Top 8 in Smart Lighting

From mood adjusting to music playing and even an alarm, lighting is getting more and more smarter and here are 8 of the best smart lighting technology available now. Besides the fact they are super cool, they also save you a lot of money and last longer than your regular incandescent light. technologies 


Philips Hue 

Philips Hue allows you to control your lighting system at home, by connecting your Lightbulbs bulbs to your smartphone. All you need to do is download the app and your up and running. 

It gives you full control of the brightness, colour and timing - meaning you can now schedule your light to come on as you approach your house or change moods just before you smuggle up in bed. The long range connection also allows you to be miles away and still be in control of your lighting system. The careful production of the Philips Hue makes it a sensible, technical and an overall great addition to your home

Elgato Avea

Do not let the the classic look fool you, this light is as smart as they come. From one single device it allows you to control the mood lighting for up to 10 different bulbs. You can also keep it all in one colour or choose from seven different themes. 

Compatible with almost all devices from iPhones to iPads. The 7w LED screwable Light bulb is extremely energy efficient and has class A energy rating. 

It does not stop there, this light can also be an alarm clock that is capable to be set at a chosen time!. The only downside to it is the app, as it looks a tad simple and can also be hard to use for an android 

Osram Lightify range 

Osram introduces you to a lighting technology thats truly innovative and ahead of its time. whether its your garden or your bedroom you can guarantee having a light which adjusted to your moods and requirements. The bundle pack of gardenspot and normal led bulbs also comes with a gateway which acts as a router and connects you to your lighting wherever you may be, no seriously you don't even need to have wifi in your house. This product also has 16million colour (didn't even know there was that much) you can adjust to, and a 2000-6500 range in colour temperature - 2000 being extremely warm to 6500k being daylight. 

One thing i think is extremely cool is how you can take a picture of any object and the light can adjusted to colour of that object!. Having said all of this, lightify technology is definitely dressed to impress. 

Belkin Wemo LED Lighting starter set 

The belkin Wemo is a direct replacment for a 60w incandescent bulb and therefore is not capable of mood changing. You can choose from bayonet cap or a Edison screw each rated at 800 lumens. This is a little less than classic incandescent, but 800 lumens is still a great amount of output and with the added technology it sets it apart from your original incandescent light. The wemo pack acts as bridge between the wifi connection and the bulb.

You can set rules which can control your dimming and when your light turns on and off. you can also include a sleep period just like your tv. 

the app is relatively easy to use and as the Wemo pack acts as a wifi router you don't need to connect it to your router at home. Although the price can seem hefty it stands as a good introduction to smart lighting.

LIFX

This product is relatively expensive but you get a bulb of very high quality. Similar to the Elgato Avea  multiple colours can be controlled with this light - given you 16 million colour choices!. furthermore, you can control all the light at the same time and set an alarm for yourself. 

the difference with this product is that it can replace a 75w halogen and still last for up to 27 year, an investment worthwhile.


Senled Pulse 

This products has all features of a smart light such as; dimming control. connect it to a bluetooth device, once paired then you can hear your favourite music from a your Lightbulb! This is another slightly expensive product but when you think about it you get two products in one.

1byone Smart LED Bulb 

Similar to the senled pulse above this also contains an LED lightbulb and a bluetooth speaker. however, this product has the ability to change colour while playing music. 

initially there are translation issues with the Chinese app, but once you are able to click on the lamp tab you can control the brightness and colour of the lamp. this contains a lumen light output of 300 which is similar to 20w-30w halogen light, meaning it is not able to light a whole room single handedly. 

the white light is very cold and slightly bullish and does not have the same quality output in comparison to LIFX and HUE. However the idea of having a light evolving, relatively cheap, music playing light bulb is quite tempting. 

Lava BrightSounds  

Having a light which can play music at home is pretty cool but what about if you have that light all the time. Step in the Lava Bright,  its dimmable,  water proof, reachargeable and oh yeah it can also answer one phone calls. Personally I think this is the creme de la creme of speaker/lighting products and one which would be a great addition to your camping kit or even a barbecue in your garden.   

This blog post was adapted from "PCadvisor, 11 best smart lightbulbs 2015/2016: Best smart LED bulbs, smart lighting, mood lighting and speaker bulbs for your UK connected home" , 03/11/15 

Philips Light Up The Festival of Lights

Philips Colour Kinetics LED connected lighting transforms the banks of the River Rhone.

Philips Lighting collaborated with French artist Severine Fontaine, to create the centre piece for the 2014, Lyon Festival of Light. The world famous Festival of Lights in Lyon, France is the world's principal creative lighting display event. This year the show ran from the 5th-8th December.  

The six minute, centrepiece show, spanned 80 metres of the River Rhone's banks. The phenomenal centrepiece, named "Incandescence" celebrated the importance of light in human development. 

"Incandescence" took six years to create, it featured nine illuminated domes, shaped like incandescent light bulbs.Each dome was the size of a small family car. The six minute show explored the symbiotic relationship between the human race and light. The iconic incandescent light bulb was used to represent the historic relationship between humans and artificial light, exemplifying it's often forgotten impact on human development. 

"Incandescence's" co-creator, Severine Fontaine said: "I chose to work with Philips, which is a prestigious partner, providing high-quality and high-tech products that enable spectacular light effects. The Philips technology allowed me to explore and create emotion, working light with great delicacy as if it were a musical score. Philips provided more than just products, the team also bought passion that allowed me to realize my concept and light scenario in optimal condition for the artistic quality of the art work."

McDonald’s Energy Saving Plan- 20% Energy Cuts but 2020!

LED Street Light in McDonald's

Fast food gorgons McDonald’s aspire to increase energy efficiency by 20% in company owned stores by 2020.

Earlier this month, McDonald’s published a 116 page report focusing on corporate social responsibility. The report details a number of areas in which McDonald’s wish to improve, areas of particular importance were; sourcing, food, people, community and the planet. One of McDonald’s’ key goals for 2020 is to achieve a 20% increase in energy efficiency in seven of the company’s top markets (including the UK).

Although the strategy report is rather vague, it does mention implementing LED lighting: “We have identified a portfolio of energy-efficient solutions… such as high efficiency exhaust fans and LED walk-in refrigerator lighting, with the potential to support our aspirations goal of 20 per cent increase in energy efficiency in our company owned restaurants by 2020.”

Restaurant in the US have already hopped onto the LED lighting bandwagon. Currently it is standard practice for US, company owned McDonald’s restaurants to have LED dining room lighting, LED building signage and some franchises even have LED car park lighting.

The ‘aspirational goals’ set by McDonald’s only apply to company owned restaurants, not for its franchises. The top seven markets, to whom these goals apply to are; Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, the UK and the US. McDonald’s owns 19% of restaurants within these areas. According to the report, a framework of goals for franchise restaurants will be developed by 2016.

For more information on how energy savings can be achieved using LED lighting visit our website http://theledspecialist.co.uk/ or call the office on 0118 950 7125. 

Now In Stock: Which? Magazine's Best Buy Spotlight

In their June issue, Which? magazine awarded Integral LED's 5.3.w GU10 their Best Buy Spotlight award. 

The warm white, 5.3w GU10 lamp was tested against 23 named brand, halogen and LED GU10 spotlights. Integral's GU10 lamp, shown in the video below, came out on top due to its sleek, modern design and energy efficiency. Integral promise their 5.3w GU10 will save 85% in electricity costs and a return on investment within a year. 

  

We are currently selling Integral LED GU10s at just £3.90 per bulb which, at the time of publishing is cheaper than all of our competitors. 

To make a purchase or for any more information on this or any other LED lamp call the office on 0118 950 7125 or visit http://theledspecialist.co.uk/index.php/led-light-bulbs/led-gu10/integral-led-gu10-5-5w-non-dimmable-3000k.html

UK Government Minster Explains Why The Government Are Backing Lighting

Business and energy minister Michael Fallon speaks to Lux about why the government is getting behind the lighting industry and the LIA's strategy.

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 Unveils New LEDspot Value Lamp

The new range of Master LEDspot Value lamps combines quality, value and lifetime, offering high quality at affordable prices. The first lamp from this range to go on sale is the Master LEDspot Value GU10 pictured below.

Master Value lamps offer desirable payback times without compromising the quality and performance of the Philips Master range. GU10 lamps are available in 4.5 watt, acting as a replacement to a 35 watt lamp and 5.3 watts, acting as a replacement to a 50w lamp. Features of the Master Value GU10 include; dimming capabilities, Eco Design DIM2 compliance, 36 degree beam angle, 25,000 hours lamp life and best energy consumption.

These retrofit lamps are ideal for application in hotels, restaurants, bars and even in the home.     

       

Wattage	Colour Temp	Beam Angle	Lifetime	Lumens	Dimmable
4.5 watts	2700k	36°	25,000 hours	305	Yes
	3000k			305
	4000k			335
5.3 watts	2700k	36°	25,000 hours	355	Yes
	3000k			355
	4000k			390

To make a purchase or for more information about LED lighting call the office on 0118 950 7125 to speak to a member of The LED Specialist team

Enec+ Lighting Performance Mark

Enec+ is a European wide lighting performance certification for both traditional and LED luminaires. Products emblazoned with the Enec+ will be fully traceable through the online database. The Enec+ online database lists all certified products; these can be searched for using product codes, descriptions, and characteristics.

Enec+ is based on the Enec mark which has been in existence for over 20 years. Enec is a pan European mark of quality and safety. LightingEurope predict that the complimentary Enec+ mark will provide an objective basis for fair comparison of the initial performance of LED based luminaires. The Enec+ scheme is voluntary and only Enec-safety certified products are eligible for the Enec+ mark.

The Enec+ scheme is based on an evolution model and consequently allows room for technological and legislative advancements. At present the scheme covers LED’s performance in terms of their stated lifetime, market demand and technological progress. In the future the scheme may be expanded to include a number of other aspects including eco-design and over-time performance.

The European Electrical Products Certification Association (EEPCA) collaborated with LightingEurope to create Enec+. It is hoped that the Enec+ mark will validate manufacturer’s claims regarding the long term benefits and performance of new LED and existing traditional lighting technology.

It is hoped that the mark will significantly reduce costs for manufacturers as there is no need for repeated product tests against varying qualification rules included in most calls for tender. 

The LED Specialist's End of The Month Offer

More from Philips' Spring Collection: CoreLine Wall-mounted LED Luminaire

Philips CoreLine LED 

Philips' CoreLine Wall Mounted is the clear choice for LED lighting. Whether for a new building or renovation of an existing space, customers want lighting solutions that provide quality of light and substantial energy and maintenance savings. The new CoreLine Wall-mounted range of LED products can be used to replace traditional wall-mounted luminaires incorporating compact fluorescent lamps. The process of selecting, installing and maintaining is so easy – it’s a simple switch.

Benefits:
• Up to 55% energy savings compared with luminaires with PL-C
lamps
• Direct replacement for traditional wall-mounted luminaires
• Complete range covering all application requirements in one product
(light levels, IP65, IK10, certified emergency lighting, built-in controls)

Features:

• Unobtrusive design

• Three lumen packages replacing traditional wall-mounted luminaires

with 1x18 W / 2x18 W / 2x26 W PL-C

• Water- and vandal-proof as standard

• Phase-cut dimming as standard

• Frosted diffuser ensuring homogeneous light effect and visual

comfort

• Optional emergency lighting

• Optional on/off movement detection or programmed 100%-10%-0%

corridor dimming functionality

Application:

• Corridors

• Staircases

• Public entrance areas

• Bathrooms

• Emergency exits

• Parking garages

• Outdoor safety lighting

A Guide To The Specification of LED Lighting Products- Part 4 of 4

Luminaire Manufacturers Design Data


When evaluating LED luminaire performance claims it is important to compare a standardised set of quality criteria measured in compliance with the appropriate standard. 

Luminaire Manufacturers Design Data

These quality criteria are designed to ensure that performance claims can be matched

against traceable data.

This data is summarised below:

    1) Rated input power (in W)

    2) Rated luminous flux (in lm)

     3) LED luminaire efficacy (in lm/W)

    4) Luminous intensity distribution

    5) Photometric code

        5a) Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT in K)

        5b) Rated Colour Rendering Index (CRI)

        5c) Rated chromaticity co-ordinate values (initial and maintained)

        5d) Maintained Luminous Flux

    6) Rated life (in h) of the LED module and the associated rated lumen maintenance (Lx)

    7) Failure fraction (Fy), corresponding to the rated life of the LED module in the luminaire

    8) Ambient temperature (ta) luminaire

    9) Power Factor

    10) Intensity Distribution

    11) Drive Current

    12) Optical Risk

Product Types; Safety Standards and Performance Standards

Product Type	Safety Standard	Performance Standard
Self-ballasted LED lamps for general lighting services >50v	IEC 62560 Edition 1Publication expected 2010	IEC 62612/PAS Publicly Available Specification
Control gear for LED modules	IEC 61347-2-13 Published 2006	IEC 62384 Published 2006
LED modules for general lighting	IEC 62031 Edition 1 Publication 2008	IEC/PAS 62717 Published 2011
LED luminaires	IEC 60598-1	IEC/PAS 62722-2-1 Ed. 1: Luminaire performance – Part 2-1: Particular requirements for LED
LEDs and LED modules	ICE TS 62504 Terms and Definitions for LEDs and LED modules in general lighting
CIE technical committees	TC2-46 CIE/ISO Standards on LED intensity measurements
	TC2-50 Measurement of the optical properties of LED clusters and arrays
	TC2-58 Measurement of LED radiance and luminance
	TC2-63 Optical measurement of High-Power LEDs
	TC2-64 High speed testing methods for LEDs

A Guide To The Specification of LED Lighting Products- Part 3 of 4

Quality Criteria

The IEC has developed a list of performance requirements for both LED modules and LED luminaires. These provide a set of quality criteria related to the initial specifications of a product and a standardised description on how to measure these quality criteria. 


Following this proposed criteria allows you to easily compare manufacturers claims of initial specifications of LED modules and luminaires. 

Quality Criteria- Rated Input Power

The rated input power shows the amount of energy consumed by a luminaire, including its power supply. 


It is expressed in watts.

Quality Criteria- Rated Luminous Flux

This is the light emitted by the luminaire which is expressed in lumens.

For traditional luminaires it is usual that Relative values are measured and multiplied by the lamp flux. 

For LED luminaires it is recommended that Absolute photometric values are used. Absolute photometry results in a LOR=1.

Quality Criteria- Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT)

Although white light is a mixture of colours, not all whites are the same since they depend on their constituent colours. 

So a white with a higher proportion of red will appear warmer and a white with a higher proportion of blue will appear cooler. 

In order to classify the different types of white light, the concept of colour temperature is applied which is described as the colour impression of a perfect black-body radiator at certain temperatures. 

This concept can be best explained with the help of familiar thermal radiators like the filament of an incandescent lamp or an iron bar.

When these materials are heated to a temperature of 1000k their colour appearance will be red, at 2000-3000k they will look yellow white, at 4000k neutral white and at 5000-7000k cool white. 

The higher the colour temperature, the cooler the perception of the white light becomes.

It is expressed in kelvin.

The initial CCT value classification for the photometric code can be obtained by taking the initial CCT value divided by 100. 

Quality Criteria- Rated Colour Rendering Index (CRI)

Although light source may have the same colour appearance, this doesn’t necessarily mean that coloured surfaces will look the same under them.

Two lights that seem to have the same white colour appearance may be the result of different blends of wavelengths. 

As a result a given material may appear differently since the surface may not reflect the constituent wavelengths by the same extent. 

Its colour appearance will change when it is exposed to one or other light. So, colour rendering is an important criterion when selecting light sources for lighting application solutions. 

With new LED technology coming in, with a narrow spectrum, the CRI index is not in all circumstances giving a fair representation of the colour appearance. 

New definitions and methods for measuring are currently under development in CIE.

The initial CRI value classification for the photometric code can be obtained by using the following intervals:

Code	CRI Range	Colour Rendering Properties
6	57-66	Poor
7	67-76	Moderate
8	77-86	Good
9	87-100	Excellent

Quality Criteria- Lumen Maintenance Code

As the typical life of a LED luminaire is very long, it is time-consuming to measure the actual lumen reduction over life. 

Also the actual LED behaviour with regard to lumen-maintenance may differ considerably by type and manufacturer.

It is not possible to express the lumen-maintenance of all LEDs in simple mathematical relations. A fast initial decrease in lumen output does not automatically imply that a particular LED will not make its rated life. 

In order to validate a life time claim an extrapolation of test data is needed. In the IEC a general method of projecting measurement data beyond limited test time is under consideration. 

Quality Control- Lumen Maintenance Code

In the US an extrapolation based on LM-80 test data be described in IES TM-21. Instead of life time validation, the IEC/PAS has opted for lumen maintenance codes at a defined finite test time. 

Therefore the code number does not imply a prediction of achievable life time. The maintained luminous flux is measured at 25% of rated life time up to a maximum of 6,000 hours and expressed as a percentage of the initial value.

The maintained value determines the lumen maintenance code.

Lumen Maintenance (%)	Code
>90	9
>80	8
>70	7

Quality Control- Photometric Code

A six digit photometric code that displays the important ‘quality of light’ parameters. 

Quality Control- Rated Life (in h) of the LED Module and the Associated Rated Lumen Maintenance

The length of time expressed in hours, during which a population of LED modules provides more than the claimed percentage (x) of the initial luminous flux always published in combination with the failure fraction. 

The recommended series of values for (x) is 70, 80, 90. 

Quality Control- Failure Fraction (Fy), corresponding to the rated life of the LED module in the luminaire

The percentage (y) of a number of LED modules of the same type at their rated life that have failed. 

This failure fraction expresses the combined effect of all componenets of a module including mechanical, as far as the light output is concerned.

The recommended series of values for (y) is 10,50. 

Quality Control- Ambient Temperature (ta) for a Luminaire

The ambient temperature around the luminaire related to the specified performance. 

For a given performance claim the ambient temperature (ta) is a fixed value. 

It is possible to specify performance claims at different ambient temperatures.

If the LED luminaire is to be used at an ambient temperature different to that at which it was tested, correction factors will need to be applied to the performance criteria. 

It is expressed in degrees Celsius.

Quality Control- Power Factor

The power factor should be clearly stated in all cases.

Although product standards may not require this below 26w, it should be noted that some clients, and in particular contractors and local authorities working with un-metered supplies, will require power factor correction of 0.85 or better. 

Quality Control- Intensity Distribution

Photometric data is available in two formats.

Absolute Photometry does not require the use of a separate lumen output for the light source. 

Relative Photometry requires the LED package flux to be quoted.

Both methods produce the same result. For LED luminaires Absolute photometry shall be used. 

Absolute photometry of LED luminaires should be conducted according to IES LM-79-08 Photometric Measurements of Solid-State Lighting Products.

Relative photometry should be conducted according to EN13032-1 (2004) Light and lighting Measurement and presentation of photometric data of lamps and luminaires- Part1: Measurement and file format.

These standards contain advice on measurement uncertainty. 

Photometric results that are calculated by deviation from the tested sample by the use, for example of higher or lower drive currents or dies from bins other than the bin used for the tested device are to be clearly identified as such.

Correction factors used are to be provided with the results.

Quality Control- Drive Current

For proper operation, the power supply and electronics must provide a well-controlled DC drive current. Drive current affects LED operating temperature a thus life and output. 

Normally around 350mA is quoted but this can be higher. The higher the LED is driven the brighter it will be but it may have a shorter operation lifetime and be less efficient. Some of the new multi die LEDs are designed to operate and perform at higher drive currents.

Declaration of the drive current is important when remote drivers are used. 

Quality Control- Optical Risk

The Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010 apply to light emitted from all artificial light emitted from all artificial light sources including LEDs. 

These regulations require employers to protect the eyes and skin of workers from exposure to hazardous sources of artificial optical radiation.

Exposure limits defined in the standard EN-62471 are in European regulation (directive 2006/25/CE). These are a combination of source power and exposure time.

Exposure limits defined in the standard EN-62471 are in European regulation (directive 2006/25/CE). These are a combination of source power and exposure time.

When light sources are placed in a luminaire, the Risk Group classification can change due to the optics used in the luminaire. 

Risk Group 0	Exempt
Risk Group 1	Low
Risk Group 2	Moderate
Risk Group 3	High