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Using LEDs for Cold Food Storage

Hear from our experts on Everything LED Lighting

When you hear the words “LED lights,” your automatic thought probably isn’t “refrigerator.” LEDs are known today for their great energy savings. More and more homes and businesses are choosing LEDs over traditional fluorescent and incandescent lighting. While LEDs have a great impact on energy bills and quality of light as overhead lighting, you must not overlook smaller, but equally important, LED lighting applications. If you work in the food industry and use large refrigerators, freezers or warehouses, you should seriously consider replacing the old bulbs with LEDs. Here are 4 reasons to use LED lights for cold food storage!

1. Less Heat Emissions

If you currently use fluorescent and/or incandescent lights in your cold food storage, you may notice they take time to turn on and possibly flicker. These traditional light bulbs don’t work well in cold weather or cold food storage because they need heat to function. Not only does it take longer for these lights to turn on due to the cold storage environment, but they also emit heat. The heat emissions may cause you to turn down your storage temperature even more, using more energy to simply balance out the heat the lights produce.

On the other hand, LEDs work very well in cold environments, as they produce little heat and need little heat to power. Whereas metal halides emit heat in the 300 degree range, LEDs only emit heat in the 120 degree range. With less heat being produced, your storage space doesn’t have to work as hard to compensate, saving you more money on top of the LED energy savings.

2. Longer Light Lifespan

LEDs are also known for their lengthy lifespans, some expanding into the 20-25+ year range! LEDs used in cold storage may last even longer. Too much heat is detrimental to the quality and lifespan of LED bulbs. This is why they thrive in cooler environments, such as cold storage. The bulb’s heat sink pulls heat away from the light naturally, yet being in a cool environment aids in keeping the bulb from overheating!

3. Occupancy Sensors

Occupancy sensors are great for cold food storage, and help save you and your business even more money. With traditional bulbs, using sensors might actually shorten the lifespan of the bulb, as it takes the bulb more time and energy to warm up and turn on. When using LEDs with occupancy sensors, their lifespan is not affected. Due to their instant-on ability, occupancy sensors are another great way to save money on top of your LED savings.

4. Durability

Dropping a fluorescent tube is to be avoided at all costs, due to worries of mercury and fume exposure. LED bulbs are built much more durably, and can even be dropped without much worry of breaking. Not only do you not have to worry about replacing LED lights more than once in 20+ years, but when you do, you don’t need to worry about dropping one or two!

If you are interesting in learning more about using LED lights for cold food storage, give us a call today at (319)-519-0039! Whether you need single bulbs for your fridge or freezer, or you have a refrigerated warehouse, we are here to help!

Posted in LED Lighting for Food Industry