When I first started managing facility lighting procurement back in 2021, I assumed induction lighting was the smarter long-term play for our warehouse. My boss had heard it lasts forever—no bulbs to change, no drivers to fail. I bought that narrative. Ordered a bunch of induction fixtures. Then I spent the next 18 months dealing with the aftermath. The dimming issues, the warm-up time, the difficulty finding replacements when something did break. I should have just gone with Cree from the start.
This isn't a hatchet job on induction. I'll explain where it still makes sense (honestly, fewer places than I thought). But after managing roughly $60k in annual lighting purchases across 8 vendors, here's the real-world comparison I wish someone had given me.
The Quick Framework: What We're Actually Comparing
I’m comparing Cree LED fixtures (specifically their chip-on-board and high-bay units) against standard 400W induction lighting systems. The comparison is based on: upfront cost, energy efficiency, light quality, maintenance, and total cost over 5 years. That’s the window that matters for us—long enough to see real ROI, short enough to not be guessing about 10-year performance nobody can verify.
Round One: Upfront Cost (Induction Might Win, But I'd Argue It Doesn't)
Induction fixtures are cheaper on the sticker. A 400W induction high-bay runs about $200-$350. A comparable Cree LED high-bay (around 25,000 lumens) is more like $350-$500. If your boss is looking at the purchase order line items, induction looks attractive. At least, that was my experience with the first vendor I used.
But here’s the hidden cost: induction fixtures require a separate ballast (often another $50-$80). And they need a warm-up time of 5-15 minutes depending on temperature. That means you’re buying a system, not just a light. The Cree unit is all-in—driver integrated, instant-on. Also, and this matters for budgeting: induction replacements are way harder to source. When one fixture failed, I couldn’t just swap the chip. I had to track down a specific ballast model, then wait 10 days for delivery (which, honestly, felt excessive). With Cree, a replacement LED engine is a standard part.
Verdict: Induction has lower sticker cost. Cree has lower system cost. If you factor in the ballast, the sourcing headaches, and the one time I had to buy an expensive universal replacement kit, Cree was actually cheaper within 12 months.
Round Two: Energy Efficiency (Cree Wins, and It’s Not Close)
This is where my initial misjudgment hit hardest. I thought induction was efficient because the bulbs are long-lasting. I was wrong. Induction lighting has an efficacy of about 70-80 lumens per watt for a standard 400W fixture. Cree’s high-bay LEDs? More like 130-140 lumens per watt. Our facility has 40 high-bay fixtures, running 3,000 hours a year. With electricity at $0.14/kWh, the savings are meaningful:
- Induction: 400W x 40 fixtures x 3,000 hours = 48,000 kWh/year = $6,720/year
- Cree LED (300W equivalent): 300W x 40 fixtures x 3,000 hours = 36,000 kWh/year = $5,040/year
That’s $1,680 per year in savings. Over 5 years, over $8,000. And that’s just electricity. It doesn’t factor in lower cooling costs (Cree generates less heat) or reduced maintenance.
Verdict: Cree hands down. Induction’s only advantage here is that it doesn’t need a driver replacement for a long time (but the bulbs still fade).
Round Three: Light Quality (Surprising Winner)
This one surprised me. I assumed induction lighting would have better color rendering because it’s a continuous spectrum. And to be fair, early induction fixtures were decent (CRI of 80-85). But Cree’s COB (chip-on-board) LEDs have advanced significantly. A current Cree high-bay can easily hit 80+ CRI with a warm 4000K or 5000K light that feels more like daylight than the yellowish glow from induction lamps.
More importantly: dimming. Induction dimming is terrible. It flickers. It hums. Many fixtures don’t dim at all. Cree LED fixtures with compatible drivers dim smoothly down to 10% or even lower. For our office areas that share space with the warehouse, that was a game-changer. People actually complained about the induction lights being too harsh in the morning. With Cree, we just dimmed them down. That alone saved a ton of morale problems.
From the outside, it looks like induction is the “better” light. The reality is newer LED technology has caught up and surpassed it in most metrics.
Verdict: Cree wins on dimmability and overall usability. Induction is okay if you want a simple ON/OFF light with no flexibility.
Honestly, I'm not sure why some installers swear by induction. My best guess is they have installed stockpiles of old fixtures and don't want to retrain on LED mounting and driver wiring. If someone has insight, I'd love to hear it.
Round Four: Maintenance and Longevity (The Big Claim, Qualified)
Induction claims 100,000 hours of operating life. That’s the big selling point. And yes, the bulbs can last a very long time. But people assume the fixture is maintenance-free. What they don’t see is: the ballast can fail after 30,000-50,000 hours, especially in a hot warehouse. And when the ballast fails, the whole fixture is dead until you replace it. That happened to me. Took two weeks to get a replacement because it was a discontinued model. Meanwhile, the Cree LED fixture I replaced it with uses a standardized driver that’s widely available (should mention: I had to verify driver compatibility with the model).
Cree LED fixtures also have a rated life of 50,000-100,000 hours (though I’ve never had one long enough to test the upper end). The driver is the most likely failure point, but it’s a cheap swap ($20-$50) compared to replacing the entire induction system. I should also note that Cree offers a 5-year limited warranty on most fixtures. Induction fixtures typically come with a 2-3 year warranty on the ballast.
Verdict: Induction longevity is real IF everything works perfectly. In reality, the ballast failure rate makes it less reliable over a 5-year span. Cree LED is more serviceable, even if the absolute max life might be lower.
When Induction Still Makes Sense (I'll Be Honest)
There are two scenarios where I think induction is still a viable choice:
- Extreme cold environments: Induction can start at -40°F. LED can struggle below -20°F without a heated driver (and that adds cost).
- Retrofit of an existing induction system with old ballasts: If you have functional induction fixtures and just need to replace a bulb, it’s cheaper than a full LED conversion. That said, at current energy rates, the payback on a retrofit is often under 2 years.
For everything else—warehouses, retail, offices, parking lots (I’ve used Cree parking lot lights for our lot, and they’re excellent)—LED is the better path. The technology has evolved. The industry has changed. What was best practice in 2020 may not apply in 2025.
Oh, and one more thing: Cree’s customer service was genuinely helpful when I had a question about compatibility for a retrofit kit. Induction aftermarket support? Forget about it.