Andy Clements, Managing Director at ESP, explains how security and in particular EAP can provide Electricians with good business opportunities.

As the light summer evenings give way to the long dark nights of winter, security once again comes to the fore as home and business owners focus on keeping their properties protected.  This presents new opportunities for installers, as the requirement for maintaining or upgrading security systems increases.

After all, the last thing criminals want is attention being brought to their activity. Permanent lighting will illuminate and deter them. However, triggered lighting is far more likely to catch the attention of the property owner or neighbour. 

The solution is the use of PIR (Passive infra-red) technology to maintain a watchful eye and provide illumination only when required. The intruder suddenly feels over exposed and risks the attention of passers-by being drawn to the scene.

The choice of PIR detectors is wide and varied. Features are relatively limited so selection should be based on build quality and performance. For external use an IP rating of 44 or above is essential.  A detection range of between 10 – 15m should be expected over an angle of detection no less than 110 degrees and up to a full 360 degrees. In addition settings are generally provided for trigger time and the ambient lux level to begin its operation. Sensitivity adjustment may be provided; however positioning of the detector is far more important than overall sensitivity.

Pay attention to the manufacturer’s guidance on mounting height; it’s very important and may only relate to their product, not all PIRs are fixed at 2m. In addition don’t forget PIR detectors are far more sensitive to targets moving across their detection area rather than directly towards them. Locate the detector where this is more likely to happen.

Lastly, look out for an automatic override facility to allow permanent switching of the light source when required without the need for an additional switched live feed. This is very useful when replacing existing lighting. It’s also worth confirming that your choice of PIR is capable of switching LED floodlighting, as not all models do. If it’s not mentioned in the specification you will need to ask the manufacturer.

CCTV and PIR controlled lighting are perfect partners. The light is provided to obtain well lit images when it’s needed. Whilst many CCTV systems feature integral infra-red illumination, the clean bright output of halogen or LED will always be preferable.

Modern CCTV features motion detection within the camera and recording device creating further harmony with controlled lighting. The system can be configured to only start recording when pixel changes occur within the viewed image, thus making a huge saving on recording space required and reducing the review time needed to locate the important footage. This motion detection can also be used to remotely deliver an email or push notification to the owner of the property well before any entry attempt is made on the building.

Certain products offer PIR controlled lighting, CCTV camera and in some cases recording with time and date stamp plus a vocal alert in a single unit. All that is required is a 240VAC supply -making installations quick and simple, especially if replacing an old existing fitting. Recordings are made onto an integral SD card, which should be secured within the unit, and have the ability to overwrite when the card is full. More advanced products have the added ability to send a wire free signal to an alarm device within the property to inform occupants of activity.

Historically electronic security has very much focused on notification of an intruder entering secured buildings. EAP – external area protection – should always be integrated into security arrangements with a view to discouraging the criminal before an attempt on entry is made. External lighting falls naturally within the skill set of electricians and the step up to controlled lighting and CCTV can provide a profitable addition to their portfolio and a valuable service to clients.

You can buy the full range of ESP Security LED Floodlights from us HERE

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Paul Smyth of Salix Finance, which was also represented in the discussion on funding for lighting projects, said that streetlighting and LED lighting is a focus for his clients, with spend on such projects amounting to £7.2m and £5.2m respectively as of year-end 2012/2013. He notes a change of emphasis in chosen lighting solutions, with LED now representing more than half of such solutions due to the cost, lumens per watt and efficiency gains. T5, in comparison, represented 48 per cent of projects in the year ending 2012/13 – for the first time, less than LED equivalents.

He says Salix clients have now delivered £1bn of financial savings for the public sector and the organisation is now launching a new website with an online application process which is designed to be easy-to-use and more case studies and guidance.

‘We find that for every £1 you invest you save £4 over the lifetime of a particular technology,’ he said.

Novel Energy Lighting works with The Carbon Trust, Siemens Financial Services, Salix, and Lombard Green Energy Capital to provide financing to clients wishing to implement upgrade projects. Largest energy savings come from retrofitting T8 Tubes withLED Tubes and LED Panels. Please call us today for advice on financing your LED upgrade project.

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Marlow described how the retailer’s Ipswich store has undergone a complete LED refit covering office, retail and warehouse space – resulting in an overall efficacy of just seven watts per square metre, reducing running costs by up to 42 per cent.

‘Moving towards LED has been a step-change in design,’ Marlow said. ‘We can now position light where we want it and make greater use of contrasts. Efficiency and colour rendering has improved dramatically and we’re now up to 130 lumens per watt,’ he told the audience at the event.

Marlow says the redesign is between 40 per cent to 42 per cent more efficient than its equivalent T5 scheme – savings that would not have been possible just a year ago.

LED lighting first got a foothold in refrigerators and freezers, because LEDs work well in the cold, but Marlow said: ‘We’ve gone beyond refrigerators now. Everything in the Ipswich store is lit with LEDs.’

He notes a difference to the in-store ambience thanks to the clear, bright light, but said that some of the best feedback has been customers saying they didn’t notice the difference at all.

LEDs had previously been trialled in a branch of Waitrose in Stratford, but the Ipswich store is the first branch to go completely LED. ‘All new developments will be completely lit with LED and more traditional technology will be phased out,’ added Marlow.

Marlow stressed that it’s important to choose the right luminaires, the right LEDs and the right design. But having said that, Waitrose has had only 33 driver failures from the 35,000 installed. ‘There’s work to do around warranties,’ he warned. ‘But we’re seeing payback in under three years, and in the new store the payback has been under two years. It’s win-win – if you do it properly.’

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