and commercial installations. Those who are looking at replacing sets of light bulbs for a home or property can think about whether one of these types of HID lights are right for their space.