Lighting FAQs

A. Yes, when used with the ONCE^® Master or Slave dimming unit you can control the light color and intensity from 5% total red, to 100% bright. Lowering light levels or total dark times helps the swine rest and supports melatonin production.  With the dim to red feature you can let your swine get the rest they need, but still have enough light for staff to see the swine and the environment.

A. Yes, ONCE lighting systems have multiple studies proving weight gain and better feed conversion in agriculture facilities.

When applied to 26,000 birds per house x 6 pounds each x 6 flocks per year = 37,440 pounds more x $0.055 per pound = $2,059 more to producer.   Electricity Cost Savings for Lighting = $426 per house per flock x 6 flocks per year = $2,556 more to producer.  Total value increase to producer per year =$4,615 per house. LED installation Cost (at 75 lights per house) = $2,250.  Payback = 6 months.  Weight .23 better, adjusted feed conversion 3.2 better, livability .36 better, actual feed conversion .005 better.

A. ONCE has a designer on staff to make sure you get the correct lighting levels, the correct placement of the lights, and this is cost free. We can help with dimming controllers and surge protection as well.

A. ONCE LED Lights use only 8-17 watts of electricity (1/3rd to 1/30th of Incandescent or CFL). This will save money on electricity and replacement costs because ONCE ^® LED lights last 5-10 years.

A. ONCE has a database on providers and rebates that can help you lower the cost of ownership. We also have staff in place to help you if your provider needs technical questions answered and information about product testing to grant you a rebate.  Rebates vary by geography and power provider.

A. ONCE is an innovative photo-biology company who designs and manufactures animal-centric lighting systems. Meaning, we do not just sell “LED light bulbs”. Because animals perceive light differently than we do, all of our systems are species-specific, have both the animal and farmer in mind, and are designed to influence desirable biological processes to achieve optimum results. Most of our products are Built For Your Barn and have a 5 year (24/7) warranty.

A. Research has shown that animals in a barn respond to not only the intensity of the lighting in a barn but also the color of the lighting in the barn. For instance with chickens, blue light has a calming affect while red light elicits an excitatory response.

A. Many animals can perceive light in their environment with other structures besides their eyes.  These organs can be found in the brain of the animal.

A. Most animals see with their eyes. What an animal sees depends on the structures within their eyes. These structures are not only responsible for visual imaging but also the colors perceived in the environment

A. Research has shown that animals grow better when they have optimum lighting conditions. Barn lighting can create an environment that enhances feed conversion, reduces stress on the animal and promotes growth.

A. Research has shown that animals in a barn respond to not only the intensity of the lighting in a barn but also the color of the lighting in the barn. For instance with chickens, blue light has a calming affect while red light elicits an excitatory response.

A. Research has shown that animals in a barn respond to the amount of light in the barn. If the light is too bright in intensity, the animal will be stressed. However, if the light is too low, the animal will not develop correctly. The objective of artificial lighting should be to provide the animal with the optimum lighting so that it prospers and grows.

A. ONCE ^® LED lights are designed for how the poultry visualize light. ONCE ^® LED lights produce the correct light spectrum so the birds can maximize their growth potential. This is why color matters. By having the red spectrum during brooding ONCE ^® lights promote early growth. Then during the grow-out as you dim your lights ONCE ^® LED lights shift color to a blue light spectrum. This blue light spectrum keeps your birds calmer which improves your feed conversion. Other LED lights are designed for how people see light and do not have the full color spectrum needed to maximize bird performance.

A. Dimmers are necessary to properly manage the intensity of the light in the barn. With the availability of dimming and LED light sources, you are better able to monitor the light level and influence the behavior of the birds. By dimming to the proper light level, you can calm a skittish flock of layers. With the use of a programmable dimmer, you are also able to simulate a sunrise and sunset effect when transitioning which reduces stress on the birds.

View the AgriShift ^® LED Dimmer

A. Red light has a significant impact on egg-laying performance and much research has been done on which type of red light is most beneficial. Two recent studies (El Halawani 2009, Huber-Eicher et al, 2013) show that red light (630 nanometers wavelength) is the most beneficial to laying hens; this particular color is “superior to any other wavelength in increasing egg production“ (El Halawani, 2009). ONCE ^® LED Lighting Dim-to-Red ^® technology is optimized to provided this red spectrum. 

A. ONCE is an innovative photo-biology company who designs and manufactures animal-centric lighting systems. Meaning, we do not just sell “LED light bulbs”. Because animals perceive light differently than we do, all of our systems are species-specific, have both the animal and farmer in mind, and are designed to influence desirable biological processes to achieve optimum results. Most of our products are Built For Your Barn and have a 5 year (24/7) warranty.

A. ONCE ^® has developed a Dim-to-Blue ^® Pullet Light that optimizes the color spectrum to mimic the Autumn photoperiod. Studies have shown higher body weight gains and reduced feather pecking injuries by using this system.

Read more on this Topic

ONCE JLP LED Light for Pullets

A. 16 of the top 20 egg producers use ONCE  LED Lighting Systems. 

A. “I changed my lights to ONCE^® and I am seeing a $500.00 a  month power savings on my 4 house farm. I love the lights.”

“I love these lights, my weight has improved and I don’t change lights out anymore.”

“I finished first for the first time. The only change I made was installing the ONCE^® lights. These lights are great.”

“I had cold cathodes in my broiler houses and my performance began to slip over time. I put the ONCE^® lights in and my performance came back and my lights are not failing.”

“I have a 8 house farm and installed 2 houses of cheap LED’s. I was not satisfied with the light in these houses. I put the ONCE^® LED’s in my other 6 houses and my lighting is much better. My weights are heavier in the ONCE^® houses.”

A. Yes, ONCE lighting systems have multiple studies proving weight gain and better feed conversion in agriculture facilities. 

When applied to 26,000 birds per house x 6 pounds each x 6 flocks per year = 37,440 pounds more x $0.055 per pound = $2,059 more to producer.   Electricity Cost Savings for Lighting = $426 per house per flock x 6 flocks per year = $2,556 more to producer.  Total value increase to producer per year =$4,615 per house. LED installation Cost (at 75 lights per house) = $2,250.  Payback = 6 months.  Weight .23 better, adjusted feed conversion 3.2 better, livability .36 better, actual feed conversion .005 better.

A. A typical poultry house has 50 house light and 20 brood lights, By replacing your 60-100 watt incandescent lights you will save $120.00 to $150.00 per house per month. Your energy savings will pay for your LED’s within one year or less. ONCE^® LED’s are an Agriculture LED designed for how poultry perceive light and not humans. Data have showed that using ONCE^® LED’s will improve poultry performance. Improved performance will also help pay for your ONCE^® LED’s. ONCE^®LED’s are the only item you can install in your poultry operations that will pay for themselves.

A. ONCE ^® LED lights are designed for how the poultry visualize light. ONCE ^® LED lights produce the correct light spectrum so the birds can maximize their growth potential. This is why color matters. By having the red spectrum during brooding ONCE ^® lights promote early growth. Then during the grow-out as you dim your lights ONCE ^® LED lights shift color to a blue light spectrum. This blue light spectrum keeps your birds calmer which improves your feed conversion. Other LED lights are designed for how people see light and do not have the full color spectrum needed to maximize bird performance.

A. ONCE LED’s are designed to provide 180 degrees of light coverage in the poultry house. This eliminates shadows or dark areas in the poultry house.  The wide coverage minimizes the ring of light effect you get with some household LED bulbs.  The uniform lighting also encourages uniform bird growth.

A. Yes, when used with the ONCE^® Master or Slave dimming unit you can control the light color and intensity from 5% total red, to 100% bright. Lowering light levels or total dark times helps the swine rest and supports melatonin production.  With the dim to red feature you can let your swine get the rest they need, but still have enough light for staff to see the swine and the environment.

A. In a Sow unit you should get 6 – 7 years. In a finishing unit, you may get up to 10 years. LED lights do not burn out like other traditional lighting bulbs or lamps and eliminates constant bulb changes which saves time and money. The LED light intensity output decreases over time. Inferior household LED bulbs may go prematurely dim in as little as a year especially when mounted in a glass jelly jar fixture. ONCE ^® offers a 5-year (24/7) warranty.

A. ONCE LED Lights use only 8-17 watts of electricity (1/3rd to 1/30th of Incandescent or CFL). This will save money on electricity and replacement costs because ONCE ^® LED lights last 5-10 years.

A. There is little to no maintenance with the MLS light. The only thing would be to power wash the light on a regular basis.

A. Lighting plays a significant role in reproductive and overall swine production performance. Each level of production requires different light levels and photoperiods. The amount and type of environmental light swine receive directly affects hormonal cycles and can contribute to animal well-being or increase physiological stress. With artificial lighting, the correct design of a lighting system in a swine barn is critical to maximize light efficiency, minimize overlift or underlit areas and promote healthy development and growth.

A. Most animals see with their eyes. What an animal sees depends on the structures within their eyes. These structures are not only responsible for visual imaging but also the colors perceived in the environment

A. Research has shown that animals grow better when they have optimum lighting conditions. Barn lighting can create an environment that enhances feed conversion, reduces stress on the animal and promotes growth.

A. Flammable liquids should not be placed inside BioShift^®. Metals and other hard surface objects are okay.

A. Yes, we tested efficacy through a third party laboratory, testing two common viruses. They found that 5 minutes of exposure resulted in a 4-log reduction of viable viruses. ‘

The PRRS and PED virus stocks were diluted 10-fold and assayed for infectivity and/or cytotoxicity in their respective host cell lines. Based on these control results, the TCID₅₀/100 uL for the PRRSV input was determined to be 10^5.00. The TCID₅₀/100 uL for the PEDV input was determined to be 10^5.00. 

A. If the food is contained in a bag or container, no UV radiation will actually hit the food. If the food is directly exposed to UV light, the food remains safe to eat. In fact, UV irradiation is commonly used in the food industry to disinfect food prior to packaging. See the info from FDA below: 

https://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/IrradiatedFoodPackaging/ucm081050.htm

A. Different viruses and bacteria have different susceptibilities to UVC, which is dependent on the presence of DNA repair enzymes. In the below reference, several different bacteria showed different sensitivities to UVC. In that paper, most bacteria were reduced by 90% with a fluence of 3-4 mW*s*cm^-2 UVC radiation. Five minutes exposure in the BioShift^® results in 54-84 mW*s*cm^-2 UVC radiation. One notable UVC-resistant bacterium is called Deinococcus radiodurans, which requires ~91 mW*s*cm^-2 UVC radiation. It, however, is not a pathogen.

Arrage, A.A., Phelps, T.J., Benoit, R.E., White, D.C., 1993. Survival of subsurface microorganisms exposed to UV radiation and hydrogen peroxide. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59, 3545–3550.

A. The germicidal UVC bulbs use excited mercury vapor, which emits primarily at 254 nm (and a small amount of visible light >400nm). This light is not safe to expose to your skin or eyes directly.

A. Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) is a subset of light that falls into the entire UVC germicidal range of ultraviolet radiation.

A. Several artificial sources of UVC exist, most being fluorescent mercury lamps with peak emission at 254 nm (optimal killing is 265 nm). A majority of the UVC LEDs being developed emit the optimal 265 nm, are more energy-efficient, require no warm-up time, and have longer lifespans.