Do you work in a Division 1 or 2 hazardous (classified) location? Do you know that the light bulbs all around you may be at risk for explosion if they don’t meet the UL844 safety standards? What else don’t you know about the fluorescent or halogen bulb that may be above you while you work?
What Are UL844 Safety Standards?
The UL844 standards for safety luminaries are designed to cover portable and fixed luminaries, or lights, in hazardous (classified) locations. This includes Class I, II, and III locations. Bulbs that meet UL844 standards are also in accordance with the NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code.
At-risk industries that may be considered hazardous or classified include petroleum refinery and production facilities, paint manufacturers, pumping stations, metal smelting workshops, mining operations of all sorts, the aerospace industry, and military facilities. Even some food and distilling facilities may be hazardous. So how safe are the lights that you work around every single day?
Explosion Proof Lights
Explosion proof lights of all types, including high power LED, fluorescent, and halogen bulb lights, meet UL844 standards. What many may not know is that explosion proof LED and other types of lights can also be energy-efficient. It doesn’t cost more to stay safe, and many bulbs that meet UL844 standards also meet energy efficient standards.
Lights that are energy efficient take less energy to power than standard lights. This reduces energy costs to create lower utility bills. That means ultimately, you’ll save money by upgrading all your lights to energy efficient, explosion proof lights that meet UL844 standards. Lights that meet these standards will clearly indicate on the packaging that this is the case.
Induction Lighting
Induction lighting has started to become more talked-about, but what is it? Induction lights are made differently than standard fluorescent bulbs, though their brightness is comparable. Induction lighting, however, has a much longer lifespan than average fluorescent light bulbs.
Unlike standard bulbs, induction lighting units don’t have filaments or electrodes. These are the elements that cause other lights to burn out more quickly. Because of this design, induction lighting is energy efficient and highly long-lasting. This lighting can stay lit for 100,000 hours.
The average fluorescent bulb lasts about 20,000 hours. To put that in perspective, the life expectancy of an LED tube is 50,000 hours. In many cases, induction lighting is bright — putting out 60 to more than 70 lumens of light per watt.
Induction lighting isn’t a new thing. In fact, it was demonstrated by none other than Nikola Tesla in the late 1890s.
The Cost of Lighting
Lighting is responsible for huge amounts of energy consumption. According to statistics from the Department of Energy, 22 percent of all electricity used in the U.S. goes to power lighting of different types. The Department of Energy estimates that LED lighting can reduce energy use in the U.S. by about 50 percent, which is significant.
Upgrading your lighting can reduce your energy cost and your utility bill. It’s also better or everyone else. You’ll be using a lot less, and that means there’s more to go around. With the world facing an energy crisis, any little reduction in usage can go a long way toward solving the problem.
Use lights that are energy efficient and safe, and use lights that will use less energy. Standard incandescent bulbs, the classic light bulbs everyone knows, release about 90 percent of their energy as heat. LEDs waste almost no heat whatsoever, and they are six or seven times more energy efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs. They also cut energy use by more than 80 percent. Those are numbers that just can’t be ignored. Isn’t it time to upgrade your light bulbs?