PoultryLightingLEDBulbsProvideEnergySavingsandDurability.pdfVIP

DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE RESEARCH EXTENSION University of Arkansas System Agriculture and Natural Resources FSA8005 Poultry Lighting: LED Bulbs Provide Energy Savings and Durability Susan Watkins Professor, Extension Poultry Specialist Examples of LED bulbs for poultry lighting Arkansas Is Our Campus Visit our web site at: Lighting significantly impacts poultry production. Too little lighting during brooding or too much during grow-out can result in lost performance and profits. Solid side wall, tunnel-ventilated poultry barns are more energy efficient to operate but do require artificial lighting sources. The expense of lighting a poultry barn with 60-watt incandescent bulbs can be as much as 30%-40% of the electrical operating cost ($100-$250 a flock/ barn depending on barn size and flock age to market). Therefore, lighting improvements should not only be beneficial for the birds but also energy efficient to minimize production costs. Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) are commonly used as replacements for incandescent lighting. While this source can save as much as 60% of the lighting cost compared to incandescent bulbs, industry wide, CFL bulbs in poultry barns experience high failure rates due to bulb sensitivity to power fluctuations. A second common problem with CFL bulbs is dirt accumulation on the spirals which reduces bulb lumen light output, plus the bulbs naturally lose light output over time (lamp lumen depreciation, LLD). The bulbs also contain mercury, which is considered an environmental risk factor, so they require special disposal procedures. Cold cathode compact fluorescent bulbs (CCFL) are a second energy-efficient light source, but they are also sensitive to power fluctuations, contain mercury and lose light output over time. LED, light-emitting diodes, have entered the market for poultry production in the last three years. LED technology involves light emitting from electrons, and this light source is now being used in broiler, turkey, layer and