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A new study is attempting to find the perfect light to use in a retail environment.

Lighting in Globus has, for the most part, followed traditional patterns.

The same combination of coloured lights also increased customer visits to the revamped section of the store by 15 per cent when compared to an area lit with standard store lighting.

Philips Lighting produced the study in conjunction with major German grocer, Globus, with the expressed aim of finding lighting that increased sales.

‘As a retailer, to stay ahead of the competition, you have to create a multi-sensory environment and a ‘wow-factor’ in your stores,’ commented Norbert Scheller, store manager at the Globus supermarket in Saarbrücken where the experiment took place.

The researchers spent two months testing different lighting conditions in the supermarket. Three settings were tested, including the store’s uniform overhead lighting, regular spotlights and a combination of spotlights with pastel coloured uplights.

Retailers have traditionally lit stores using uniform, white, overhead lighting. The research showed that the 58 spotlights used in the experiment strengthened the appearance of products by increasing contrast.

Adding coloured uplighting, aimed at the ceiling,  also helped to differentiate the promotional zone, making it more visible.

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Light inspires, light stimulates, light seduces

The correct lighting puts the customers in a buying mood. This starts in the shop window: Effective lighting causes people to pause in fascination. In the sales area the light takes on several roles: from simple orientation, via accenting the products to the staging of the entire indoor area. The right light is pure sales promotion – in retail, in shopping malls and in warehouses. Lighting creates atmosphere, puts products in the right light, supports customer guiding and emphasises the brand image. 

Clear potential saving by efficient light

Modern durable lighting solutions from the OSRAM Group

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Don’t wait for the phase out, switch and save today with LED alternatives!

In order to reduce C02 emissions, the European regulation is being enforced to stop the manufacture of inefficient directional halogen lamps.

From September 1st 2016, manufacturers will no longer produce:

• Halogen lamps directional from
  C & D classes
• Related products are PAR, R50/R63/R80
• MR11 (low volt with below 4,000h)
• MR16 main volt: low volt with below 4,000h

Switch to LED alternatives to save energy, reduce C02 and save money. Novel Energy Lighting offers a full range of LED lamps, tubes, and fittings from various top quality brands. To see all our products please visit us at: www.novelenergylighting.com, or call us 0208-540-8287, email: sales@novelenergylighting.com

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Tunable-white lighting is one of the biggest trends in commercial lighting. LED developers have taken a serious grip on the photo-biological research being produced by university departments and other groups. We know more about the way that humans function than ever before and you might say that it’s fortunate for the LED community that the science appears to support a practical technology that is perfectly suited to LED exploitation.

Tunable whites use colour mixing

Standard LED colour-mixing uses red, green and blue channels that are adjusted to deliver the entire range of the colour spectrum. Tunable-whites work in the similar way, using of a number of controllable channels to adjust the colour temperature of the luminaire’s white light output. The channels in a tunable-white system all produce white light, but with varying colour temperatures, from a warm tone to a cool tone.

Inevitably, there are levels of sophistication involved in tunable-white systems and it’s vital that the specifier understands not only what is required from the lighting, but also what any particular system is capable of delivering.

Simple systems use two lines of LEDs

Take a warm white LED and sit it next to a cool white LED and cross-dim between the two. Job done? Well, not quite. It’s true that the cheapest tunable whites work in exactly this way. The most basic tunable linear systems use LED strips mounted side-by-side. One channel will be close to 2700K in colour temperature, with the other up around a cool 6000K. The LED strips are mounted inside an aluminium extrusion fitted with an opal diffuser, which does the colour mixing as the light passes through it. It’s very simple engineering but satisfies a basic market with low performance expectations.

Multi-chip versions do the mixing at chip level

More products are using ‘multi-chips’ where a number of tiny LED chips are combined into the same module. This means that the colour mixing occurs as the light leaves the module. Their very small size means that tunable-white products can be made much smaller, so we’re starting to see downlights using the technology as well as linear systems. These multi-chips tend to have a higher performance specification than the individual LED strips, but nothing should be left to chance.

Colour rendering can be compromised

A lot of fuss is made, quite rightly, over the way that white light presents surface colours. We’ve come to expect a good quality of colour rendering, regardless of light source. Tunable whites are not exempt from this issue but it’s not always clear from manufacturers’ data how well a system is performing.

Cheaper products may advertise good colour performance at the extremes of the tunable range, where light is being delivered from either the warm or the cool channel, but there’s no certainty that the mixed light performs equally well. Generally speaking, the greater the number of channels, and systems vary from two-channel to five-channel, the better colours will look under them.

Not all tunable-white systems cover the same colour range

If there is one aspect of tunable-whites that the specifier needs to take great care over, it’s the colour temperature range that’s on offer. While some systems offer a wide natural ‘circadian rhythm’ range that shifts from candlelight to daylight, there are other systems with a much smaller range, from 2500K to 4000K, which should only be considered as a decorative option.

There are three ways to control the tones

• The simplest systems use manual control to alter the white outputs. Expect to see a wall-mounted control panel or a hand-held remote control that enables you to adjust the colour of the light and the amount of light output. There is nothing scientific about this. It’s left entirely to personal preference, which may – or may not – be a good thing.
• Some tunable controls are designed to replicate the effect of dimming on a filament source, where two things happen at the same time. As the light output is dimmed, the lamp warms up in the same way as a traditional tungsten filament lamp. This is still a manual control method, but has the benefit of mimicking a filament light source. The tunable range tends to be very small, again mimicking the conventional tungsten lamp.
• More sophisticated control strategies are designed to manipulate the circadian rhythm of room occupants. This means that the lighting settings are programmed into the control architecture. Shifts in colour temperature and light level can be pre-set or can be instigated by a manual over-ride. This is the method that’s being used in recent school installations in Scandinavia.

Three discrete channels could be a solution

It’s been pointed out that not all ‘tunable-white’ mixing requires a full colour range. Complex tunable-white schemes mean that you should be able to call up any colour temperature within the mixing range. But some clients will call for specific colour temperatures, often those that are commercially available, such as 3000K, 4000K, 6500K. If that’s the case, then it may be simpler – and cheaper – to consider having three discrete lighting channels operating separately within a bespoke housing.

Photo credit: Glamox Luxo

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Since old fashioned incandescent and halogen bulbs are being banned by governments around the world, most home owners have had to consider low energy alternatives.

The favourite choice now is LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs, which are currently leading the field in terms of energy savings, product life and ease of use.

But how many of us understand the ways in which LED bulbs are different to incandescent models, and how to ensure that when we upgrade our lighting we actually make the right choices?

Let’s start with some basic facts about LED bulbs.

Basically, they offer a number of significant advantages to the obsolete incandescent types:

1. Major power saving: LEDs use approximately five times less energy as incandescent bulbs. As an example, you can replace an old 40W reading light bulb with an 8W LED. And since LEDs offer a more focused light, the energy savings could be up to 90%, and you can therefore have a lower-wattage bulb.
2. ‘Cleaner’ Product: LEDs are non-toxic, and in particular contain no mercury.
3. Less Heat: Much less heat is produced by LED bulbs, in comparison with incandescent lights. That is especially important in Southern climates where air-conditioning is used.
4. Longer Life:  LED bulbs do not need to be replaced very often – they can last up to twenty years in regular use.
5. Better Investment: They do cost more to buy, but when you consider their longer life and energy savings, they are a great investment.

So, when the time comes to replace old light bulbs, LEDs are the obvious choice, but how do we go about making the right selection for our home? There are so many styles, sizes, shapes and special formats on the market now, how do you know which is the right one?

Here are some tips to help you make the right decision…..

Consider how much brightness you need

Back in the bad old days, we all got used to measuring a light bulb’s brightness simply by its wattage. A 60 Watt bulb gave us an average light output for most domestic situations. However, wattage actually measures the amount of electrical energy a light bulb uses – a lot of which is given out as heat. Clearly, an LED will use fewer watts to generate the same amount of light.

To make sure that you get an LED with sufficient light output, you will need to get used to measuring brightness in lumens. An old fashioned 60-watt incandescent bulb generates about 800 lumens, so to get an equivalent, you need to look for an LED rated at 800 lumens of light output. A lot of LED packaging will tell you what wattage of incandescent bulb the lamp would be equivalent to.

What about quality of light?

Depending on where you are planning to use the LED bulbs, the quality of light may well be an important factor. Light quality is generally measured by CRI or Colour Rendering Index. This number indicates how accurately the bulb illuminates colours on a scale from 1 to 100. If you plan to use the lamp frequently – say in a living room – or it is going to be used in a prominent location like an entrance hall, CRI is a very important metric to consider. However, if it’s going to go into an airing cupboard or toilet, CRI isn’t as crucial. CRI ratings in excess of 85 and above are indications of very good colour rendering.

Are “warm” or “cool” light colours important?

There is a wide variety of LED bulbs available now, offering a range of light “colour temperatures” in Degrees Kelvin, or simply “K”. How do you know what colour temperature works for you? Colour temperatures with high K ratings, 6,000 or more, are classified as ‘cool’ colours, while those with lower K ratings, 3,500 or less, are classified as ‘warm.’ You will find most retailers referring to their products as cool white and warm white LED Bulbs.

Warm white bears a close resemblance to the light produced by halogens and incandescent bulbs. It is soft, easy on the eyes and promotes a comfortable and domestic aesthetic. As a rule of thumb, warm white bulbs should be used in ‘habitat’ spaces, such as living rooms, hallways and bedrooms, and as general illumination. In contrast, cool white is a very bright, sharp white light; less suitable for domestic spaces where the brightness of the light can be too harsh and even create a clinical effect.

What shape or type of LED bulb do you need?

LEDs now come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and will be suitable for replacing just about any kind of incandescent light bulb. You will now find LED globe light bulbs, chandelier light bulbs, and reflector light bulbs – along with lots of newly manufactured shades, lamps and fixings that have them built-in.

The traditional “light bulb” shapes are designed to give an all-round source of light, for instance in a table lamp or ceiling fitting, and are known as “omni-directional”. Reflector types are designed to give light off in one direction, so they’re best for overhead lighting, spotlights, and display lighting.

How about replacing incandescent bulbs in dimming systems?

Unfortunately, many old incandescent dimmers aren’t fully compatible with LED lighting, so you need to be careful when considering dimming. Many of the newer types of LED light bulb do have dimming capabilities – a great option if you want to save even more energy and control the room’s ambient environment. But you may need to invest in an LED-specific dimmer. If you’re looking for a dimmable LED, carefully check the specification on the bulb’s packaging and make sure you control it with a compatible dimmer.

Some don’t like it hot!

LED based light bulbs work best when they are kept cool. If you use an LED outdoors in winter or inside a refrigerator, it will actually last longer. However, excessive heat can cause problems, particularly as LEDs exposed to extreme heat may degrade more quickly over time. So, if you plan to use them in an area that can get hot (like in overhead recessed spotlights) it would be better to invest in high-temperature specification types which use an advanced cooling system – like the types produced by Megaman.

And finally, how can you actually get the ball rolling to take advantage of LED technology in your home?

Right at the beginning it takes a little research effort – initially you need to go round your home and make a note of all the bulbs you are currently using – including wattage (60W, 100W etc.), type of fixture (screw, bayonet etc.), bulb type (reflector, standard, golf ball, etc.) size and colour (warm, cool, etc.). Also approximately how much usage each bulb gets.

Next you need to figure out the type of LED bulb which can be used to replace each incandescent type in terms of lumens, shape, size and fixture. Check out dimming requirements carefully, then make a comprehensive list and check prices on the Internet or through lighting retail outlets.

All that’s needed then is to make the investment, change the bulbs, and start making real savings on your electricity bill!

Visit www.novelenergylighting.com to explore the LED options available at great prices!

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Lux reports: LED lighting is helping buildings around the world slash their electricity bills because the amount of energy needed to run LEDs is so much lower than that consumed by traditional forms of lighting.

But lower energy consumption isn’t just about saving money and being kind to the environment. It’s starting to demonstrate other benefits too.

The electrical load of LED sources is now so low that you don’t even need mains cables to power them – you can use standard network cables, so it’s easier and cheaper to connect and control your lights.

This technology is called ‘power over Ethernet’ (PoE) and, as the name suggests, it’s a way of providing power for electrical equipment through Ethernet cables – the same ones that already form the backbone of the IT network in your office.

Ethernet uses ‘cat 5’ (or more recently cat 5e or cat6) cables – the kind you plug into your router, with the plastic clip on the end that clicks into place.

Cat 5 cables are really designed to carry data, not power. But as long as the load is below a certain wattage (up to about 60W at the moment) they can power and communicate with devices at the same time. Which turns out to be really useful.

So what are the advantages for lighting? Well, everyone knows that wiring up a new lighting system can be an expensive headache, and to install a control system, you’ll need yet another network of wires up in the ceiling, along with the power cables.

If you want control but can’t face all that wiring, you’ve got three options: send the data wirelessly (using specially equipped drivers), send the data over your power cables (using power-line communication, offered by the likes of Lumenpulse and Echelon), or send the power over your data cables – in other words, PoE.

The great thing about using cat 5 cables for this kind of thing is that they’re cheap to buy and even cheaper to install – no need for an electrician, just click the cables into place and you’re away. Philips, one of the suppliers of power over Ethernet systems for lighting, reckons installation is up to 25 per cent cheaper than conventional wiring.

But that’s just the beginning – the real savings are in the longer term.

The next big advantage is the level of intelligence that an Ethernet-based control system can bring. Every light becomes a point on a network, with its own IP address. That makes it easy to control and monitor them (including remotely over the web), and if your light fittings incorporate presence sensors, temperature sensors, light sensors and so on, you can track that data too.

PoE brings lighting into the ‘internet of things’, allowing you to connect your lighting to other devices and systems in the building, such as heating, ventilation, IT services and security. The facilities manager has a single system that shows exactly how the building is being used.

Up and running

Philips already has a PoE lighting control system up and running at a new Amsterdam office building occupied by accountancy firm Deloitte.

UK-company Prolojik also has a power over Ethernet system, Light Matrix, that it sells with luminaire makers Future Designs and Phi Lighting. The system is installed in a meeting room at the offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers in central London, to power and control 20 direct/indirect luminaires.

Other companies working on PoE for lighting include Iowa-based Innovative Lighting and California’s Nuleds.

To use Prolojik’s power over Ethernet system, you need a black box called an Ethernet switch, which converts AC mains power to the DC that goes through the cat 5 cables (achieving 10 per cent efficiency savings over a standard setup where mains power goes all the way to the driver, Prolojik says). Once the switch is installed, the electrician’s work is done. It can power up to 3kW of lighting: it has ports for 48 cables, each of which can be used to power and control 60W of lighting – enough for maybe one or two luminaires each. Any luminaires rated up to 60W can be used with the system, although it does require Prolojik’s Dali drivers.

Mark Vincent, commercial director of Prolojik, says the ease of installation is a big draw for clients. ‘When we’ve been presenting this, I’ve been apologising to electricians and contractors, because we’re taking their business away,’ he says. But the real benefits are in fully addressable control of lights, and the long-term energy-efficiency benefits.

As with Prolojik’s system, the Philips system works with third-party luminaires, and talks to any existing control systems that may already be installed in a building. Philips’ PoE system is based on a network of small Ethernet switches, so it can be scaled from powering a handful of luminaires to 1,000 of them.

Jeff Cassis, senior VP of global lighting solutions at Philips Lighting, says: ‘You can extract whatever data you want, whenever you want. Not only can you monitor energy consumption per light source, you have this really granular ability to look at what’s happening on my floor or building, aggregate that and understand how people are using the spaces. If you have multiple sites or buildings, you can look at how different buildings are managed. You could see how to use certain areas better, cool areas down that aren’t being used and make extra savings due to occupancy.’

Call us today to discuss your building lighting requirements. Tel: 0208-540-8287 or sales@novelenergylighting.com.

www.novelenergylighting.com

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