The Department of Energy and Climate Change Practice What They Preach and Install LED Lighting

Lighting in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (D.E.C.C.) has been replaced with energy efficient, cost effective LED light sources. Since their installation, member of staff have commented on the improved brightness levels and lower energy consumption.

Prior to the upgrade, the offices at 3 Whitehall Place were illuminated by T5 fluorescent lamps. Some argue that T5 and LED lamps have the same energy saving features; building managers often opt for T5s due to their low cost. The D.E.C.C. believe a clear advantage of opting for LED light sources is their localised control system which turns lights off if rooms are vacant and dims them down to 5% as natural daylight pours in.  

During the make-over, the fluorescent lamps on all 8 floors of Whitehall Place were replaced with 1,300 Philips LED fittings.

In their own case study D.E.C.C. stated: “Compared to retrofits in most comparable buildings, which tend to use relatively inefficient T8 tubes, the energy savings are slightly lower, however they are very significant.”

The project spanned for 26 days and cost £401,000, during this time the building’s heating and cooling system was also upgraded. Since these two renovations, the energy consumption in Whitehall place has reduced by almost 30%, majority of these energy savings can be attributed to the lighting switch-over.

The D.E.C.C. anticipates annual savings of around £22,000, predicting an addition £7,000 saving on maintenance costs. They said: “There are additional savings to be had from the switch to LED lighting in the form of lower maintenance costs- it is claimed that LED luminaires typically last 5 times as long as the fluorescent equivalent.”

This refurbishment is part of the government’s recently announced UK Lighting Sector Strategy. This new initiative intends to slash energy consumption and encourage innovation in lighting.

Aside from the obvious energy and maintenance savings, the lighting overhaul has other benefits. A D.E.C.C. spokeswoman reported that responses to their questionnaire showed that, 71% of workers at Whitehall Place found that the LED light sources improved the lighting in their work space.  

Leading Student Accommodation Developer, Unite Students, Announce a £21 million LED Switch-Over

Unite Students have teamed up with industry gorgon, Philips Lighting, to replace existing halogen and incandescent light sources with energy saving LED lamps in all their student properties by 2016.

Unite estimate the lighting project will take 2 years to complete. It will cover over 120 properties, 23 UK towns and cities, creating better living and working environments for staff and students. During the switch-over, more than 300,000 LED light fittings and 85,000 dimmers and sensors will be installed in corridors, kitchens, lounges, common rooms, reception areas and even outdoor spaces.

Philips LivingColours lamps (pictured) will be installed in every student bedroom throughout Unites properties. These innovative lamps will allow students to personalise their lighting to suit their purpose, be it studying, relaxing or socialising. 

The LED switch-over is part of Unite’s recently developed “Home for Success” scheme. Under the “Home for Success” scheme, Unite pledges make improvements which will make their 41,000 student residents feel more at home whilst reducing energy consumption and maintenance costs. It is hoped the “Home for Success” scheme will have a 5 year payback time; the resulting savings have already been assigned to other areas, including; free cleaning services and longer reception opening hours.

Richard Smith, Managing Director for Unite Students, said: “We are pleased to announce this partnership with Philips and our investment in LED lighting, which supports Unite Students’ commitment to providing a home for success for the students that live with us. Success for students means many different things from getting the best degree they can, securing a job after graduating, making lasting friendships and relationships to personal growth and developing into who they want to be.”

He continues: “The new lighting will create a more inviting space for students which they can personalise for socialising or study. At the same time it will reduce Unite’s carbon footprint and the longer lifecycle of LED lights will significantly reduce maintenance workloads for our city teams.”

Philips’ Commercial Director for the Office and Industry sector, Dan Scott said: “Philips is working closely with Unite students to drive down energy consumption and maintenance costs through the use of efficient lighting. The new lighting is also helping Unite Students to achieve its primary goal of creating the best possible environment for student learning; reinforcing the power of light to uplift and transform our surroundings.”

Dan explains: “In addition to supplying the lighting itself, Philips is providing a range of services to support Unite Students in unlocking the potential that lighting can bring, both in terms of energy efficiency  and ambiance. Prior to commencing the roll out across the portfolio Philips surveyed the Unite Students properties to evaluate the existing lighting, in order to deliver the best results and recommend the most appropriate lighting solutions. Philips will manage the installation and provide after sales service support to the Unite Students team.”

New Government Scheme Aims To Encourage Businesses To Replace Outdated Lighting

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has announced their plans to encourage businesses to cut carbon emissions and reduce the demand on the National Grid.

The scheme allows businesses to compete against one another for money to fund energy efficiency measures. The budget for the pilot scheme has been set at £20 million. Businesses will bid for the money to fund lighting renovations which would not be possible without the funding.

The first stage of the scheme is a £10 million Electricity Demand Reduction auction. The auction will be open to all sectors of the economy up and down the country. The auction gives businesses the opportunity to bid for funding for a variety of projects, including LED switch-overs and improving motors and pumps.

The government has shown particular interest in projects which promise to deliver up to 100 kilowatts of savings throughout the winter period. The DECC tells us that over 300 organisations including hospitals, airports and supermarket chains are considering taking part in the auction.

The pilot auction scheme will run for two years. If the 2014 trial is successful and delivers lasting electricity savings, the government will continue to offer such funding through the capacity market due to be launched later this year.

It is hoped this will ease the pressure on the National Grid who, as we reported earlier this month, are expecting blackouts during the winter of 2015 due to their inability to meet our increasing electricity demands. Capacity providers will be offered a steady, predictable revenue stream in return for a guarantee they will deliver energy when needed. This is likely to result in increased bills for energy consumers, estimated at £13 per household per year.   

Taiwan places restrictions on LED lighting efficacy

Earlier this month, the Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced that all LED lights must have a minimum efficacy of 70 lumens per watt. According to this new legislation, all indoor, warm-white LED lamps must have a minimum efficacy of 70lm/W while cool-white LEDs must reach a minimum of 75lm/W.

The Global Lighting Association (GLA) support the implementation of this legislation, their representative Michael Ng said: “Minimum efficacy requirements should be set at such a level that good-quality products are widely available and at an affordable price. The GLA globally support one minimum level of performance for lighting products, just like what is announced by Taiwan’s MOEA Bureau of Energy. This is very different from just an energy labelling scheme. In general this serves the purposes of ensuring safe and quality products for the consumers, maintaining interoperability and competition on performance. There are adequate surveillance and penalties in place to ensure that the vendors are truthful and the standards used are internationally harmonised.”

When asked about this new legislation, Thorn Lighting’s Head of Global Lighting Applications commented: “it’s an interesting turn of events, the move is clearly designed to discourage people using high colour temperature, or perhaps to encourage retailers or manufacturers to favour warmer light by making it easier to comply.

Although he is not sure the move will have a knock on effect: “whether it will catch on on a global scare is a difficult one. We see general disquiet over the use of high CCT in the outdoors in many countries. Generally it is not liked, but that may be a more historic thing. Previously such cold colours were simply not available. In some countries, South Africa for example, there is generally a wider acceptance of colder colours, less so in Europe.”

In Taiwan in 2013, lighting accounts for 10.9% of the country’s total power consumption, according to figures obtained by the MOEA’s Bureau of Energy (BOE). Residential lighting accounted for 40% of the total lighting power consumption. 

Megaman’s new Incanda LED range, putting the sparkle back in LEDs

The Megaman Incanda LED range has revolutionised LED lighting. The lamps are uniquely designed to resemble point light sources and emit a brilliant sparkling beam, similar to that of an incandescent lamp.

The Incanda LED series was created with sustainability in mind, saving up to 89% in energy consumption (vs. traditional incandescent lamps) without any detriment to the light source’s performance. The Incanda range offers massive savings and is particularly suited to large venues such as hotels, restaurants, lounges and bars which would benefit from the luxury of sparkling light.

The Incanda range includes, Candles, Golf Balls and GLS lamps in BC, SBC and ES caps, these are all designed to replace expensive, inefficient incandescent lamps. Incanda LEDs' clear, glass finish enhances the sparkling effect of the lamp making them perfectly suitable for application in chandeliers or crystal light fittings. Incanda lamps are a viable energy saving replacement to traditional incandescent lamps with a high luminous efficacy of 100 lumens per watt and an extended lamp life of up to 50,000 hours. The dimmable versions of the Incanda LED lamps offer linear dimming from 100-10%, allowing you to create a variety of ambiances. 

For more information on this or any other LED product, visit our website http://theledspecialist.co.uk/ or call the office on 0118 9507125

Philips’ Unite Lighting Project- Improved Quality at reduced costs

Philips help Unite, the UK’s leading operator of purpose built student accommodation, to help improve lighting quality while reducing lifecycle costs at The Grange student accommodation in Leicester.

Project Brief:

Who?                            Unite

Where?                         Leicester

What products?         Circular bulkhead LED, Coreline Recessed and Pacific LED

What services?           Lighting survey, installation, commissioning, after-sales service and on-                                         going support

Helping students see the light:

Philips provides an LED lighting  and services package to Unite, the UK’s leading operator of purpose built student accommodation, to help improve lighting quality while reducing lifecycle costs at The Grange student accommodation in Leicester.

Unite provides homes to 41,000 students in over 130 properties across 23 university cities and works in partnership with higher education providers, as well as renting rooms directly to students.

The Grange is located on the main campus of De Montfort University and is home to 220 students. The property is made up of shared flats with communal kitchens and living areas, and self contained individual studio apartments.

Supporting sustainable business:

Unite is committed to minimising its environmental impact and has an on-going programme to improve energy efficiency at its properties as part of its overall corporate responsibility strategy. Alongside this, the company prides itself on providing a high quality home environment for its students.

“Lighting was identified as an area where improvements in energy performance would also enhance the internal environment for our customers,” recalls Unites Energy and Utilities Manager James Tiernan.

At The Grange, Philips evaluated the existing lighting to identify areas for improvement, using its recently enhanced lighting survey methodology. Philip’s methodology ensures in-depth understanding of the existing installation and the customer’s business goals and objectives. This information underpins a tailored solution that delivers optimum benefits.

After conducting the survey, Philips managed the installation and commissioning of LED lighting throughout The Grange. LED lighting has been installed in all bedrooms, kitchens, common areas, back office spaces and external areas. Extensive use has been made of circular bulkhead LED fittings, which combine excellent light distribution with a robust housing and IP65 rating. These have been used in students’ rooms, corridors, kitchen areas and stairwells to replace old 2D fluorescent fittings, bringing significant improvements in energy consumption, light output and lifespan. Administration areas, such as reception areas, are using CoreLine Recessed fittings, replacing modular fluorescent luminaires, while Pacific LED fittings have been installed in the laundry room. Presence detectors have also been introduced in corridors and daylight linking in spaces that receive high levels of natural daylight.

Philips will also deliver after-sales service and on-going support to the Unite team.

Efficient solutions with no compromise on style:

The entire lighting solution not only minimises the building’s energy consumption but will also dramatically lower lifecycle costs by out-living previous solutions and lasting for many years beyond traditional lighting fixtures.

 In addition, the new lighting offers improvements in uniformity, quality, and control of light, which provides students with an environment conductive to study and learning whilst also improving the visual appearance in all areas of the building.

“Moving from predominantly 28 watt 2D fluorescent fittings to 18 watt LED fittings has delivered a substantial reduction in energy consumption and the improved controls have bought further savings still. Around 30% of our maintenance requests are lighting related, so we expect significant reduction here too, bringing additional savings in hardware and man hours,” James Tiernan continued.

“There are other intangible benefits that can’t be quantified but are very important. For example, the improved light levels create a better living environment for students, which is important for us in supporting their success whilst at university. Universities are also beginning to look more closely at the carbon emissions of their supply chain, so it’s important we can demonstrate that we are taking measures to reduce our carbon footprint,” he concludes.

How LED lighting can benefit your University- Graduate with a first class honours in lighting!

With recent cuts in government funding now taking effect, there has never been a more ample time for Universities to invest in LED lighting technology. Effective lighting technology can improve the quality of your environment, help meet sustainability goals and improve the well-being of your staff and students. Investing in LED lighting and control systems will bring immediate benefits including; reduced energy consumption and on-going maintenance costs.

Lighting equates to around a quarter of a University’s energy bill, this figure can be reduced by using energy efficient LED lighting and lighting management systems. Monitoring energy use across an entire University is no easy task; it is difficult to know how much energy is being consumed by each area and how to minimise this. Installing a lighting management system allows you to see and monitor lighting energy consumption within each area. Using this information, you can then consider how this consumption could be reduced, taking into account which areas are being occupied, for what, and how frequently. In areas where permanent lighting is unnecessary, presence detection sensors, timed switching, dimming and or daylight harvesting strategies could be utilised to drive down energy consumption and cost.

Some of the benefits of using energy efficient lighting are not immediately obvious; for example by ensuring lighting is only turned on when it is needed, less heat is generated and therefore less air conditioning is required. An overall reduction in lighting use means reduced energy consumption, lower emissions, smaller energy bills and a “greener” carbon footprint.

In today’s competitive environment, attractive LED lighting can help reinforce your brand image, strengthening your appeal to students, parents and business partners alike. Due to increased environmental awareness, choosing a “green University” may be an important factor for the next generation of students, there fore the lower your carbon footprint the more attractive your University will become. Likewise, business partners will be more likely to invest in research facilities or hire spaces available for corporate events if the University’s environmental policy matches that of their company.

Creating the right environment for learning is an essential goal for any University, their aim is to create spaces that are comfortable for students and lecturers which are also flexible enough to suit different tutorial needs. Using intelligent LED lighting the same space can be used for a multitude of activities; a space can be altered, literally with the flick of a switch transforming it into a completely different environment. Flexible LED lighting can be used to:

•          Project you University colours - reinforcing your brand identity
•          Give public spaces a WOW factor- making a lasting impression on students and their parents
•          Support themes and events around campus throughout the year
•          Create attractive, high-tech spaces to hire- attracting commercial interest
•          Transform a simple lecture theatre into a multimedia theatre
•          Stimulate students when energy is low by altering frequency and intensity of the lighting
•          Calm hyperactive students during lectures again, by altering the frequency and intensity of the lighting

Using LED lighting products can help transform your University environment. LED lighting is an investment which will start to repay itself the moment it is installed; that’s good news for you, good news for your budget, your staff, your students and your carbon footprint.

For more information or to begin your LED switch-over visit our website http://theledspecialist.co.uk/ or call the office to speak to one of our informed lighting specialists 0118 950 7125

Simply LED, for Sheffield Simply Food Store

Marks and Spencer’s Simply Food store in Sheffield is the first store within the UK to be lit using only LED lighting making it M&S’s most sustainable store. The store’s sustainable, bright, enticing lighting is achieved by combining Philips’ LED luminaires with Philips’ Dynalite management control system.

Philips Dynalite Control System

The LED lighting has been installed in across the store’s car park areas, back of house and shop floor, and has given the store energy savings of 25-30%. The installation of the new Philips Dynalite control system could further increase these savings!

In addition to these initial energy savings, thanks to the LED’s long lamp life, the store will also benefit from reduced maintenance costs as the need for re-lamping will be eradicated. Another benefit to the installation of LED lighting is there will be no discharge lamps to dispose of, meaning M&S avoid incurring WEEE charges.

Philips Maxos Trunking

Customers will be enticed into the store’s entrance due to the lighting ambiance created by Philips Blast and Graze luminaires. The remainder of lighting within the store is produced through a combination of Maxos trunking and StyliD fixtures. The store’s food chillers are all fitted with the latest generation of warm white LED modules; these make the merchandise look as attractive as possible. LED fittings and wall marker lights illuminate the store’s outdoor areas, creating a pleasant and safe environment in the car parks. 

Philips StyliD

To make maximum use of the natural daylight which pours in through the windows, M&S have utilised the daylight harvesting setting offered by Philip’s Dynalite control system. The daylight harvesting setting follows the rhythm of natural daylight and automatically dims the luminaires within each area ensuring a constant level of light is maintained in each working space. The control system can also be set so it switches off entirely as the daylight takes overs, further increasing the store’s energy savings. 

Alison Burnley, Store Manager at M&S Simply Foods Sheffield said: “We are delighted to be opening  this new Sustainable Learning Store in Sheffield which is the most environmentally friendly store M&S has ever built. The eco friendly Philips lighting systems we have in place have contributed to this and ensure that we create a fresh modern shopping environment for our customers.” 

Without a doubt, employing such initiatives as LED dimming and daylight harvesting M&S is one step closer  to achieving its ambitious energy reduction targets, setting an example to us all.

For more information about this project or any of the products featured visit our website http://theledspecialist.co.uk/ or call the office to speak to an informed sales advisor 0118 950 7125 

Philips' LED downlighters transform Dartmoor Zoological Park’s restaurant and conference area

The incredible story of Dartmoor Zoo is the subject of the best-selling book and film ‘We Bought A Zoo’. In 2006, the Mee brothers took a leap of faith without any experience to fall back on, purchased a run down zoo. Thanks to the brothers' tireless efforts, the estate has now been bought back to its former glory and a number of facilities have been improved. After the renovation, a remaining area of concern was the restaurant which was illuminated by outdated 2 x 26w compact fluorescent down lights.

Alex Smale, the zoo’s Business Development Manager said: “We reached a stage where only 40% of the fittings were working and those that were on were not giving out much light. The fittings were also very unattractive and certainly didn’t create the right impression.”

Philips’ solution to this problem was to replace the existing fittings with 32w Luxspace LED recessed down lighters. The benefits of using these lamps include; improved lighting performance, minimal installation costs and energy savings. 

Divided into zones, the Luxspace fittings are controlled through Philips OccuSwitch DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) which delivers an enhanced level of control. Through this system, lighting is linked to photocells so that it can be automatically dimmed in relation to natural daylight. The system is also linked to the occupancy detectors; ensuring lighting in unoccupied areas of the restaurant is dimmed to around 20% of the full light output. 

Staff and visitors approve of the new lighting, Alex Smale enthused: “It has made a fantastic difference to the restaurant and we’ll be saving a massive amount on energy costs. There will also be big savings on maintenance, thanks to the long life of the LED lamps”.

Philips is also supplying new lighting in the zoo’s’ cat houses with the aim of creating a better environment for the keepers. This lighting upgrade is part of the zoo’s plan to reduce its environmental impact, the zoo works closely with Bicton College in Salterton to promote environmental awareness. Together, these two organisations are working towards creating an education centre within the zoo. 

Discover how much you could save with Philips' lighting solutions...

Invest in LEDs and save £££ through the Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme

Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECAs) have been introduced as part of a nationwide scheme to reduce carbon emissions. This scheme allows businesses who invest in energy-saving technology to write off the total cost of said equipment against their taxable profit as a 100% first-year capital allowance. The scheme is managed and promoted by the government appointed Carbon Trust, who create and update the list of approved technologies. 

Although lighting is a non-listed product on the ECA scheme's technology list, individual products can qualify for ECAs if they meet a certain criterion. Tax relief can be claimed on the purchase and installation of LED lighting and LED controls. The scheme hopes to help reduce carbon emissions (which contribute to climate change) by encouraging businesses to invest more freely in new energy efficient technology. Your ECA claim can be made as part of your annual tax return and, at the discretion of your local tax office, you may be awarded tax relief for not only the cost of lighting but any other direct costs such as installation or transportation. 

With regards to lighting, the ECA scheme focuses on encouraging businesses to purchase equipment which automatically switches on and off or dims lighting, therefore saving energy. A number of lighting control categories are ECA eligible including both individual or combinations of; timer controls, presence detectors with associated switching controller, daylight detectors with associated switching and/or dimming controller and networked controls system. White light LED luminaires’ eligibility for ECA is mainly dependant on their light output efficiency; the criterion differs depending on the lighting application.

Several of our LED products, exceed the ECA criteria and qualify from the performance perspective. Although the high prices may be off putting at first, when considering the whole life cycle maintenance and operating costs of your lighting, opting for low cost non-LED lighting can prove to be false economy. The ECA scheme means that businesses can offset a significant part of the product and installation cost against taxable profits in the year of purchase, providing a cash flow boost and incentive to invest in energy saving LED equipment. 

Further information on this scheme is available from HMRC's website - www.eca.gov.uk/etl

Save time with LED Controlled Lighting

Philips' LEDcontrol

Another new addition to the Philips MASTER LED range is a control system compatible with MASTER LEDtubes. This brand new control system automatically switches LED tubes on and off emitting light only when you need it.

This control system is compatible with GA110 Philips MASTER LEDtube, this combination offers a complete solution to energy saving and allows you to efficiently manage your energy consumption. 

Philips MASTER LEDtubes integrate a LED light source into the form of a traditional fluorescent, they are uniquely designed to create an impeccable uniform appearance which is virtually undistinguishable from traditional fluorescent lighting.

For more information or to purchase either of these products visit http://theledspecialist.co.uk or call our office to speak to one of our lighting specialists 01189507125 

Philips' Eco Passport Makes Going Green Simple

As members of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the United Nations Global Compact, Philips are dedicated to developing, promoting and marketing energy efficient solutions across the market. As part of their green initiative Philips' products all have their very own Eco Passport.

Introduced in 1994, Philips' Eco Design initiative aims to deal with all phases of product development and create products that offer better environmental performance. Philips offer products that can help reduce costs, energy consumption and CO2 emissions, their green logo (pictured on the right) identifies products which have a significantly better environmental performance than their competitors or predecessors.

All Philips products have an Eco Passport which is an overview of the products environmental specifications. Eco Passports enable consumers to make simple choices about the products they buy and the impact they have before, during and at the end of their life cycle, Philips Eco Passports consider the following Green Focal areas…

EU Eco Design DIM2 Directive Explained…

Over the past few years, the LED lighting market has faced a number of problems; manufacturers have made false claims, poor quality LEDs have given inconsistent performances, product information has been inaccurate and to top it all off there was little to no legislation controlling these issues.

Due to increasing concerns that LED lighting may not deliver the expected performance, the European Union have introduced the Eco Design DIM2 directive. This new piece of legislation hopes to enable customers to make informed choices when purchasing LED and directional halogen lamps.

In order to achieve this, minimum performance standards for both LED lamps and directional halogen lamps have been set. Regulations have also been put into place to make product information more accurate and transparent, meaning packaging is now a useful and more reliable indicator of performance. These changes to packaging mean the product information displayed on the box is similar across all suppliers ensuring customers can chose the most suitable option from a range of manufacturers.

The benefits of this new directive can be best demonstrated through outlining which common problems they will eradicate in the LED lighting market. A source of disappointment for many customers is a painfully obvious inconsistency in colour appearance. It has now been stipulated that colour variation should be hardly noticeable to the naked eye, and that colours should be represented in a vivid and natural way. To achieve this, manufacturers must undertake rigorous quality control methods. Due to the expense of enforcing such precise quality control, cheaper LEDs often fall short, showing a greater variation in colour. For instance, poor quality control is indicated when packaging indicates a colour temperate range-  for example 4000-4500k, a precise colour temperature-  for example 2700k implies a high level of quality control has been enacted.

Since the directive has come into effect manufacturers are required to clearly state on packaging, energy efficiency, luminous flux in lumens, colour temperature in kelvin, lifetime in hours, number of switching cycles, lamp dimensions in millimetres, beam angle in degrees and energy consumption in kWh. These changes will ensure that lamps for different manufacturers can be easily compared giving customers confidence in the product they are purchasing.

To ensure customers are able to trust that the stated lumen output is reliable and that the wattage equivalent given is accurate, the following performance requirements have been laid out; directional lamps including spots and reflectors must meet a specified lumen level to be able to claim they are a replacement for certain wattage. After 6,000 burning hours, 95% of lamps must survive and maintain at least 80% of their initial lumen output and 95% of lamps must survive for at least 1000 hours.

After these new regulations were announced earlier in the year, Philips has gone above and beyond to ensure the new guidelines are met. Their DIM2 compliant packaging is easily recognised by its purple colour; they have also introduced an improved spot and reflector range which meet the new wattage requirements. They offer a lamp for every socket, with product ranges for all types of applications. Despite these changes, Philips has managed to maintain the look and feel of their lamps meaning customers will hardly notice the difference.

Although not all of these new regulations received a glowing reception, it is widely acknowledged that the Eco Design DIM2 regulations will greatly improve the LED lighting market, giving both customers and wholesalers such as ourselves, the information needed to make accurate and appropriate selections. The enforcement of these measures aims to broaden the use of LED lighting, reducing consumer’s energy and maintenance costs as well as their environmental impact.