LED vs HID: The Real Numbers for Commercial Retrofits
Side-by-side comparison of LED and HID (metal halide, HPS) lighting for commercial parking lots, warehouses, and sports facilities.
HID (High Intensity Discharge) lighting has been the commercial standard for parking lots, warehouses, and industrial facilities since the 1960s. Metal halide and high-pressure sodium fixtures deliver a lot of lumens for the initial investment. But modern LED has closed every gap that used to favor HID — and now beats it on every metric that actually matters to building owners. This guide lays out the real numbers, including the wattage conversions, maintenance math, and payback windows we see on actual retrofit projects across the Southeast.
Side-by-side
| Attribute | HID (Metal Halide / HPS) | LED |
|---|---|---|
| Typical system wattage (400W MH) | 458W (includes 10-15% ballast loss) | 120-150W LED |
| Warm-up / restrike time | 10-15 minutes after power loss | Instant on |
| Rated life | 15,000-25,000 hours | 50,000-100,000 hours (L70) |
| Lumen maintenance at end of life | 30-50% loss in first 40% of life | ~70% at L70 endpoint |
| Color rendering (CRI) | 65-70 CRI typical | 80-90+ CRI |
| Color consistency over time | Shifts toward green/pink as lamp ages | Stable across lifetime |
| Fixture cost (per unit) | $80-$200 bare fixture | $200-$500 quality commercial LED |
| Annual maintenance cost per fixture | ~$17.25/year | ~$0.54/year (97% reduction) |
| Sensitivity to voltage surges | Moderate — ballast absorbs some | High — driver is first failure point |
| Dimming capability | Limited; often not dimmable | 0-100% with 0-10V, DALI, or wireless controls |
Wattage conversion reference
One of the most common mistakes in retrofit planning is forgetting that HID ballasts add 10-15% parasitic load beyond the labeled bulb wattage. Always use SYSTEM wattage, not bulb wattage, in your savings math. Here's the reference we use on every project:
- 400W Metal Halide → 458W system → 120-150W LED (67-73% energy reduction)
- 1000W Metal Halide → 1,100W system → 300-350W LED (68-73% reduction)
- 250W Metal Halide → 295W system → 100W LED (60-66% reduction)
- 175W Metal Halide → 210W system → 45-50W LED (76% reduction)
- 150W Metal Halide → 185W system → 40W LED (78% reduction)
- 250W High Pressure Sodium → 295W system → 100W LED (60-66% reduction)
- 100W MH wall pack → 120W system → 25-30W LED (70-75% reduction)
The lumen depreciation trap
Metal halide loses 30-50% of its lumen output in the first 40% of its rated life. A fixture labeled for 20,000 hours is actually operating at 60-70% output for most of that time. When you compare LED and HID on an 'equivalent lumen' basis, you have to use MEAN lumens (not initial lumens) to get honest numbers. Many LED retrofits are specced to match HID initial lumens — which means they're actually twice as bright as what the HID was actually delivering by year 3.
Maintenance cost — the biggest hidden lever
Energy savings get all the attention in retrofit marketing, but maintenance reduction is often the bigger number. A typical HID fixture costs ~$17.25/year in labor and material (bulb replacements, ballast replacements, emergency truck rolls). LEDs drop that to about $0.54/year — a 97% reduction. Over a 15-year hold period, that's $250 per fixture in maintenance avoidance. On a 100-fixture parking lot, that's $25,000 in maintenance savings on top of the energy number.
- Bucket truck cost: $300-$700/day rental alone
- True cost of a truck roll: $250-$1,000 including labor + opportunity cost
- Emergency after-hours premium: 1.5-2x standard labor
- LED driver warranty: 5-10 years standard vs HID ballast 1-3 years
Color rendering (CRI) matters more than you think
Metal halide CRI is 65-70. LED is 80-90+. For parking lots and warehouses, the gap shows up in security camera performance (faces are readable at distance), pedestrian safety (tripping hazards are easier to see), and customer perception (the space feels premium, not 'industrial'). For manufacturing quality inspection, CRI 90+ LED is the difference between reliable color judgment and expensive QC errors.
Payback windows we actually see
Across a 89-project portfolio, our Southeast commercial LED retrofits typically pay back in under 3 years when you add energy savings + maintenance reduction + rebate capture. Industrial high-bay projects often pay back in under 2 years because burn hours are higher. Sports facilities land in 2-5 years depending on utility rates.
LED wins on every metric except fixture cost.
The one area where HID is cheaper is initial fixture cost — about 50% less than a quality commercial LED. Everything else — energy, maintenance, life, warm-up time, CRI, dimming capability, color stability — LED wins. The fixture cost differential is paid back in under 3 years on most commercial sites, and from year 4 onward the LED retrofit is pure savings. If you're still running HID, you're paying more every year to keep it running than it would cost to replace it.