New Concept of Green & Energy-saving Lighting – LED Light
ELECOSN asked:
LEDs are solid-state semiconductor devices that convert electrical energy directly into light.
Thermal sources of light such as flames and incandescent filaments emit light when heated, either by chemical reaction (flames) or electrical heating (filament lamps). LED “cold” generation of light leads to high efficacy because most of the energy radiates within the visible spectrum.
Other common high efficiency light sources, such as fluorescent lamps and electro luminescent devices, also produce light without much thermal radiation outside the visible spectrum.
Because LEDs are solid-state devices, they can be extremely small and durable; they also provide longer lamp life than other sources.
Light is generated inside the chip, a solid crystal material, when current flows across the junctions of different material compositions.
An LED consists of two elements of processed material called P-type semiconductors and N-type semiconductors. These two elements are placed in direct contact, forming a region called the P-N junction. The composition of the different materials determines the wavelength and therefore the colour of light generated.
LED resembles most other diode types, but there are important differences. The LED has a transparent package, allowing visible or IR energy to pass through. Also, the LED has a large PN-junction area whose shape is tailored to the application. The device shown in Figure 1 is an AlGaInP LED because the semiconductor layers are aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), and phosphate (P).
Main LED materials
The main semiconductor materials used to manufacture LEDs are:
*Indium gallium nitride (InGaN): blue, green and ultraviolet high-brightness LEDs
*Aluminum gallium indium phosphide (AlGaInP): yellow, orange and red high-brightness LEDs
*Aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs): red and infrared LEDs
*Gallium phosphide (GaP): yellow and green LEDs
Why LEDs?
LEDs have a range of benefits which is fast making them the best solution for real energy efficient lighting. Over the course of the next few years some aspects are expected to change significantly.
Lifetime
As solid-state light sources, LEDs have a very long lifetime and are generally very robust due to no mechanical or moving parts.
Incandescent bulbs have an expected lifetime of 1k to 5k hours, while good quality LEDs are often quoted of having a lifetime of 50k hours, more than 5 years continuous use. However it is important to to understand that the performance of LEDs degrades over time, and this degradation is strongly affected by factors such as operating current and temperature.
Low maintenance
The long lifetime of LEDs reduces the need to replace failed lamps, and this can lead to significant financial and environmental savings, particularly in maintenance, labour and recycling. This makes LED fixtures useful for installations in inaccessible locations, but if tasks like cleaning the light fixture are required, then the light sources could be replaced at the same time, negating the “low maintenance” advantage.
Efficiency
As a semiconductor device, LEDs are highly efficient. Current device technology is allowing the performance of these to be pushed to limits that exceed that of standard lighting.
The directional nature of light produced by LEDs allows the design of luminaires with higher overall efficiency.
Low power consumption
The low power consumption of LEDs leads to large energy savings that can often drive the installation of LED-based systems. Initial purchase costs start off higher, but can be proven to return the investment cost in a short period of time.
Brightness
Light outputs are constantly being increased and there are several products that have higher lumen output than traditional lighting.
Heat
LEDs do not produce heat in the form of infrared radiation (IR) unlike incandescent bulbs which makes them hot to the touch.
This lack of heat production allows LED fixtures to be used in locations where heating from conventional sources would cause a particular problem e.g. illuminating food, textiles, artifacts, etc.
However, LEDs do produce heat at the semiconductor junction within the device and good thermal management must be employed on high power devices to maintain operation life
Cost
In many applications, LEDs are expensive compared with other light sources, when measured by metrics such as “£-per-lumen”.
LED manufacturers continue to work towards reducing their production costs while at the same time increasing the light output of their devices.
However, the high initial cost of LED-based systems is offset by lower energy consumption, lower maintenance costs and other factors.
The initial cost may seem high, but take into account the electricity usage that is saved, they pay for themselves.
Electricity Cost savings from switching to LED Direct replacement bulbs
10W LED Bulbs Vs 75W halogen bulb running cost comparison
Small form-factors
LEDs are very small – typical high-brightness LED chips measure 0.3 mm by 0.3 mm, while high-power devices can be 1 mm x 1 mm or larger. There are many examples where the availability of small, high-brightness devices have enabled significant market advancement. The obvious example is in mobile phone handsets, where blue, green and white LEDs are now used in most models to back light keypads and liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens.
Instantaneous switch-on
LEDs switch on rapidly, even when cold, and this is a particular advantage for certain applications such as vehicle brake lights.
Colour
LEDs are available in a broad range of brilliant, saturated colours (although performance varies across the spectrum), and white devices are also available. Modules containing different colored LEDs (typically red, green and blue, or RGB) can be tuned to a huge range of colours, and easily dimmed. RGB modules provide a much wider gamut of colours than white LEDs or other traditional white light sources, which is a particular advantage in applications such as backlighting liquid-crystal displays (LCD’s).
RGB LEDs and colour mixing
LED characteristics change with time, temperature and current, and from device to device. For RGB LEDs, the performance of different colored devices changes at different rates. This can result in variation of lamp colour and intensity, and poor reproducibility.
LED Vs Halogen
LED Lighting Types
Now the LED bulbs are widely applied in household, office, street, shop, park etc for decoration and lightings LED lighting family mainly includes:
1. LED ball lamp
2. LED spot lamp
3. LED ground lamp
4. LED tube light
5. LED rope lamp
6. LED pool lamp
7. LED curtain lamp
8. LED Christmas (festival) lamp
9. LED ceiling lamp
10. LED road light
11. LED Solar light
Etc.
In a word, LED lightings will be the future of lighting, and it will definitely replace the halogen lights in soon future.
LEDs are solid-state semiconductor devices that convert electrical energy directly into light.
Thermal sources of light such as flames and incandescent filaments emit light when heated, either by chemical reaction (flames) or electrical heating (filament lamps). LED “cold” generation of light leads to high efficacy because most of the energy radiates within the visible spectrum.
Other common high efficiency light sources, such as fluorescent lamps and electro luminescent devices, also produce light without much thermal radiation outside the visible spectrum.
Because LEDs are solid-state devices, they can be extremely small and durable; they also provide longer lamp life than other sources.
Light is generated inside the chip, a solid crystal material, when current flows across the junctions of different material compositions.
An LED consists of two elements of processed material called P-type semiconductors and N-type semiconductors. These two elements are placed in direct contact, forming a region called the P-N junction. The composition of the different materials determines the wavelength and therefore the colour of light generated.
LED resembles most other diode types, but there are important differences. The LED has a transparent package, allowing visible or IR energy to pass through. Also, the LED has a large PN-junction area whose shape is tailored to the application. The device shown in Figure 1 is an AlGaInP LED because the semiconductor layers are aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), and phosphate (P).
Main LED materials
The main semiconductor materials used to manufacture LEDs are:
*Indium gallium nitride (InGaN): blue, green and ultraviolet high-brightness LEDs
*Aluminum gallium indium phosphide (AlGaInP): yellow, orange and red high-brightness LEDs
*Aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs): red and infrared LEDs
*Gallium phosphide (GaP): yellow and green LEDs
Why LEDs?
LEDs have a range of benefits which is fast making them the best solution for real energy efficient lighting. Over the course of the next few years some aspects are expected to change significantly.
Lifetime
As solid-state light sources, LEDs have a very long lifetime and are generally very robust due to no mechanical or moving parts.
Incandescent bulbs have an expected lifetime of 1k to 5k hours, while good quality LEDs are often quoted of having a lifetime of 50k hours, more than 5 years continuous use. However it is important to to understand that the performance of LEDs degrades over time, and this degradation is strongly affected by factors such as operating current and temperature.
Low maintenance
The long lifetime of LEDs reduces the need to replace failed lamps, and this can lead to significant financial and environmental savings, particularly in maintenance, labour and recycling. This makes LED fixtures useful for installations in inaccessible locations, but if tasks like cleaning the light fixture are required, then the light sources could be replaced at the same time, negating the “low maintenance” advantage.
Efficiency
As a semiconductor device, LEDs are highly efficient. Current device technology is allowing the performance of these to be pushed to limits that exceed that of standard lighting.
The directional nature of light produced by LEDs allows the design of luminaires with higher overall efficiency.
Low power consumption
The low power consumption of LEDs leads to large energy savings that can often drive the installation of LED-based systems. Initial purchase costs start off higher, but can be proven to return the investment cost in a short period of time.
Brightness
Light outputs are constantly being increased and there are several products that have higher lumen output than traditional lighting.
Heat
LEDs do not produce heat in the form of infrared radiation (IR) unlike incandescent bulbs which makes them hot to the touch.
This lack of heat production allows LED fixtures to be used in locations where heating from conventional sources would cause a particular problem e.g. illuminating food, textiles, artifacts, etc.
However, LEDs do produce heat at the semiconductor junction within the device and good thermal management must be employed on high power devices to maintain operation life
Cost
In many applications, LEDs are expensive compared with other light sources, when measured by metrics such as “£-per-lumen”.
LED manufacturers continue to work towards reducing their production costs while at the same time increasing the light output of their devices.
However, the high initial cost of LED-based systems is offset by lower energy consumption, lower maintenance costs and other factors.
The initial cost may seem high, but take into account the electricity usage that is saved, they pay for themselves.
Electricity Cost savings from switching to LED Direct replacement bulbs
10W LED Bulbs Vs 75W halogen bulb running cost comparison
Small form-factors
LEDs are very small – typical high-brightness LED chips measure 0.3 mm by 0.3 mm, while high-power devices can be 1 mm x 1 mm or larger. There are many examples where the availability of small, high-brightness devices have enabled significant market advancement. The obvious example is in mobile phone handsets, where blue, green and white LEDs are now used in most models to back light keypads and liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens.
Instantaneous switch-on
LEDs switch on rapidly, even when cold, and this is a particular advantage for certain applications such as vehicle brake lights.
Colour
LEDs are available in a broad range of brilliant, saturated colours (although performance varies across the spectrum), and white devices are also available. Modules containing different colored LEDs (typically red, green and blue, or RGB) can be tuned to a huge range of colours, and easily dimmed. RGB modules provide a much wider gamut of colours than white LEDs or other traditional white light sources, which is a particular advantage in applications such as backlighting liquid-crystal displays (LCD’s).
RGB LEDs and colour mixing
LED characteristics change with time, temperature and current, and from device to device. For RGB LEDs, the performance of different colored devices changes at different rates. This can result in variation of lamp colour and intensity, and poor reproducibility.
LED Vs Halogen
LED Lighting Types
Now the LED bulbs are widely applied in household, office, street, shop, park etc for decoration and lightings LED lighting family mainly includes:
1. LED ball lamp
2. LED spot lamp
3. LED ground lamp
4. LED tube light
5. LED rope lamp
6. LED pool lamp
7. LED curtain lamp
8. LED Christmas (festival) lamp
9. LED ceiling lamp
10. LED road light
11. LED Solar light
Etc.
In a word, LED lightings will be the future of lighting, and it will definitely replace the halogen lights in soon future.
How to Save Money and Energy in Home Lighting
Jamie Griffiths asked:
Stylish home lighting has become popular all over the world. All kinds of indoor lighting and outdoor lighting are being used extensively for enhanced home décor and interior design purposes. However, these lights and lighting fixtures can often be neither easy to find and install, nor cheap. With regard to the current economic climate, many home owners will be looking to save money. It is important that you consider your budget when choosing your lighting and fixtures. You may wish to choose lighting which is not only in vogue but also doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket, or you may wish to save costs by using lower energy options.
There are several home lighting options that can save you a lot, without sacrificing the style aspect of your home even one bit! We will discuss some tips and tricks to maintain a short and clean budget and yet be right on top of the fashion fiesta.
Using Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs can light your home in a much livelier way, and yet be really low on the power costs. Energy wastage and pollution also is avoidable to a much larger degree than it is with conventional light bulbs. However, using a CFL lamp makes the ambience much more radiant in its own unique way, with the light being much more on the whiter side. It can work wonders as accent lighting, with paintings and colored features coming out in their correct contrasts.
Another way to save money while incorporating indoor lighting and outdoor lighting in your interior design budget is Do-It-Yourself home lighting. Pendants, LED lighting, light fixtures, spotlights, and other lighting types can be fixed by you yourself, albeit with some guidance. Employing professional resources in regard to lighting is very expensive, to say the least.
Not only this, if you wish to use two lighting styles in a single room, you can do so in an inexpensive way as well. Flooding the room with CFL bulbs, (which incidentally is a great way to keep costs of lighting to a minimum) you can use chandeliers or spotlights to help best features of the room stand apart form the ordinarily lit areas. Recessed lighting too, can be implemented in the same way.
However, always remember that cheap lights might not do the trick. It is only through wise selection and shopping around that you can keep your budget in check and yet sure of high quality and service. There are several online portals that offer home lighting options, which are not only of the highest quality available but also are affordably priced. One of the best sites in the fray is LightMyHome, offering an eclectic mix of elegant lighting designs and products, all within the reach of regular consumers with a restricted budget. Ideal home lighting, after all, isn’t that expensive and as tough to achieve as it seems!
Stylish home lighting has become popular all over the world. All kinds of indoor lighting and outdoor lighting are being used extensively for enhanced home décor and interior design purposes. However, these lights and lighting fixtures can often be neither easy to find and install, nor cheap. With regard to the current economic climate, many home owners will be looking to save money. It is important that you consider your budget when choosing your lighting and fixtures. You may wish to choose lighting which is not only in vogue but also doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket, or you may wish to save costs by using lower energy options.
There are several home lighting options that can save you a lot, without sacrificing the style aspect of your home even one bit! We will discuss some tips and tricks to maintain a short and clean budget and yet be right on top of the fashion fiesta.
Using Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs can light your home in a much livelier way, and yet be really low on the power costs. Energy wastage and pollution also is avoidable to a much larger degree than it is with conventional light bulbs. However, using a CFL lamp makes the ambience much more radiant in its own unique way, with the light being much more on the whiter side. It can work wonders as accent lighting, with paintings and colored features coming out in their correct contrasts.
Another way to save money while incorporating indoor lighting and outdoor lighting in your interior design budget is Do-It-Yourself home lighting. Pendants, LED lighting, light fixtures, spotlights, and other lighting types can be fixed by you yourself, albeit with some guidance. Employing professional resources in regard to lighting is very expensive, to say the least.
Not only this, if you wish to use two lighting styles in a single room, you can do so in an inexpensive way as well. Flooding the room with CFL bulbs, (which incidentally is a great way to keep costs of lighting to a minimum) you can use chandeliers or spotlights to help best features of the room stand apart form the ordinarily lit areas. Recessed lighting too, can be implemented in the same way.
However, always remember that cheap lights might not do the trick. It is only through wise selection and shopping around that you can keep your budget in check and yet sure of high quality and service. There are several online portals that offer home lighting options, which are not only of the highest quality available but also are affordably priced. One of the best sites in the fray is LightMyHome, offering an eclectic mix of elegant lighting designs and products, all within the reach of regular consumers with a restricted budget. Ideal home lighting, after all, isn’t that expensive and as tough to achieve as it seems!
LED Light Kits for Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Honda Sport Bikes
Wyked Illuzionz asked:
Wyked Illuzionz, one of the leading vendors in the motorcycle LED industry, has just announced that they are offering a motorcycle LED light kit designed specifically for sport bikes.
Sport Bikes are attractive and aggressive machines that, on their own, command attention. They are eye-catching, fast, and becoming more and more popular among both new and experienced riders. Now, with LED light kits designed specifically for them they are sure to be show stoppers.
Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Honda sport bike owners can now join the ranks of their cruiser motorcycle counterparts with these motorcycle LED light kits.
The sport bike kit consists of eight 9-LED Stingerz strips and four 3-LED Stingerz strips to coincide with the large and small openings in the motorcycle fairings. The kit is available in blue, purple, green, white, red, orange, teal, pink, purple or any combination of these colors.
Stingerz are highly flexible waterproof strips. The LEDs are spaced at 1cm and, with a 120 degree viewing angle, they provide a brilliant, even light pattern. Each light strip comes with a 36″ lead wrapped in black sheathing for a simple and quick installation. They come with factory applied 3-M adhesive tape on three sides so they can be mounted on their back surface or on either side surface making them adaptable to all makes and models.
Just picture these sleek, impressive, machines glowing in an array of colors. It will be a sight to behold!
(Note: LED Lighting on Motorcycles increases the possibility of being seen. The fact that they draw attention not only enhances the physical appearance of the bike but makes it more likely to be seen by other vehicle drivers on the roads.)
Wyked Illuzionz, one of the leading vendors in the motorcycle LED industry, has just announced that they are offering a motorcycle LED light kit designed specifically for sport bikes.
Sport Bikes are attractive and aggressive machines that, on their own, command attention. They are eye-catching, fast, and becoming more and more popular among both new and experienced riders. Now, with LED light kits designed specifically for them they are sure to be show stoppers.
Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Honda sport bike owners can now join the ranks of their cruiser motorcycle counterparts with these motorcycle LED light kits.
The sport bike kit consists of eight 9-LED Stingerz strips and four 3-LED Stingerz strips to coincide with the large and small openings in the motorcycle fairings. The kit is available in blue, purple, green, white, red, orange, teal, pink, purple or any combination of these colors.
Stingerz are highly flexible waterproof strips. The LEDs are spaced at 1cm and, with a 120 degree viewing angle, they provide a brilliant, even light pattern. Each light strip comes with a 36″ lead wrapped in black sheathing for a simple and quick installation. They come with factory applied 3-M adhesive tape on three sides so they can be mounted on their back surface or on either side surface making them adaptable to all makes and models.
Just picture these sleek, impressive, machines glowing in an array of colors. It will be a sight to behold!
(Note: LED Lighting on Motorcycles increases the possibility of being seen. The fact that they draw attention not only enhances the physical appearance of the bike but makes it more likely to be seen by other vehicle drivers on the roads.)
#ad http://bit.ly/7D5YpE hey g…
#ad http://bit.ly/7D5YpE hey guys, great site for some christmas deals use code BTP1202A for extra bids. PLZ RT
So now LEDs don’t get HOT enough?
There’s always something to complain about isn’t there? Apparently, one of the main benefits of using LEDs in the millions of streetlights around the U.S. is turning out to be it’s unforseen downfall. Or at least an oversight, now that the weather has gotten chillier.
Never mind that the LEDs will last years without replacing, not to mention the work it takes to get a guy in a cherry picker to replace it, and the inconvenience of having to stop at every broken light. The fact that it uses 1/10th of the energy of regular light bulbs, saving the city thousands of dollars a month in electricity (Wisconsin saves $750,000 a year) also means that not a lot of heat is being produced by the lights. Heat that would generally melt the snow and ice that would accumulate during the snowy season. This has resulted in accidents, even a death, at the hands of “malfunctioning” traffic lights. And ergo you could say that LED lights KILL PEOPLE.
Ok maybe that’s a stretch. But who would have thought that excess waste heat from inefficient bulbs would be a good thing? I guess it depends on the environment, but I can totally relate. My PC tower definitely keeps my room a degree or two warmer than normal, which is a benefit now that the weather is finally dropping below freezing. And I remember back in college when I’d turn up the Wal-mart halogen floor lamps all the way up to heat up our apartment. I guess in this case, they might need to add a heating element to the lights. I have a great solution though. Two actually.
- Assuming the average light stays mostly on green and red for at least a minute or two, but only on the yellow for a few seconds each cycle, then the heat generated from an incandescent bulb in the yellow slot could be just enough to keep the light free of ice and snow without wasting too much energy. This would be the “cheapest” solution and they enough stock from the lights they removed before to last many years into the future.
- Retrofit a heating element in the housing so that it warms the lights/lens and keeps snow/ice from accumulating. They could have this set on a switch that turns them all on when the weather gets too cold, rather than having it on 24/7. This would be pricier, but would probably save more energy and you’re not going back to incandescents.
- Do nothing. The likelihood of the right conditions for the wet snow and wind to be the right consistency to stick to the the lights is very low. Have crews go around and airblast the snow off of lights that are blocked. And have everyone be smart enough to know that a non-working light means you should treat it as a stop sign. The latter is probably the hardest part to implement.
Your welcome Transportation Authority. Please send checks to my P.O. box.
[via Yahoo]
Commercial Outdoor Lighting Versus Residential Outdoor Lighting
Ann Marier asked:
Commercial outdoor lighting requirements are a lot different from those required in the home where the purpose of outdoor lighting is to set the mood so that you can relax and entertain guests. The commercial scenario is different as the aim is to make people want to buy things and spend money. Thus, you will find commercial outdoor lighting makes use of different colors some of which have been proven to be instrumental into enticing people to spend money as well as shop more.
Mostly, home outdoor lighting is all in the same color and incandescent lighting is the norm. The positioning acts in a way so as to dictate the final appearance of the outdoor home. On the other hand, commercial outdoor lighting generally means using different colors, designs as well as intensities. Such a difference is meant to keep the customers in a happier state of mind and be more excited about being present on the commercial property.
Red and Green Lighting
When choosing different colors for commercial outdoor lighting it has been found that green and red combine well and cause most people to spend more money. This may be the reason why most of the casinos in Las Vegas use such a combination to light up the outside of their commercial premises.
Blue Lighting
And, it has also been found that blue combined with other colors helps to create the right mood which makes people generally spend less money than otherwise. In fact, you won’t find casinos using blue outside their premises and a lot of study has been undertaken on getting the right combination of commercial outdoor lighting since a wrong combination can cause potentially huge financial losses.
Nevertheless, the commercial outdoor lighting should complement the lighting indoor, and this may best be achieved by balancing ambience of commercial outdoor lighting at a number of different angles and points.
Commercial outdoor lighting in places such as malls, hotels, and schools as well as clubs is not only decorative, but also often is artistic as well as utilitarian. It would be nice to have compact fluorescent lighting as well as ground level moon lamps to add to the ambience.
In addition, there are various designs to choose from including diamond shapes, opal as well as antique and lights with frosted exteriors. The placement of the commercial outdoor lighting should be just right so that customers, guests and visitors are not inconvenienced.
Commercial outdoor lighting requirements are a lot different from those required in the home where the purpose of outdoor lighting is to set the mood so that you can relax and entertain guests. The commercial scenario is different as the aim is to make people want to buy things and spend money. Thus, you will find commercial outdoor lighting makes use of different colors some of which have been proven to be instrumental into enticing people to spend money as well as shop more.
Mostly, home outdoor lighting is all in the same color and incandescent lighting is the norm. The positioning acts in a way so as to dictate the final appearance of the outdoor home. On the other hand, commercial outdoor lighting generally means using different colors, designs as well as intensities. Such a difference is meant to keep the customers in a happier state of mind and be more excited about being present on the commercial property.
Red and Green Lighting
When choosing different colors for commercial outdoor lighting it has been found that green and red combine well and cause most people to spend more money. This may be the reason why most of the casinos in Las Vegas use such a combination to light up the outside of their commercial premises.
Blue Lighting
And, it has also been found that blue combined with other colors helps to create the right mood which makes people generally spend less money than otherwise. In fact, you won’t find casinos using blue outside their premises and a lot of study has been undertaken on getting the right combination of commercial outdoor lighting since a wrong combination can cause potentially huge financial losses.
Nevertheless, the commercial outdoor lighting should complement the lighting indoor, and this may best be achieved by balancing ambience of commercial outdoor lighting at a number of different angles and points.
Commercial outdoor lighting in places such as malls, hotels, and schools as well as clubs is not only decorative, but also often is artistic as well as utilitarian. It would be nice to have compact fluorescent lighting as well as ground level moon lamps to add to the ambience.
In addition, there are various designs to choose from including diamond shapes, opal as well as antique and lights with frosted exteriors. The placement of the commercial outdoor lighting should be just right so that customers, guests and visitors are not inconvenienced.
LED Strip Light Bulbs
Russell Neal asked:
LED strip lighting replaces soon-to-be antiquated lighting sources of fluorescent and halogen light bulbs. Linear strip lights that utilize LED lamps employ semiconductor technology to generate illumination. This reduces the risk of fire hazards that result from overheated lighting equipment and cuts cost on energy consumption. Phantom LED strip lighting delivers value to both commercial and residential lighting arenas and is sweeping the technology world as the wave of the future.
LED strip lighting lends itself perfectly to commercial applications where energy saving and maintenance costs are a concern. Both gas and filament bulbs consume a great deal of power and become very hot if burned too long. Commercial entities must pay close attention to lighting to regulate overhead and often must limited the use of their lighting systems to ensure minimized overhead. This is not a concern with LED strip lighting. The average lamp life of LED strip lights is 50,000 hours-the longest lamp life of the industry. LED lamps generate very little heat and no ultraviolet radiation. For commercial entities in need of task and aesthetic strip lighting, LED technology offers a low-voltage, cost effective solution with minimized maintenance and dramatically reduced replacement costs.
The aesthetics of an LED strip light are equally impressive to its performance. The small low profile design of Phantom strips combines with custom shielding to allow designers to use LED lighting strips in many unique and creative ways. LED linear strips may be field cut to any size. Designers highly value the flexibility that our products deliver to them any time they work with round coves or radius applications. Phantom LED strip lights also deliver a level of task lighting unsurpassed by fluorescent and halogen lights. Because they use only minimal low voltage power and do not burn hot, they can subsequently be left on for longer periods without risk of overheating and damaging their environment.
LED lamps have evolved far beyond the red, green, and blue diodes of their early prototypes. LED lamps are now able to generate millions of colors and degrees of illuminations. Many proprietary LED strip lights are fully dimmable, and can even be used in conjunction with automated home lighting and other sophisticated aesthetic methodologies. Cool white LED lamps serve ideally in commercial arenas as sources of lighting for watches, necklaces, and diamonds in jewelry stores. The brilliant white light adds a sparkle to jewelry that maximizes retail showcasing of high-end merchandise. Warm white LED lamps produce a soft, pleasant light source conducive to both commercial and residential display applications. Fine art lighting, cove lighting, and even cabinet lighting normally call for this type of LED strip light to create a mystical aura around the piece
LED strip lighting replaces soon-to-be antiquated lighting sources of fluorescent and halogen light bulbs. Linear strip lights that utilize LED lamps employ semiconductor technology to generate illumination. This reduces the risk of fire hazards that result from overheated lighting equipment and cuts cost on energy consumption. Phantom LED strip lighting delivers value to both commercial and residential lighting arenas and is sweeping the technology world as the wave of the future.
LED strip lighting lends itself perfectly to commercial applications where energy saving and maintenance costs are a concern. Both gas and filament bulbs consume a great deal of power and become very hot if burned too long. Commercial entities must pay close attention to lighting to regulate overhead and often must limited the use of their lighting systems to ensure minimized overhead. This is not a concern with LED strip lighting. The average lamp life of LED strip lights is 50,000 hours-the longest lamp life of the industry. LED lamps generate very little heat and no ultraviolet radiation. For commercial entities in need of task and aesthetic strip lighting, LED technology offers a low-voltage, cost effective solution with minimized maintenance and dramatically reduced replacement costs.
The aesthetics of an LED strip light are equally impressive to its performance. The small low profile design of Phantom strips combines with custom shielding to allow designers to use LED lighting strips in many unique and creative ways. LED linear strips may be field cut to any size. Designers highly value the flexibility that our products deliver to them any time they work with round coves or radius applications. Phantom LED strip lights also deliver a level of task lighting unsurpassed by fluorescent and halogen lights. Because they use only minimal low voltage power and do not burn hot, they can subsequently be left on for longer periods without risk of overheating and damaging their environment.
LED lamps have evolved far beyond the red, green, and blue diodes of their early prototypes. LED lamps are now able to generate millions of colors and degrees of illuminations. Many proprietary LED strip lights are fully dimmable, and can even be used in conjunction with automated home lighting and other sophisticated aesthetic methodologies. Cool white LED lamps serve ideally in commercial arenas as sources of lighting for watches, necklaces, and diamonds in jewelry stores. The brilliant white light adds a sparkle to jewelry that maximizes retail showcasing of high-end merchandise. Warm white LED lamps produce a soft, pleasant light source conducive to both commercial and residential display applications. Fine art lighting, cove lighting, and even cabinet lighting normally call for this type of LED strip light to create a mystical aura around the piece
Eco-offices Should Always Receive the Green Light
Matt Crick asked:
Eco-buildings come in many different forms: self-sufficient or autonomous structures, self-build, wooden timbre-framed, cob cottages, traditional mud and stud, to name but a few. Some are high tech, others are low tech and some eco-architecture has even gone underground to conserve heat.
Like all good architecture, of course, modern eco-buildings with closely with the climate and attempt to harmonise with their environment. The relationship is strengthened by them passively capturing solar energy, rainwater and harnessing wind to generate energy that can be subsequently stored and used – with surplus energy often being sold to the national grid!
Now, the more environmentally-conscious architects and builders have integrated this eco-concept into commercial developments across the UK, more notably in densely populated cities such as London, Birmingham and Manchester, to create work spaces that are more “self-sufficient” and “greener” to keep up with the insatiable demand from forward-thinking businesses. The balance of luxury and sustainability is now essential, and although still important, previous key attributes of a great view, gym and capacious canteen area are further down the list of requirements when searching for the right office space.
The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) recently advised that non-residential properties can achieve a zero carbon output, providing that onsite renewable solutions are employed. There is a cost associated with building to zero carbon. Expenditure varies widely with both the form and use of a building. Preliminary modelling, however, suggests that the premium could range from over 30% down to as low as 5 or 10% of current baseline costs.
“We have a challenging, yet realistic timeframe for achieving zero carbon with new non-domestic buildings,” says the UKGBC. “With a trajectory in place similar to that adopted for the Code for Sustainable Homes, then a deadline of 2020 is more than feasible.”
This wave of green office development is splashing on other towns and cities across the UK too. A £50m project was irrefutably backed this year by Norwich County Council to turn a neglected area of land into eco-friendly offices. The council’s planning committee supported proposals to demolish a former electricity board site in Duke’s Wharf, creating 1,000 new jobs and a site that would include shops, restaurants and a river side path. If local authorities capitalised on pockets of disused land such as this, then would it not gradually improve the infrastructure and environment for the long term?
You’d certainly expect the National Trust in Swindon to be located in an environmentally sound building, and rather unsurprisingly, they occupy one of the greenest offices in the UK. Carbon emissions are 65% less than similar developments, largely due to a formation of photovoltaic panels (silicon panels that collect sunlight and convert it into solar energy) on the roof, which provide 30% of the annual electricity use. Eco-friendly materials, such as PVC-free linoleum and water based paints were used throughout the building.
The Jubilee library in Brighton, has become one of the main tourist attractions in the city, not before causing political controversy with its procurement by the council through the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) process. Politics aside, the architecture, engineering and green elements are all blended intricately into one; using the cement in the building as an energy store to either heat or cool the building accordingly. There are also solar-controlled louvres on the vast glass exterior, which prevents the interior from over-heating.
Archirect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw has found a better way to use fish and chip wrapping and old newspapers; he’s used them as insulation for the floors, walls and roof of the Eden project’s offices; making it one of the best insulated buildings in the country. The structure is also raised off the ground on timbre columns to minimise the volume of soil removed from the site during construction, and to reduce the amount of cement (one of the most un-eco-friendly products available) required to build it.
Although these are ambitious eco-projects, they have laid the green foundations for the future. The idea of a sustainable building is by no means a fad, more a long-term program that businesses, local authorities and ultimately the government will need to drive forward.
Serviced Office Company are one company situated in the UK that are taking their stance for environmentally friendly serviced offices. Not only do they offer exclusive office space in London and Manchester, they are conscious in making businesses reducing their impact on the environment. To reinfore this ethos, they have recently created and opened offices near Canary Wharf; introducing energy efficient heating and cooling systems, automated lighting and water saving devices, with all electricity provided by green energy supplier Ecotricity.
“We’re one of a kind in London,” says Simon Eastlake, General Manager. “Our new serviced offices in Canary Wharf gave us the opportunity to do something really unique and we decided not to compromise on anything, especially when it came to the environment.”
“Companies need to show not only investors but also employees that they’re aware of environmental issues. By taking serviced office space with us, they’re making a very powerful statement.”
So the future for eco-offices, and eco-buildings as a whole, is certainly bright and green if the changes are made now. You can no longer just have plants in the office to call it green
Eco-buildings come in many different forms: self-sufficient or autonomous structures, self-build, wooden timbre-framed, cob cottages, traditional mud and stud, to name but a few. Some are high tech, others are low tech and some eco-architecture has even gone underground to conserve heat.
Like all good architecture, of course, modern eco-buildings with closely with the climate and attempt to harmonise with their environment. The relationship is strengthened by them passively capturing solar energy, rainwater and harnessing wind to generate energy that can be subsequently stored and used – with surplus energy often being sold to the national grid!
Now, the more environmentally-conscious architects and builders have integrated this eco-concept into commercial developments across the UK, more notably in densely populated cities such as London, Birmingham and Manchester, to create work spaces that are more “self-sufficient” and “greener” to keep up with the insatiable demand from forward-thinking businesses. The balance of luxury and sustainability is now essential, and although still important, previous key attributes of a great view, gym and capacious canteen area are further down the list of requirements when searching for the right office space.
The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) recently advised that non-residential properties can achieve a zero carbon output, providing that onsite renewable solutions are employed. There is a cost associated with building to zero carbon. Expenditure varies widely with both the form and use of a building. Preliminary modelling, however, suggests that the premium could range from over 30% down to as low as 5 or 10% of current baseline costs.
“We have a challenging, yet realistic timeframe for achieving zero carbon with new non-domestic buildings,” says the UKGBC. “With a trajectory in place similar to that adopted for the Code for Sustainable Homes, then a deadline of 2020 is more than feasible.”
This wave of green office development is splashing on other towns and cities across the UK too. A £50m project was irrefutably backed this year by Norwich County Council to turn a neglected area of land into eco-friendly offices. The council’s planning committee supported proposals to demolish a former electricity board site in Duke’s Wharf, creating 1,000 new jobs and a site that would include shops, restaurants and a river side path. If local authorities capitalised on pockets of disused land such as this, then would it not gradually improve the infrastructure and environment for the long term?
You’d certainly expect the National Trust in Swindon to be located in an environmentally sound building, and rather unsurprisingly, they occupy one of the greenest offices in the UK. Carbon emissions are 65% less than similar developments, largely due to a formation of photovoltaic panels (silicon panels that collect sunlight and convert it into solar energy) on the roof, which provide 30% of the annual electricity use. Eco-friendly materials, such as PVC-free linoleum and water based paints were used throughout the building.
The Jubilee library in Brighton, has become one of the main tourist attractions in the city, not before causing political controversy with its procurement by the council through the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) process. Politics aside, the architecture, engineering and green elements are all blended intricately into one; using the cement in the building as an energy store to either heat or cool the building accordingly. There are also solar-controlled louvres on the vast glass exterior, which prevents the interior from over-heating.
Archirect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw has found a better way to use fish and chip wrapping and old newspapers; he’s used them as insulation for the floors, walls and roof of the Eden project’s offices; making it one of the best insulated buildings in the country. The structure is also raised off the ground on timbre columns to minimise the volume of soil removed from the site during construction, and to reduce the amount of cement (one of the most un-eco-friendly products available) required to build it.
Although these are ambitious eco-projects, they have laid the green foundations for the future. The idea of a sustainable building is by no means a fad, more a long-term program that businesses, local authorities and ultimately the government will need to drive forward.
Serviced Office Company are one company situated in the UK that are taking their stance for environmentally friendly serviced offices. Not only do they offer exclusive office space in London and Manchester, they are conscious in making businesses reducing their impact on the environment. To reinfore this ethos, they have recently created and opened offices near Canary Wharf; introducing energy efficient heating and cooling systems, automated lighting and water saving devices, with all electricity provided by green energy supplier Ecotricity.
“We’re one of a kind in London,” says Simon Eastlake, General Manager. “Our new serviced offices in Canary Wharf gave us the opportunity to do something really unique and we decided not to compromise on anything, especially when it came to the environment.”
“Companies need to show not only investors but also employees that they’re aware of environmental issues. By taking serviced office space with us, they’re making a very powerful statement.”
So the future for eco-offices, and eco-buildings as a whole, is certainly bright and green if the changes are made now. You can no longer just have plants in the office to call it green