Metal halide grow lights create fantastic light under which your plants will thrive. These grow lights are a HID, or high-intensity discharge, light. They are small grow lamps that produce a lot of light, and yet are more efficient to run than either incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs. Indoor gardeners and hydroponics enthusiasts get great results with their plants when they use metal halide lights.
Metal halide lamps are made up of several different parts. There are tungsten electrodes which are connected to a quartz arc tube, where the light is produced. Inside the arc tube is where you will find mercury vapor, different metals and noble gas, all of which play a part in creating the light produced by MH grow lights. The arc tube is covered by a glass bulb. There is a metal base, and a connection to the power source. Some metal halide grow lights use an arc tube made of alumina or aluminum oxide, as well. This type of grow light requires the use of a ballast to control the flow of the current through the arc tube in order for the grow lamp to function properly.
Each different type of grow light has a particular color-rendering index and correlated color temperature. This is true of the metal halide grow lights. Some of these lamps have an 80 color-rendering index, on a scale of zero to 100. This index ranks lights to show how well or poorly they reproduce colors of objects being lit by the lamp.
100 is the best rating, and zero the worst. Therefore, an 80 is reflective of a very good quality white light. In terms of correlated color temperature, MH grow lights can range from 3,000 K to 20,000 K. 3,000 is in the yellow range of the spectrum, while 20,000 is in the blue range. (K refers to the Kelvin temperature scale.) In terms of comparison, daylight registers in at 6,500 K, whereas a television screen is at 9,300 K and moonlight is at 4,100 K. If you are an indoor gardener, you are trying to recreate daylight in order for your plants to thrive, so you will want a bulb as close to daylight’s 6,500 K as possible.
Light produced by a grow lamp can fall at different spots on the electromagnetic spectrum. Some lights lean more toward the blue end of spectrum, while others land on the orange and red end. This matters to the indoor gardener, because baby plants need light in the blue spectrum in order to grow well. If you want a mature plant to produce fruit or flowers, then you will need lights in the red and orange spectrum.
It is estimated that lighting is responsible for emitting significant amount of carbon dioxide in the environment. In fact, it actually consumes as much as 19 percent of electricity that is generated throughout the world. As if this figure is not a big enough problem, another issue lies in how lighting electricity is generated. A lot of electricity is generated from using coal and it accounts for about 39% of the world’s total CO2 emissions. By 2030 (EIA 2007), this figure is expected to reach 43%.
There is a lot of energy that can be saved by simply switching to an energy efficient Par38 halogen bulb or other energy efficient lighting technology such as compact fluorescent or LED. These are well-known alternatives for high wattage direct illumination and spot lighting needs. The “Par” is an abbreviation of parabolic aluminized reflector, a material that is wrapped around the lamp. There are a lot of choices and alternatives if you are interested in buying a Par 38 halogen bulb.
Energy-Efficient and Long-Lasting
The white spectrum produced by the Par38 halogen bulb is perfect for anyone who needs direct illumination. This kind of bulb also has longer lifespan and produces brighter lighting compared to an incandescent source. It also maximizes the amount of energy it utilizes by providing more illumination per watt so efficiency is achieved. Recently, technology has improved to create a PAR38 Halogen that emits the same lumens at a fraction of the wattage consumption.
Certain types of lighting become dull or faded over time since it can no longer provide optimum performance. But you don’t need to worry about this issue if you use Par38 halogen bulb because it is specifically designed to give maximum efficiency throughout its lifetime. This option is available in 12 volt size as well as 120 volt size. A step-down transformer is required if you want to lower the voltage.
Take note that because Par38 halogen bulbs tend to get hotter compared to ordinary halogen lighting, it is not recommended for usage in ceilings that are lower than 8 feet. There should also be enough distance from the bulb to a temperature-sensitive item if it is being showcased. Otherwise, Par38 halogen bulb is safe, energy-efficient, and affordable for a variety of needs.
Be sure to check a reputable store to find a Par38 halogen bulb that is best suited for your needs. It is not difficult to find a good selection if you visit an established lighting store. In fact, the amount of available choices can be confusing because everything is a good deal. For any questions or queries, be sure to contact the company’s support staff to get individual answers. Each person, organization, or government agency has a unique need. Ask the expert for advice to get the best Par38 halogen bulb.
