| High intensity discharge (HID) lighting, which includes | | | | foods. Armed with the necessary lighting technology |
| metal halide lights, commonly used in outdoor settings | | | | of the HID metal halides, as well as soil science |
| is becoming even more efficient. The Energy | | | | advances, interesting farmers markets have started |
| Independence Security Act (EISA) requires pulse | | | | providing others with tasty, low cost alternatives to |
| starters to become even more environmentally | | | | shopping in the grocery store aisles. |
| friendly. A number of energy efficiency issues were | | | | Other applications for the metal halide fixtures are |
| included in the set of laws which eventually passed | | | | also finding their way into consumer's exterior lighting |
| with this act. Higher fleet gas mileage standards for | | | | needs. The largest segment of this market tends to |
| the automobiles sold in the United States was the | | | | exist in rural and sub-urban housing markets where |
| headline grabbing issue; however, there were a | | | | there are larger patches of land surrounding the |
| number of other aspects of the law that provided | | | | home owner. Safety conscious home owners have |
| for interesting applications of technology in the area | | | | started looking toward the energy efficient usage of |
| of lighting devices. | | | | metal halide lighting to provide security around their |
| The EISA mandated that the better efficiency | | | | homes. |
| needed to be applied to the pulse start mechanisms | | | | Floodlights are the highest selling metal halide |
| many metal halide fixtures employed in their lighting | | | | application. With costs of bulbs and fixtures |
| designs. These new pulse starters have begun | | | | decreasing steadily, the home owner has taken to |
| showing up this year. As a result, the marketplace is | | | | incorporating HID into their overall property security |
| seeing an increasing number of applications using HID | | | | game plan. Exterior housing lights become quite |
| metal halide for other than industrial usage. | | | | economical with these higher efficiency devices. |
| One such application is in the area of indoor growing. | | | | Well designed fixtures also allow for the illumination of |
| For certain plants, especially young plants, the type | | | | larger areas of land for less money. This allows the |
| of light which metal halides emit are perfect for | | | | rural property owner, and small business operators to |
| growth. The application of the HID lights provides a | | | | provide the security of a well lit yard to help in the |
| much quicker acceleration growth factor helping new | | | | protection of home and business. |
| plants reach maturity. | | | | As more of us become increasingly conscious of |
| In addition to speeding the growth of young plants, | | | | taking care of our environment, the advances of |
| the metal halide lighting is also allowing certain types | | | | technology help make it easier to do the right thing. |
| of plants to remain at maturity for longer periods of | | | | By using Energy Star rated devices like HID metal |
| time. Some local home growing botanists are taking | | | | halide fixtures, we can get the functionality we need |
| advantage of these speed growing traits to | | | | at prices we can afford. When you need to look into |
| germinate and propagate locally grown produce year | | | | replacing various lighting applications around your |
| round. | | | | home or small business, consider looking into any of |
| By setting up small growing green houses on minimal | | | | the new technologies that exist for lower cost, |
| patches of land, these local home farmers have | | | | higher efficient lighting apparatus. |
| begun to produce an increasing amount of their own | | | | |