The efficiency of cold storage units is essential to any restaurant or supermarket’s cleanliness and food safety. However, this sanitation is ineffective in many of these businesses due to faulty cold storage lighting. Fortunately, Relumination’s design for LED lighting solves these risks while saving the food industry money.
Many lights in cold storage units produce heat, compromising the necessary food temperatures. Restaurants will increase the use of air conditioning in an attempt to combat this. This is costly and does not guarantee that food will be kept within health code regulations. However, less than 10% of the energy used in Relumination’s LED lights is converted to heat. Unlike other lights, Relumination’s LED lights stay cool, maintain the temperature in cold storage, and save money on air conditioning.
Lighting efficiency is a significant concern, especially in areas where the lights themselves work against keeping the area cold. Energy efficiency, money, the environment, and a safer, more efficient system all argue for upgrading outdated lighting systems in favor of newer technology that allows an area to be well-lit while keeping the room cold.
LED: The Most Energy‑Efficient Choice for Cold Environments
Are you in the grocery or warehouse business and need the proper lighting for your cold storage? As a business owner or manager you realize the importance of being cost‑effective, that’s why you need to choose the most energy‑efficient option.
How Older Technologies Waste Light (and Energy)
There are many types of lighting: incandescent, fluorescent, neon, and more. Incandescent lighting is an old technology. It works by passing an electrical current through a resistive wire. As the electricity moves through this wire, energy is released in the form of light and heat. These lighting systems generate the most heat and require the most energy.
Fluorescent lights utilize a special tube that contains a partial vacuum. A ballast provides a high voltage through these tubes that excites the mercury. A fluorescent powder coats the inside of the tube and converts the UV radiation into visible light. The tubes themselves do not release much excessive heat energy, but the ballasts can be problematic with these systems. A ballast can release as much as 10% of input power as heat, depending on its efficiency. If your ballast releases 10 watts of heat in an hour, this could mean a potential increase of 39 degrees Fahrenheit for a 45 cubic foot volume. Neon systems are like fluorescent systems but require much higher voltages and can be even less efficient.
Both incandescent and HID pass electricity through a filament, while fluorescent lights produce light by ionizing mercury vapor. Both methods require extreme heat for the electrons in their atoms to become excited enough to produce light, wasting nearly 90% of the electricity they consume, making them incredibly inefficient. They have a higher probability of failure, are limited to a 360° beam spread resulting in wasted light, and lack control capability.
Why LED Thrives in the Cold
LED lighting systems are different. They still produce heat, but they don’t produce the infrared energy like incandescent bulbs; furthermore, an LED system uses less energy than fluorescent lighting by using lower voltages and currents, reducing excessive heat output. LED produces light using electroluminescence. This process doesn’t use a filament and creates little heat, instead relying on a property of semiconductors to generate light. LEDs can be directional, maximizing lighting while minimizing energy usage.
It’s no secret that an LED light bulb will last longer than a comparable fluorescent light bulb. LED light bulbs are more energy efficient, meaning lower electricity bills. LED technology thrives in colder temperatures and does not face the same challenges as other technologies. LEDs even work more efficiently below freezing than they do at summery temperatures, and that’s on top of LEDs’ general efficiency.
Keep Your Cold Storage Cold (and Safe)
Minimal Heat, Maximum Protection
There is a reason that the meat drawer of every refrigerator is on the bottom shelf. It’s because the top shelf is the warmest place in the refrigerator. This is not only because heat rises, but also because that’s usually where the light bulb is. Traditional light bulbs, including fluorescent bulbs, emit excessive heat. Using this type of lighting system limits the safety and dependability of a cold storage facility.
Relumination’s design for LED lighting solves these risks while saving the food industry money. Less than 10% of the energy used in Relumination’s LED lights is converted to heat. Unlike other lights, Relumination’s LED lights stay cool, maintain the temperature in cold storage, and save money on air conditioning.
Safety, Food Quality, and Space Utilization
When foods in cold rooms are kept too close to light sources, they can warm up when the lights are on for long periods. A cycle of slight warming and re‑freezing can lead to freezer burn and food expiration. That means your storage is organized with a hefty buffer around the hot bulbs, and that’s bad for business. LEDs, on the other hand, generate very little heat and can be installed for lighting that doesn’t risk stored products, so you don’t have to leave valuable space empty.
Knowing this, we might opt to keep the lights off as much as possible, but the problem with a solution like that is that a poorly‑lit area can lead to workplace accidents and injuries. OSHA maintains minimum lighting standards for a variety of different environments, and you need to be sure your facilities are maintaining those minimums. Because LEDs stay bright throughout their lifespan instead of dimming drastically, and are already brighter than other lights, you can rest assured the regulations are being followed. The additional brightness also helps employees move efficiently and safely above what regulations require.
Sanitation and Touch‑Free Controls
Another fault of many cold storage lighting systems is that they are operated with a light switch. This may seem like an insignificant factor, but it can actually be a significant health concern. Workers rush in and out of the cold storage, flicking on and off that light switch as they go. The many hands touching that same light switch with various ingredients and even cleaning chemicals create a considerable health hazard.
Relumination offers lights controlled by motion sensors. This means that the lights turn on as soon as a worker walks into the cold storage. These motion sensor LED lights also have a feature called Instant On. Unlike most motion sensor lights that need time to warm up, Relumination LED lights instantly turn on to full power with dimming options.
Durability and Cleanliness
Relumination LED lights are durable and are not made of glass. So if a light is dropped in the cold storage, there is no messy or dangerous cleanup near or in the food.
Controls, Intelligence, and Measurable Savings
Case Study: United States Cold Storage (Hazleton, PA)
Many companies deal with hot, inefficient warehouse lighting every day, but don’t put a lot of thought into it. If a warehouse operates 24 hours per day, the lighting can be one of its most significant overhead expenses. One solution to lower your energy costs and HVAC costs is to install LED lighting and, if possible, a lighting‑control system.
Digital Lumens installed LED lighting with a control system in the United States Cold Storage Inc.’s Hazleton, PA warehouse. According to the case study, the old high‑pressure sodium lamps consumed 465 watts each, costing USCS $0.46 per square foot per year. The new Digital Lumens Intelligent lighting consumes only 160 watts and only costs 3.5 cents per square foot per year, a decrease of 93% in energy costs! Also, with the new lighting, the warehouse was able to get rid of the chiller load associated with the metal halide lighting and eliminate their lamp replacement and maintenance budget. USCS’s payback period for this project was just 14.6 months.
To contribute to the savings, Digital Lumens also implemented its LightRules system, which uses a combination of fixture‑based sensors and a lighting control system to dim or turn off lighting in areas of the warehouse that see sporadic activity. With this system, the lights are only on 22.17% of the time. Having the lights on when no one is around wastes energy and contributes to maintenance expenses. Using the intelligence of the Digital Lumens LightRules system, combined with the efficiency of LED Lighting, United States Cold Storage was able to slash its lighting overhead expenses by over 90%.
Relumination is a proud partner with Digital Lumens, and we offer our customers the Intelligent Light Engine and LightRules products.
Make LEDs Smarter Across Your Facility
Traditional bulbs often burn out, especially in adverse conditions. However, you and your site manager may not always be aware when this happens. If the bulb for a sensor goes out, you won’t know without a manual inspection. If the overhead lights go out, someone has to stop what they’re doing and replace them. However, LEDs can be integrated into an internal Internet of Things system. Not only will you get an alert when the LEDs go out, but you can also get an early warning when the bulbs start to dim.
Options are available that allow you to operate the system on a timer to minimize the heat production and lessen the impact on your refrigeration system. Top notch controls allow you to maintain your facility to run at peak performance.
Cost, ROI, and Environmental Impact
Energy Efficiency That Pays You Back
When using outdated lighting systems in cold rooms, we burn energy unnecessarily in two ways: we spend more energy keeping the room cold because the lights warm it up, and we need more lights because cold lighting systems have improved in brightness from what they used to be. Upgrading saves energy because fewer bulbs are required for the same amount of illumination, and energy is saved because less is wasted fighting the warmth that results from having lights on.
Energy efficiency saves money. By spending less energy, power bills are reduced — sometimes drastically. Depending on your facilities, you might see noticeable changes in the amount of money you spend on power so quickly that any necessary expenditures on upgrades might pay for themselves in the first year of use.
Lower Maintenance, Less Downtime
Not only do LED light bulbs last longer, they require less maintenance. LED light bulbs are known for their durability. They have the capability to last for decades without a hiccup. Additionally, modern systems are set up to be controlled and monitored from afar. Having an LED lighting system means having one less thing to worry about. You will not have to constantly replace or repair your lighting. You will also see a reduction in downtime because you will not have to sit around and wait for repairs.
These improved options also reduce maintenance time and cost. They are designed to last longer with fewer disruptions or down times to change bulbs in often hard to reach places.
Better for the Environment
By reducing energy use, especially around areas where freon or ammonia might be a necessary aspect of keeping cold rooms cold, we help preserve the environment. Environmental risks are associated with each energy source, so reducing the amount of electricity needed to keep a cold room cold and well lit helps preserve the environment. This planet is the only one we’ve got, and we must take care of it.
People, Safety, and Operations
Brighter Workplaces Improve Productivity
With higher quality lighting, you can meet the standards and guidelines, meet the energy codes that have been set, and avoid paying tons of money for maintenance. Upgrading your old lighting can help you enjoy the following benefits:
- Reduce the costs it takes to operate your facility.
- Positively impact how efficient and productive your employees are.
- Lower the costs it takes to maintain your facility.
When your facility has the right kind of lighting, it allows your employees to perform better at their daily tasks.
The bright bulbs offer better working conditions for your employees and improve performance and mood.
Safety Habits in the Cold
From cut flowers to pork chops, there are dozens of industrial reasons why your business needs cold storage. Your cold storage room may have a magnetic locking door, regulated ventilation, and digital temperature controls but it should definitely have bright, clearly illuminating electric lights.
The effectiveness and safety of your cold storage unit(s) should be checked at least once a year, and cleaned every week that it is frequently used. Unfortunately, cold storage safety is easy to skimp on without thinking about it. It’s cold in there! Especially for freezer units, your body is wary about letting you linger in the cold. This can cause people to hurry away from cold storage tasks without even realizing they have done so. This year, resolve to put on a coat and take a couple of rounds cleaning and securing your cold storage.
When checking on your cold storage, there are a few regular safety considerations. Due to the nature of cold storage, floors can become both dirty and icy. To deal with this, mop from wall to wall regularly and lay down thick, secure rubber mats on the floor between the shelves and anywhere you expect to step. Icy build‑up on the walls commonly known as ‘freezer burn’ can be scraped away or melted with warm water, just remember to move shelves and goods away from the wall before bringing down the ice.
Changing light bulbs in your cold storage can be a freezing pain, but it is vital to continued safe use of your unit. Insufficient lighting increases the body’s fear response to lingering in cold temperatures. This combined with low visibility can drastically increase chances of both falling and dropping shelf items. Naturally you’ll want to change out your lights as little as possible so your ideal bulb is bright, long lasting, and produces very little heat.
Implementation Path: Retrofits and New Installs
Different facilities use different lighting systems, and sometimes even different parts of the same building are lit with different bulbs. But LEDs are the best choice for your cold storage sites, regardless of the surrounding infrastructure. More and more facilities are turning to LEDs, and it’s because LEDs have more to offer by almost every metric for commercial buildings and industrial facilities.
Relumination’s LED lighting systems can be found in state‑of‑the‑art cold storage facilities around the world. Additionally, using an LED lighting system will let the air conditioning system relax a bit, resulting in lower energy consumption.
Relumination offers lights controlled by motion sensors with Instant On and dimming, durable non‑glass construction, and smart controls that can be monitored from afar. We deliver energy‑efficient lighting solutions across the United States.
Why Relumination
We here at Relumination strive to provide our customers with the most innovative and efficient resources for their business. Our years of experience and advanced knowledge have prepared us to offer proven results. Relumination is a company dedicated to delivering energy efficient lighting solutions across the United States.
- Design & Engineering: Relumination can design a lighting system that does not generate excessive heat, optimized for cold storage performance and safety.
- Smart Controls: Motion sensors, Instant On, dimming, timers, and IoT integrations for alerts and analytics.
- Trusted Partners: Relumination is a proud partner with Digital Lumens, offering Intelligent Light Engine and LightRules products.
- Durability & Safety: LED fixtures that run much cooler than traditional fixtures, reduce maintenance, and are not made of glass.
Get a Free Facility Analysis
Contact us to discuss an LED lighting system today. Contact us for more information on upgrading your cold room lighting to an efficient system. Contact us to learn more or for a free facility analysis.
