LED PL lamps

Posted on January 14, 2012 by admin

Background to the the PL lamp

The PL lamp or PL light bulb has now been around for a few years. It was introduced as a  requirement for building regulation to stop people fitting energy saving light bulbs for the inspectors and then changing them to standard light bulbs after the building regulations certification was obtained! The principle of the PL lamp is that it has a specifically shaped base, typically G24, with a number of plastic ridges on the base which fit into slots in the  lamp holder. Firstly the lamp cap basic shape, say coded G24, means that you cannot fit a standard bayonet or Edison screw light bulb but also the notches are particular to the wattage. This means that not only do the building regulations people have control over the fact that the light bulb is an energy saving light bulb, but they also have control over the power consumption. Now clearly people can change the whole light fitting but short of this it does provide a level of control on energy preservation.

Issues with the CFL PL Light Bulb when compare to the LED PL Light Bulb

The main reason that people do not like the PL light bulb is because it is not a LED PL lamp but it uses the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) technology. This has 3 inherent problems:-

Firstly, CFL PL light bulbs, unlike LED PL light bulbs,  take a while to reach full brightness. This is not an issue when the lights are on all the time but if they are used in rooms with occasional usage or if they are fitted in corridors where the lights come on with movement or PIR sensors, then this is an undesirable characteristic. You do not want to be walking down a corridor in the dark and have to wait a couple of minutes until the lights brighten up sufficiently to provide good illumination.

Secondly, unlike its LED PL light bulb counterpart, the CFL PL lamp does suffer from a reduced lifespan when repeatably switched on by a microwave or PIR sensor. So not only has the CFL PL lamp a shorter life typically 10000 hours as opposed to typically 30000 for a LED PL lamp but this lifespan can be dramatically reduced.

Thirdly, the CFL PL light bulb uses about twice the electricity of the LED PL light bulb. If the lamp is on for long period like in commercial buildings then this can amount to quite a large difference in running costs.

The LED PL Lamp
LED LED lamp

The result is that the LED PL lamp is now a good alternative to the CFL PL lamp with a host of advantages. The only real issue is the cost as the LED technology is inherently more expensive, but recent advances in the manufacturing processes have meant that LED PL lamps can now be purchased at a reasonable price. The transition will take a while but as the CFL lamps blow then I would expect to see them progressively replaced with the LED PL lamp and the LED PL light bulb will undoubtedly be the choice for new builds with a green focus.

 

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2D lamps and thier applications

Posted on December 28, 2011 by admin

The uses of a 2D lamp

If you are lighting a corridor or tunnel then you do not have the wide range of choices for energy saving light bulbs that you have if you are lighting a conventional room. Most importantly you have to have light fittings which fit closely to the walls or ceilings from both a practicality and safety perspective. It might seem very grand to have an elaborate chandelier hanging from the ceiling and indeed in a hotel corridor that might well look very ornate, but this is generally not a very practical solution as people would walk straight into it! For the same reason then most pendant light fixtures are out of the question and the preferred choice is normally a compact light fixture which holds a 2D lamp. These 2D lamp light fixtures fit closely to the wall or ceiling so a compact light fitting is achieved which is highly practical. Now the use of the 2D lamp is far more widespread than for use in corridors and you can see them fitted in a whole range of  work areas, hotel staff areas, car parks, residential care homes, supermarkets and commercial buildings.
2D lamp

The energy saving 2D lamp

The standard 2D lamp uses the compact fluorescent lamp ( CFL) technology which means they are inherently energy saving light bulbs saving around 80% in electricity when compared to the standard incandescent light bulb. Additionally the CFL is long life typically with a rated life of around 10000 hours which is ten times that of a conventional filament bulb.  However the long life is generally essential in most 2D lamp applications because they are invariably on for long periods and sometimes 24 hours per day.

Sensor Controlled 2D lamps and Emergency 2D lamps

Where the 2D lamp is fitted in a commercial building then it is normally subject to regulations that stipulate that it must have a 4 hour emergency pack. This means that in the eventuality of a power failure then the 2D lamp must remain lit at a reduced light level for a minimum of 4 hours. To meet this criteria a range of emergency 2D compact lamp fittings are available on the market.

The other consideration for the 2D lamp is that they are often fitted in areas such as corridors which only have occasional use and for this reason are commonly controlled by movement sensors. This is a far more elegant solution than switch control as you would not want someone to be feeling around in the dark for a light switch in a dark corridor.

The 2D LED Lamp

2D LED sensor lamp

 As the 2D lamp is often fitted in environments where long life and reliability is critical then the 2D LED is a good choice. Not only does the 2D LED have an extremely long life of typically 35000 hours  but it also only uses around half the electricity of its CFL equivalent.  The other key benefit of the 2D LED lamp is that it can be switched on and off repeatably without this affecting the lifespan unlike CFL energy saving light bulbs which invariably has a far reduced life span when used with a sensor control. For a combination of  these reasons then the 2D LED is now being used more and more in these commercial applications.

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Daylight Energy Saving Light Bulbs

Posted on December 27, 2011 by admin

A Brief Look at Energy Saving Light Bulb Colour

In the natural world then there is only one true colour for light which is clearly daylight. However through the ages clearly people have needed methods of illumination to see in the dark and these have come in different sorts through the ages. The first method was by using torches or candles which has then progressed through the ages with the invention of the electric light bulb by Thomas Edison and now to the modern energy saving light bulbs and LED bulbs we have today.

Now  the dilemma has come from the use of candles and later the incandescent electric light bulb. The candle produces light from the flame and this is emitted as a very warm light which is yellow in colour. The filament light bulb produces light by the tungsten filament glowing white hot and produces again a yellowish light with a colour temperature measurement of around 2700K.  These 2 light sources, whilst producing light are far form the colour of daylight, emit a far whiter clearer light with a colour temperature measurement of around 6400K. The consequence of having these different light colours is that people have adopted preferences through choice and generally prefer the warm yellow light for living areas as this gives a warm homely ambiance. In contrast if the space to be illuminated is a work area where visual clarity is of key importance then the daylight colour light is by far the best choice as this gives far clearer definition to objects and text.

The Daylight Energy Saving Light Bulb
Daylight Energy Saving Light Bulbs

It is only with the recent developments in energy saving light bulbs that technology has allowed the manufacture of lamps with different colour temperatures. Originally the preferred option was just to blindly reproduce the light colour of the incandescent light bulb with its warm white 2700K light. However, it was soon to become apparent that whilst this colour of this light may be pleasing to the eye it does not aid vision which is clearly the primary purpose of the light. For this reason people are now migrating more towards daylight bulbs for any commercial or domestic areas where vision is important. For example the bedroom is clearly a place for interior comfort but additionally many people like to read in bed and the best light colour for reading is daylight and consequently people are no moving to fitting daylight energy saving light bulbs in bedside lamps and also in central light fittings.

The other important places for vision are kitchens, garages, studies and  offices where the daylight energy saving light bulb colour is definitely the best but often untried by the bulk of the population who simply have not tried this option. But the story continues because if you want to see true colours then you really need daylight so lighting a dressing room is important and certainly in high quality clothing stores daylight lighting is the best choice for seeing fabrics in there true colours.

So if you have not tried daylight energy saving light bulbs then they are definitely worth testing to see the world in its true colours!!

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2D LED Emergency Light

Posted on December 27, 2011 by admin

The 2D LED in more detail

The 2D CFL lamp has widespread use across a range of application primarily in commercial buildings. It is most generally used for functional lighting purposes where the decorative side is of little concern but good visibility and reliability is of paramount importance. One example is car park lighting where 247 illumination is important and also a high level of reliability. In this case the 2D LED  outperforms its predecessor the 2D CFL due to its very long life, typically over 30000 hours,  and also its high efficiency, using around half the energy of the CFL lamp.

The case then becomes stronger when considering applications like corridor lighting in residential homes where illumination is key but to save energy  the majority of the lights are switched on movement of heat activated sensors to light up on demand. This is an excellent way  to use 2D energy saving light bulbs but one problem with the CFL is it does not react well with repeated switching which will invariably lead to premature lamp failure. For this reason the 2D LED is often selected which is far more tolerant to repeated switching and this does not effect the expected life span.

The 2D Emergency Lamp

2D LED Emergency

The other key factor about a high number of applications for 2D lamps is that it is critical that there is level of illumination in the area for safety reasons in all situations. This means that it is critical to have an adequate level of light emitted in the eventuality of a power cut. It is no good if you are trying to negotiate a corridor in the middle of the night in pitch darkness! For this reasons the regulations for commercial buildings often stipulate that an emergency back up light is needed which will operate for a period of 4 hours. In order to satisfy this criteria the lamp must detect the loss of power and then switch over automatically to the emergency back up.

This is another area where the 2D LED Emergency Lamp scores very high as it only consumes around half the power of the CFL lamp and accordingly only needs half the ampere hour rating for the battery back up system. The way this 2D LED emergency light works is to have a set of 6 dedicated LED’s in the centre of the lamp which are lit under battery power in the event of a power failure. The lamp has a small external driver system and a separate battery unit which is supplied with the system which can both be fitted into a normal 2D lamp fitting. This way somewhat unreliable 2D CFL lamp can be revitalised to perform as a highly efficient, 2D LED Emergency Light with an exceedingly long life. Even with continuous operation the expected life is 3-4 years!

It has been possible previously to utilise an emergency backup LED driver to drive a conventional 2D LED in emergency situations.  However, this can be a very expensive solution so the emergence of this fully integrated system is a real plus from a total cost of ownership perspective.

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The GLS LED comes of age

Posted on October 23, 2011 by admin

The GLS light bulb explained

The traditional filament incandescent light bulb has been a standard for decades and in reality it has not changed much since the day it was invented by Thomas Edison in 1872. It normally takes on a characteristic shape which is  kind of pear shaped with the filament housed inside the class cover and a metal cap fitting  to suit the fixture that it is being used for. For the majority of light bulbs of this type the cap fitting is normally the large bayonet type coded B22/BC  or the Edison Screw coded ES/E27.

But what is this shape of light bulb called? This did not used to be important when there were only one or two shapes of light bulb but now there are many types with the emergence of energy saving light bulb varieties then it is important to have a defined name. The answer is it is called the GLS which stands for, General Lighting Service . This is a name it was crowned with many years ago and has stood the test of time so regardless of whether you think the name is meaningful or correct it is universally known as the GLS certainly by the light bulb manufacturers, distributors and retailers. The GLS was only available as a filament bulb but read on because now there are halogen and GLS LED options.

The Rebirth of the GLS Light Bulb

dimmable energy saving light bulb

With the emergence of the CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) energy saving light bulbs onto the market it seemed that the GLS light bulb had seen its day. The CFL’s are made with U shaped and spirals and it is not possible to fit these into a GLS light bulb cover so it seems that the GLS was going to become history. However, with the streamlining of halogen bulb technology then it is possible now to make a Halogen GLS light bulb that looks and performs almost identically to the traditional incandescent lamp but only  uses 70% of the electricity. Additionally and most importantly the halogen bulb if built to the correct standards will meet the new EU regulations for energy saving which in principle means that they need to be at least a C energy classification.

However with the recent advancements in LED technology it does not stop there. LED bulb technology has meant that it has been prohibitively expensive to make light bulbs of sufficient power to replace the GLS light bulb and the LED technology has been reserved for candle bulbs and other applications where a low output is satisfactory. This has now changed and now a 7W GLS LED can be made at an economical price.

The GLS LED

The 7W LED GLS will produce a light output roughly equivalent to a 50w traditional light bulb which is quite acceptable for a host of application and more significantly it will realise a massive saving on electricity consumption.  There is another upside of the LED technology which makes this a good choice when comparing to the CFL. The technology involved in making a CFL dimmable is very complex and accordingly has a high price tag so you would typically pay 4 times as much for a dimmable CFL as opposed to a non-dimmable CFL.  BY contrast the dimmable LED GLS is more easily produced with  the LED technology which means that you are only adding around 25% to the cost of the LED GLS which means that mood lighting can be economical effective and very long lasting.

 

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The 2D Compact and 2 Pin 4 Pin technical information

Posted on October 9, 2011 by admin

The 2D Compact Uses and Applications

The standard fluorescent tube and the compact version the CFL has now matured into a very usable lighting product. Going back to the 90′s they were around and did save energy but did have their technical problems. One of the main issues with the fluorescent tube was the flicker and the dependency on good electronic integration with the starter. There were certainly many tubes that used to just flicker the whole time, become a nuisance and just end up being turned off. These days the technology has advanced considerably and often have integral starters especially in the CFL types which make far easier electrical installations as no external starter of high frequency control gear is needed.

2D compact

The 2D compact version of the CFL ( compact fluorescent lamp) is also extremely popular these days.  The main uses of the 2D compact are within commercial applications where is is necessary to have a bright but compact lamp that will fit into a light fitting which can either be ceiling or wall mounted. As a consequence there are a whole range of different 2D compact lamp fittings available on the market which are used extensively in car parks, warehouses, corridors in flats, hotel areas not exposed to customers, retail outlets, office buildings  and the list goes on.  As these lamps are energy efficient saving around 80% in electricity compared to standard incandescent light bulbs then they have really taken over as the standard for this classification of installations. Quite often these lamps are connected to PIR units so they just light on demand when somebody passes the senses which makes them ideal for corridors areas which are not continually used and it would not be economical to leave the lights on the whole time!

Type of 2D Compacts and 2Pin / 4 Pin explained

The 2D compacts come in 3 main sizes, the 16w, 28w and 38w lamps. The 16w is a small units around 135mm square  and the 28w and 38w are larger measuring about 200mm square. This means than the light output is very good for the size of lamp with the 38W typically producing 2900 lumens which means where space is a premium and there is no room for fluorescent tubes the 2D compact is an ideal solution.

The lamps come with 2 types of cap fitting either the 2 pin 2D compact or the 4 pin 2D compact. The 2 pin has its own built in starter and the 4 pin lamp is configured to use with external electronic control gear either of the standard or high frequency type.

Main Drawbacks of the Fluorescent 2D Compact and the advantages if the LED 2D Compact

2D LED

The 2D compact has 3 main drawbacks. Firstly if it is used with PIR units the constant switching on and of will shorten the lifespan of the lamps,  secondly if they are left on for long periods they do use a significant amount of electricity and thirdly the lifespan is only typically 10000 hours. This is where the 2D LED comes into play, The 2D LED is far more efficient and only uses around 50% of the  electricity of the CFL 2D compact and the additionally the LED technology is far more suited to rapid switching and you will not see a reduction in life. Finally the typical life is around 35000 hours which is 4 years of continuous use as opposed to just over 1 year for the fluorescent 2D compact. However, the 2D LED is considerably higher investment so it is worth doing a cost analysis.

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Advice on dimmable LED drivers

Posted on October 7, 2011 by admin

Do you need LED Drivers?

If you are changing your MR16 12volt halogen lamps to MR16 LEDs then you will undoubtedly wonder whether you need to buy specialist drivers. The LED driver suppliers will most probably say you do but clearly they have a vested interest in making a sale, but the answer lies in the technology inside your LEDs. If the LED MR16 has an internal driver that can accept both AC and DC input of 12 volts then you do not need the LED driver however conversely if it does not have the internal driver it will normally work with a standard halogen transformer but you will see inefficiencies and a reduction in lifespan. To add more the reduction in life is normally quite drastic, of the order of 50% so do check the specification of the LED MR16s ideally before you purchase them. LED drivers are not cheap so it is always worth purchasing LEDs with internal drivers as the overall cost of service will be lower. However this is just the case for non-dimmable MR16 LEDs and the dimmable variety are more complex so please read on.

Dimmable LED Drivers

If you are investing in the dimmable LED MR16 then these are far more sensitive to the choice of driver and indeed the dimming switch. LED lamps use very low currents and accordingly the drivers need to operate at very low wattage which generally requires a specialist driver. If you run a dimmable LED of a standard halogen dimmable driver then the chances are it will flicker which you turn it down and it will not operate smooth whilst you dim the lamp. This is primarily because the halogen dimmer is designed to operate at higher wattage so one way to overcome this issue is to put a dummy lamp or resistance in parallel to the LED so increase the load. This can often work but then you are burning energy to run the dummy lamp which is then negating the benefit that you would have  accrued by moving to LEDs in the first place!

So the best solution is to use a specialist dimmable LED driver and compatible dimmer switch.  The best way to go about this is to actually purchase drivers and dimmers that are compatible and tested with the lamps as this way you can be assured that the operation will be satisfactory. However if this is not possible then there are some steps worth taking. Firstly, check the VA rating of the dimmer and try to make sure that the total loading from your LEDs is just less than this rating. For instance if you have a 20VA LED driver and 6W LED MR16s then it would be best to use 3 lamps. The second step is to ensure that you use a dimmer switch which can operate in the range of the total loading of the sum of the LED wattage that it is controlling. So these are 2 good guidelines but I would still recommend that you do a test before investing or check there is a return policy.

For these reasons we have elected to offer a dimmable LED driver which is compatible with our MR16 LEDs as this can save a lot of pain.

 

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2D LED lamps their uses and benefits

Posted on October 2, 2011 by admin

Background to 2D Compacts or 2D lamps .

The 2D lamp has been around for some time now and has widespread usage especially in commercial applications. They are compact and high brightness and the only real alternative is the tube light. The benefits of the 2D compact or 2D lamp is that it fits into remarkably reasonable looking bulkhead and ceiling mounted fittings which are of a compact size and easy to position in a multitude of places. For this reason they have become very popular for car parks, corridors in flats, warehouses, storage facilities, offices, hotel work areas and a host of other commercial applications. They are often fitted with passive infrared sensors ( PIRs) so they just light up on demand when somebody passes the sensor.

The standard Fluorescent 2D compact and some if the drawbacks compared to the 2D LED lamp.

The normal lamp fitted into the 2D bulkhead fitting is the fluorescent 2D compact which generally some is sizes of 16, 28 and 38 watts and with either 2 or 4 pin connectors. The fluorescent 2D compact is a good lamp however does have a few drawbacks. Firstly these light fittings are often controlled by PIR’s and the fluorescent lamp by its nature is not suited on repeated switching on and off and this normally leads to premature failure which means that a 2D compact lamps with a rated life of 10000 hours may only last 2500 hours! In contrast the 2D LED uses an improved technology which means that rapid switching is not an issues so you will not see a reduction in the life expectancy.

Also 2D lamps are often on for very long periods.  As an example in a car park they would typically be lit 24 hours a day and with this level of usage you would only get around 1 year life from a 10000 hour unit. Also if the lights are fitted in critical places and there is no back up lighting then failure can be a major issue so the longer life of the 2D LED is especially beneficial.

Additional benefits of the 2D LED lamp

dimmable energy saving light bulb

The 2D LED lamp has a lifespan of around 35000 hours which is typically 4 times longer than its CFL counterpart.  This means that not only will failures be avoided and the disruption that they cause but additionally there is less maintenance cost for making the lamp changes. If the 2D compacts are in light fittings which are in important areas then it will often be necessary to either fit more light fittings so that there is redundancy in the system but consequently you can accept a few failures or use the 2D LED lamps which mean that you will get much higher reliability.

The 2D LED lamp has a directional capability typically with a beam angle of 120 degrees. As a consequence you can direct the light straight out of the light fitting as opposed to with CFL 2D lamps where there is a lot of wasted light which is cast back into the fitting and if this is not reflected out just servers to heat up the unit. As a consequence the level of light in the area LUX will be higher using the 2D LED lamp than the CFL 2D lamp. As an example the 2D LED 4 pin 14 watt will provide better illumination than the 28w CFL version.

The 2D LED lamp has its own built in driver and as a consequence does not need an external ballast or driver. This means that you will experience no failures doe to the light fitting ballast failing.

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The dimmable energy saving light bulb

Posted on September 29, 2011 by admin

The Energy Saving Light Bulb

The energy saving light bulb has developed in leaps and bounds over the last few years. The CFL ( compact fluorescent lamp) technology that they use has had a few issues in the past. Firstly, the older CFL energy saving light bulbs took a long time to reach their full brightness and when I say a long time I mean of the order of 20 minutes. This meant that they were quite user unfriendly certainly when people were walking between rooms for example showing guests around. Secondly, they were not  dimmable which meant that people who had a dimmer fitted in a space for mood lighting considerations no longer could use that facility.

The dimmable energy saving light bulb

The dimmable energy saving light bulb has always been around but can suffer from a number of setbacks. Dimming the CFL technology lamps is not a trivial issue and many of the dimmable CFL lamps do dim but not progressively and will not reduce much in brightness. As a consequence you can reduce the brightness but only in steps as opposed to in a progressive manner. With out CFL lamps we actually supply UK dimmer switches to the manufacturer so thay these can be used as part of the testing process and in this way you can be assured of a good product.

dimmable energy saving light bulb

Another issue has always been the price of the dimmable energy saving light bulb which is a result of the complexity if the electronics inside and also the extensive testing processes they need to go through to ensure compatibility with a broad range of dimmer switches and high end dimming systems for instance Lutron. There is no easy solution here but the prices have reduced and it is all about finding a dimmable light bulb that is of hogh quality and reasonably priced. It is unlikely that you will need to put dimmable energy saving light bulbs all over your house so they higher investment needed for those rooms where you need the mood lighting is generally considered to be a sound investment.

Another important consideration is that a number of dimmable energy saving light bulbs on the market are not very high powered. Typically they tend to be up to 20 watts and producing somewhere around 1000 lumens of light output. If you are having a dimmable bulb then it is generally much better to purchase a bright one on the basis that you can always dim it. Unlike with the old fashioned dimmers, which used a rheostat which meant that you did not see an energy saving when the light was dimmed, modern triac systems do mean that you save electricity when the light is dimmed. Consequently it is always best to go for a high wattage CFL lamp of high lumens output. Our lamps are 25w watts and produce 1400 lumens output so you can enjoy a high light level but progressively reduce the level when the mood takes you!

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How to install LED Tubes

Posted on September 7, 2011 by admin

Why is installation different with LED Tubes and Fluorescent Tubes

A fluorescent tube has its own ballast which can either be of the inductive or electronic type which is used to drive the tube itself.  In a standard energy saving light bulb of the CFL type this is actually contained within the bulb itself but with traditional fluorescent tubes this is normally separate and located inside the light fitting.

Conversely with our  LED Tubes the driver is actually part of the LED tube itself  so the LED tube is a totally integrated stand alone unit which can simply be wired up to the mains.  This means that if you are fitting an LED tube to a conventional fitting then you need to make a few simple modifications to the wiring.

How to fit an LED tube to a conventional fluorescent tube fitting

There are 2 types of circuits normally use which are either

1. Exisiting installation with starter and inductive ballast

2. Existing installation with electronic ballast

Here is a graphic illustration showing the modifications necessary for the 2 types of installation.

LED tube installation

Please click on the image for a larger view.

In simple terms if you have a fluorescent tube fitting with an old fashioned starter you can simply remove the starter  and then short circuit the connections across the inductive ballast. This will take the inductive ballast out of the circuit and mean that you have mains voltage applied to either end of the LED tube. The LED tube will then  light up correctly.
Alternatively if you have a fluorescent fitting with a electronic ballast then you need to remove this from the circuit. This can be simply done by cutting the wires to the electronic ballast and connecting the mains neutral to one end of the LED Tube and the mains live to the other end. The LED tube will then operate correctly.

So to summarise with an LED tube you simply need to connect the mains live to one and and the mains neutral to the other and it will then operate. This is much simpler than with the old style fluorescent tubes and in time the lighting fixture suppliers will provide holders which work directly with LED tubes. These will in fact be a simpler design so in theory an LED tube light fitting should be cheaper than a conventional fluorescent tube holder.  But watch out to make sure that the manufacturer do actually charge less!

Once you have converted your fitting to take an LED tube then I would imagine you will never look back, but if you want to convert back then just keep the starter and these notes and you will be able to revert back to the old set up.  If you have a lot of fluorescent tubes then you will potentially want to convert them all. First try one and once this is up and running you should be able to tackle the others in the same methodological fashion and change the set in a rapid succession. And don’t forget that this time invested now will reap rewards in the future because an LED tube will last typically 5 times longer than a traditional fluorescent tube so you will  not have to keep changing the ones that fail.

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