FOCUS LIGHTING
September 2018 saw the
introduction of the EU halogen
ban in the UK, encouraging
homeowners and businesses to
switch to the favoured LED source in
an e ort to reduce carbon emissions
produced by lighting. This meant
retailers would be able to continue
to sell o existing stocks of halogen
lamps, but wouldn’t be able to order
in any more.
LEDs are far more energy e icient than
the traditional halogen lamp – they need
about 80 per cent less energy compared
to conventional sources.
On average, the o icial lifespan is
25,000 hours, but lasting up to 50,000
hours is not unheard of. This is win-win
for consumers and businesses as it
results in lower costs and is better for the
environment. It’s no surprise LEDs have
been warmly welcomed by energy and
sustainability managers.
For a long time, high pricing deterred
people from switching to LEDs, but
they are becoming cheaper. This
means that users save money not only
when buying, but also when using LED
lamps in everyday life. In addition, the
time required for maintenance and
replacement is considerably reduced,
since LED technology has a significantly
longer lifetime.
So where are we now, one year on
from the ban? What di erence are LEDs
making?
28 AUGUST 2019
The EU estimates the switch is saving
over 15 million tonnes of carbon
emissions per year, with retailers
Sainsbury’s and M&S being the first bigname
brands to fully install LED lighting
across their properties. Companies that
are currently using LED lighting in o ice
spaces believe they are saving as much
as 21-30 per cent since switching from
conventional lighting (Reichelt OnePoll
survey, 2018).
Let’s say you’ve decided to make the
change and replace your existing lamps.
Do you want to replace an E27 or E14
bulb? Check the label on the socket of
the bulb which needs to be changed
to determine the correct LED socket
type. You should also take its shape into
account, alongside advice on how to use
LED bulbs in closed light fixtures. There
is a risk of heat loss build-up if there is
insu icient open space.
Since 2015, filament LED bulbs have
been available. A typical filament LED
contains six to eight filaments, which
each contain a line of 30 light-emitting
diodes. They are inspired by the design of
the classic lightbulb.
LED products have unrivalled
durability, which is determined not
just by the LED’s natural lifespan but
its number of switching cycles. One
switching cycle is completed when you
turn the bulb on and o once. If you are
looking for a daytime light source which
will be used frequently in places such as
a corridor, you should consider an LED
with a high switching cycle, such as one
with a value between 50,000 and 100,000
cycles.
According to the EU regulation on the
banning of incandescent lamps, the
product description of each LED bulb
must indicate in lumen how much light
flux an LED has to emit in order to replace
a similar incandescent product. The
regulation stipulates that an LED bulb
must emit significantly more light flux
than a comparable incandescent bulb.
The intention is to compensate for the
LED bulb’s loss of light power when used
over several years.
COLOUR TEMPERATURE
AND QUALITY
LED sources o er a wider range of
colour temperatures than traditional
incandescent or halogen bulbs. The
unit of vcolour temperature is given in
kelvin (K), and describes the appearance
of the light reflected in di erent colour
shades. The warmer the light, the lower
the value in kelvin. For example, a candle
has 1500K.
O ice spaces should use LED
sources of 4000-6500K. For a shop,
garage or outside space, 6000-7000K is
recommended. ‘Neutral white’ indicates
neutral light in a range between 3300-
5000K, which is normally used in o ice
spaces or similar work areas. ‘Daylight
white’ (also called ‘cold white’) refers to
all lamps of more than 5000K, typically
used in factory buildings or shops.
The next factor to consider is beam
angle. The smaller the beam angle, the
more intensely a certain area or object is
illuminated. A large beam angle is more
suitable for illuminating large areas. If
you plan to use several bulbs in one
room, you should choose small beam
angles to create individual light settings
for specific areas. If you are opting for a
more traditional central light source on
the ceiling, a high-beam light source is
the best choice.
Light quality is determined by colour
rendering. The higher the colour
rendering code (Ra), the more authentic
the colours when objects are illuminated.
This value is measured on the basis
of eight reference light colours, with a
value of 100 Ra representing the highest
possible colour fidelity.
In conjunction with the Ra value, the
colour spectrum of an LED product also
provides information about quality. The
more colours the spectrum has, the
higher the overall colour rendering. If
you choose a bulb with warm light, you
should ensure that the colour spectrum
has a high proportion of red. In contrast,
a cool light should have high blue
content.
Always ensure that the LED light you
choose is labelled as dimmable in the
product description. You will be on the
safe side if you choose a bulb with an
incremental dimmer, since the product’s
technology is built into the socket. If
you want to control the brightness via a
typical phase control dimmer, you should
first check the product description for
compatibility.
PREVENTING EARLY FAILURE
Many users make the mistake of thinking
that failure is due to poor-quality lighting
sources when, in fact, it can be due to the
environment where the lights are being
used. You can take steps to maintain the
lifespan if you understand the various
causes which can lead to damage to LED
components.
Upstream devices which trigger via
relays, such as impulse switches, motion
detectors, timers etc. can cause voltage
peaks. By activating these types of
devices, a current impulse is given to the
a ected mains supply. This current pulse
causes a voltage peak, which can lead
to damaged LED components. The use
of several LED lamps with a low power
factor can cause an ‘apparent power’ in
the form of induction voltage to act on
the mains. The power factor (or electrical
power factor) ‘refers to the ratio of active
power to apparent power under periodic
conditions’ (EU Regulation 1194/2012).
As a rule of thumb, the lower the power
factor, the higher the apparent power.
Overheating can occur due to proximity
to older lamps. This is why it’s a good
idea to switch all your light bulbs to LEDs
in one go rather than replacing the blown
lamps one at a time. A final tip is to use
RC quenching elements as a preventative
measure when installing LED lighting for
the first time, to ensure that it functions
perfectly and permanently.
Life with
One year on from the halogen ban, Holger Engelbrecht, LED
Product Manager at Reichelt Elektronik, advises on how to
make the switch from older light sources to LEDs