IMPORTANT: Utilities will ask about hours of operation. Too often, managers will only report operations during night skiing, neglecting to add hours for snow-making and grooming. Calculate any and all hours lights might be operating. This is more the case for prescriptive rebates. The National Grid incentive program illustrates the compelling financial case for magnetic induction lighting. At the Frear Park Ice Rink in Troy, New York, thirty 1,000-watt metal halide fixtures were replaced with thirty 300-watt Rink-Bright™ magnetic induction lamps; a model similar to Snow-Bright™. This upgrade achieved:
• Annual energy savings of 133,041 kWh
• Annual electric cost savings of $21,287
• A simple payback period of only 0.5 years with utility incentive support.
These savings stem not only from the reduced wattage per fixture, but also from a major reduction in electrical overhead. Metal halide fixtures typically require an additional 150 watts to operate ballasts, bringing total system draw to 1,150 watts per unit. In contrast, a high-quality LED may only add 15 to 20 watts on an equivalent fixture that would range from 215 watts to 400 watts; however, LED in-rush current can still be far more at 40 amps to 60 amps, equaling 4,800 to 7,200 watts on a 120V circuit. Snow-Bright™ magnetic induction fixtures operate with 15 watts of driver overhead when using a 300-watt fixture — totaling
just 315 watts per unit with negligible in-rush of 1 to 5 watts. Peak Demand and In-Rush Charges
Another critical financial advantage is the substantial reduction in in-rush current , which affects utility demand charges . Metal halide and even LED fixtures can generate in-rush currents up to 15–20 times their rated wattage at startup. For example, switching on 50 metal halide fixtures simultaneously can spike demand to over 862,500 watts , driving up the “peak demand” charges applied across an entire billing cycle. In contrast, magnetic induction lighting has an in-rush multiplier of only 1.5x , dramatically reducing peak startup demand. This not only minimizes the risk of triggering high demand charges but also provides a more stable load profile , making this technology ideal for ski resorts facing utility fees based on momentary peak usage. Power Quality Benefits and Longevity Poor power quality (PQ)—including low power factor (PF), harmonic distortion, and electrical “noise”—can significantly increase facility maintenance costs and energy losses. Metal halide and many LED systems degrade PQ, leading to inefficient power usage and increased infrastructure wear. It is possible to counteract degradation using capacitor discharge systems that carry the initial load of high intensity discharge lamps (HID) like
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