Replacing DRL mercury lamps with LED: what is there now
HPMV (DRL) mercury lamps stopped in 2020 and are almost gone. What hangs there instead - HPS, metal halide, fluorescent, early LED - and what replaces it, with catalogue and IES figures.
Contents
The query “replacing DRL with LED” still lives in Google and Yandex suggestions, while the lamps themselves have almost gone from sites. Briefly, what happened to them; in detail, what is installed today and what replaces it.
What DRL lamps are and why they are gone
HPMV (DRL) mercury lamps are high-pressure mercury arc lamps with an E40 cap, running through a ballast. Fitted from the 1970s because they were cheap, they are the worst of the discharge lamps: 51 lm/W to 55 lm/W with the ballast against 109 lm/W for HPS of the same wattage, and by 12 000 h the flux falls to 0.79 of rated (OSRAM HQL 400 W datasheet).
In the EU such lamps have failed the efficacy requirements since 2015 (Regulation 245/2009, table 9); the Minamata Convention on Mercury (annex A) set 2020 as the phase-out date for the manufacture, import and export of HPMV lamps. Uzbekistan has not joined the convention, but the lamps were made for the world market: the plants have closed and a replacement lamp cannot be found.
So there are practically no DRL lamps left in Uzbekistan: wherever one burnt out, an HPS, a metal halide or a first-generation LED luminaire went in long ago. For the same reason there is no DRL in our savings calculator: it works from what is actually installed, and a calculation “from DRL” would show a twofold saving unrelated to your site.
What is installed now and what to fit
Old-lamp figures are rated values of new lamps with ballast from the Lisma, Philips and OSRAM catalogues; our luminaire figures come from the 2018 IES files: Prom 100W 13 000 lm, Prom 150W 19 500 lm, Prom 200W 26 000 lm, Line Ultra 40W 5 600 lm. Old-lamp depreciation is not included, so the real drop in flux on site is smaller than calculated.
HPS 250 W and 400 W (DNaT) is the most common lamp in warehouses, production halls and on streets. HPS 250 W with ballast draws 275 W and gives 30 000 lm. A one-for-one swap to Prom 200W cuts power by 27% at minus 13% rated flux; Prom 150W cuts power by 45% but flux by 35%, only after a recalculation. HPS 400 W (440 W, 52 000 lm) is covered by two Prom 200W: 400 W, exactly 52 000 lm. The honest gain with the light kept is 25% to 45%, see replacing HPS.
Metal halide 250 W and 400 W sit in production halls where colour rendering matters. Metal halide 250 W (275 W, 20 500 lm) to Prom 150W: minus 45% power at minus 5% flux. Metal halide 400 W (440 W, 32 000 lm) to Prom 200W: minus 55% power but minus 19% flux; the calculator warns and the hall is recalculated in DIALux, see upgrading hall lighting.
Fluorescent 4 × 18 W and 2 × 36 W are in offices, retail, car parks and low-ceiling warehouses. A 4 × 18 W with ballast draws 108 W and gives 5 400 lm, a 2 × 36 W 90 W and 6 700 lm. The replacement is the linear Line Ultra 40W: minus 63% power at plus 4% flux for 4 × 18 W; for 2 × 36 W the flux is 16% lower, take Line 50W. For grid ceilings there is Grilliato 30W; details in replacing fluorescent.
LED of 2013 to 2016 is the first generation, about 100 lm/W. A 200 W luminaire of that time gave 20 000 lm; Prom 150W gives 19 500 lm at 150 W: minus 25% power at minus 3% flux. A 100 W luminaire at 10 000 lm is not worth replacing for savings, Prom 100W draws the same 100 W; the argument there is 30% more flux and a warranty.
All percentages are calculated, without old-lamp depreciation, and are not guaranteed until measured on site. The formula, the tariff with references and verification by a signed report are in how much LED lighting saves.
If DRL lamps are still there
Then it is the simplest replacement of all: power falls 2.2 to 2.8 times while the light is kept.
| Old lamp | Power with ballast | Catalogue flux | Replacement | Flux per IES file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DRL-250 | 280 W | ≈ 14 300 lm (Lisma DRL 250M) | Prom 100W, 100 W | 13 000 lm (minus 9%) |
| DRL-400 | 440 W | ≈ 24 200 lm (Lisma DRL 400M) | Prom 200W, 200 W | 26 000 lm (plus 7%) |
The saving on DRL is the largest of all lamp types, not because the luminaire is special but because DRL is the worst lamp still encountered. No detailed calculation is needed: in the calculator select “older LED, custom wattage” and enter 280 W or 440 W. Removed DRL lamps contain mercury: keep them intact in closed containers and hand them to an organisation that accepts mercury-containing waste.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there no DRL in the calculator?
Because none are left: we calculate from what is installed now, that is HPS, metal halide, fluorescent and early LED. For the remaining DRL lamps the table above and the “custom wattage” type with 280 W or 440 W are enough.
What replaces DRL-250 and DRL-400?
DRL-250: Prom 100W (13 000 lm against 14 300 lm, minus 9%, within the acceptance threshold). DRL-400: Prom 200W (26 000 lm against 24 200 lm, plus 7%). Power falls from 280 W to 100 W and from 440 W to 200 W.
Can a DRL lamp still be bought?
Manufacture for the world market stopped under the Minamata Convention in 2020, and in the EU the lamps have not been made since 2015. Remaining stock is getting dearer and running out, so swapping lamp for lamp is no longer an option.
Where to start if the site has HPS or metal halide?
With the calculator: it shows consumption, money and the change in flux. If the flux drops by more than 10%, request a DIALux calculation from the site plan.