Replace PAR56 Side Prong Fixtures with LED PAR

[Aaron Hammett]

I've got a stage wash application where the building manager has inquired if LEDs can replace the ceiling-mounted PAR56* 300W lamps (4 per side). The stage is 27' wide and 18' deep. The lamps are 25 feet from the stage deck mounted to the ceiling behind glu-lam beams.

I am not a lighting designer, so I would like to know how many and what type of LED units should replace these existing units. The goal is energy savings. Upfront cost is mildly important. RGBA is not as important, but maybe should be?

* Sorry, not Side Prong. I was confusing them with the PAR38 in another location. I guess that point doesn't really matter.

 

[TJ Cornish]

Re: Replace PAR56 Side Prong Fixtures with LED PAR

I've got a stage wash application where the building manager has inquired if LEDs can replace the ceiling-mounted PAR56* 300W lamps (4 per side). The stage is 27' wide and 18' deep. The lamps are 25 feet from the stage deck mounted to the ceiling behind glu-lam beams.

I am not a lighting designer, so I would like to know how many and what type of LED units should replace these existing units. The goal is energy savings. Upfront cost is mildly important. RGBA is not as important, but maybe should be?

* Sorry, not Side Prong. I was confusing them with the PAR38 in another location. I guess that point doesn't really matter.

Are these used for color wash, or white? If white, I'd probably not replace them, as the economics aren't there for LED. If color, then absolutely they can be replaced with a decent wash fixture. Brightness of upper-lower-end fixtures for saturated colors is easily on par with gelled PAR56, so 1:1 replacement would likely be fine.

Replacement fixtures should be using the 1W or greater per element lights, rather than hundreds of old-school looking little ones. I've had good luck with this one:
Products » SlimPAR

I'm sure there are other good ones too.

 

[Aaron Hammett]

Re: Replace PAR56 Side Prong Fixtures with LED PAR

Are these used for color wash, or white? If white, I'd probably not replace them, as the economics aren't there for LED. If color, then absolutely they can be replaced with a decent wash fixture. Brightness of upper-lower-end fixtures for saturated colors is easily on par with gelled PAR56, so 1:1 replacement would likely be fine.

Replacement fixtures should be using the 1W or greater per element lights, rather than hundreds of old-school looking little ones. I've had good luck with this one:
Products » SlimPAR

I'm sure there are other good ones too.

Yes, they're all white. Thank you for your advice. ~~:smile:

Let's pretend the budget is not an issue. Is there a metric for determining how many "white" or A/W LED PAR56 fixtures would replace the 300W fixtures?

 

[TJ Cornish]

Re: Replace PAR56 Side Prong Fixtures with LED PAR

Based on quick Gooling, a 300W PAR56 bulb is around 5000 lumens, and a 500w is about 8800 lumens.

An ETC Selador Desire D60 Studio
Lighting solutions for Theatre, Film & Television Studios and Architectural spaces : ETC

claims to be 4600 field lumens, so roughly comparable to a 300W PAR56 bulb. This fixture is north of $1000, I believe, and still draws 161 watts - more than half the power of the conventional PAR bulb. That's going to take a long time to make back your money.

Going another route - Philips EnduraLED Par 38 bulb:
http://download.p4c.philips.com/l4b/9/929000192602_na/929000192602_na_pss_aen.pdf

17w, 875 lumens. It will take 6 of these bulbs to make 5000 lumens, and 102 watts of power. These bulbs are ~$50 each, not counting fixtures and wiring, so probably $1000 for 6 fixtures.


I'd stick with your current PARs.

 

[Mike Pyle]

Re: Replace PAR56 Side Prong Fixtures with LED PAR

Another cost factor to consider is the energy used to cool the space when there are eight 300w pars cranked up putting out heat.

 

[TJ Cornish]

Re: Replace PAR56 Side Prong Fixtures with LED PAR

Another cost factor to consider is the energy used to cool the space when there are eight 300w pars cranked up putting out heat.

While this is true, if they are stage lights, they are likely on only a few hours a day, or possibly a few hours a week.

I work in a downtown hi-rise, where electricity effectively costs $.40/Kwh - $.10 for the electricity and $.30 for the cooling to remove the heat. We just got done replacing 800 PAR 38 fixtures with Philips EnduraLED, and the payback - especially since our energy company subsidizes the bulbs - is less than 12 months. It seems unlikely that this is the OP's situation. One other issue is the heat load of the punters at the event - it doesn't take many people dancing in a room to make 2400w of heat, making this small amount of lighting probably a minor factor in cooling required.

 

[Aaron Hammett]

Re: Replace PAR56 Side Prong Fixtures with LED PAR

While this is true, if they are stage lights, they are likely on only a few hours a day, or possibly a few hours a week.

I work in a downtown hi-rise, where electricity effectively costs $.40/Kwh - $.10 for the electricity and $.30 for the cooling to remove the heat. We just got done replacing 800 PAR 38 fixtures with Philips EnduraLED, and the payback - especially since our energy company subsidizes the bulbs - is less than 12 months. It seems unlikely that this is the OP's situation. One other issue is the heat load of the punters at the event - it doesn't take many people dancing in a room to make 2400w of heat, making this small amount of lighting probably a minor factor in cooling required.

You're right - they're only on a few hours a week. The biggest issue, apparently, is the difficulty of access followed by a lack of options for the type of fixture.

 

[Rob Timmerman]

Re: Replace PAR56 Side Prong Fixtures with LED PAR

Yes, they're all white. Thank you for your advice. ~~:smile:

Let's pretend the budget is not an issue. Is there a metric for determining how many "white" or A/W LED PAR56 fixtures would replace the 300W fixtures?

You're looking at ~100W white LED fixtures (or combinations of fixtures) to get comparable output to a 300W PAR56, at probably $1000 per. Probably only makes sense if your maintenance costs are very high.