Holophane’s ecapsule gives 50% energy savings on existing lighting

Holophane Lighting’s new ecapsule is a simple to retrofit energy reduction system, designed for use with the company’s Prismpack and Prismalume hibay luminaires, which enables 0-10V dimming of 320W to 400W metal halide lamps down to 25% of initial lumens. As such, ecapsule has the potential to reduce the energy consumption of existing installations by up to 50% with typical paybacks within 12 months.

Installation is very straightforward, simply requiring replacement of the existing magnetic capsule with the new electronic capsule – and retaining the existing glass reflector. This switch to electronic control gear reduces the lamp’s lumen depreciation so it will often be possible to replace 400W lamps with 350W, resulting in a lower installed electrical load and even further energy savings.

The ecapsule also features ‘Digital Ignition Technology’, an innovative ignition system that effectively warms the electrodes prior to ignition to reduce erosion and extends the life of both metal halide and high pressure sodium lamps.

The ecapsule microprocessor monitors the lamp condition and, once the lamp arc is established, the ballast immediately switches to current mode control.

Other features of ecapsule include around 50% lower ballast losses compared to electromagnetic ballasts and built-in thermal protection to protect ballasts against excessive temperatures – with automatic restoration of power when temperatures fall back to an acceptable reading. The ecapsule is also considerably lighter than electromagnetic control gear, reducing the demands on fixing locations and roof loading.

Offering a wide choice of lamp types and positions, ecapsule is able to replicate virtually any existing scheme distributions. Building operators currently using Holophane Prismpack or Prismalume luminaires (320W to 400W) can contact Holophane for a free, no obligation energy audit to identify the potential savings that can be achieved.

august 2009