Light Emitting Diodes - what the heck are they?  I remember having a mate with an LED watch in the 70's - horrid little thing that we all thought was so cool with its red numbers that you could hardly read.  So what has that got to with Lighting?

Well in 30 years there may well only be LED lighting so I figure this is one area that needs clarifying in my usual style.

Discovered in the early 1900's but not developed commercially until the 1960's (when the only colour was red) LED's are now being developed to meet all of the lighting demands you can think of.

They simply do not come close to replicating the light output of the standard 35W and 50W halogen that we all have in our kitchens and bathrooms these days.  Some of them are ok - the 1.7W and 2W versions shown above are truly horrid - don't get me wrong I love the idea of them - the energy savings are massive - I'd just like to be able to see my way across the room when they are on!

Now here we have a 5W lamp that is not just a replacement for a 50w halogen - it is actually better in terms of colour and light output offering warm white if you really want that sort of thing and daylight (colour 6500) for the retail sector.  It saves 90% of the energy the halogen lamp consumes - and it will last for at least 30,000 hours.

Downside - it is the size of a Volkswagen Golf - no I am joking!  No really, it is a true fit lamp exactly the same size as that quick to burn out, dangerously hot, energy intensive halogen lamp you are going to stop buying - aren't you?

These are all 10W units which will achieve around 45 Lumens per Watt in line with the new Part L Regulations.  I can assist in design, specification and procurement of these fittings for the best prices outside the factory!

One of the most exciting developments for me recently has been in LED lo-bay downlighters to replace 250W and even 400W SON and Metal Halide fittings in warehouses, factories and - wait for it - COLD STORES!  I highlight the latter because this is one type of property I survey regularly and throw my hands up at the number of fittings simply left ON 24/7.

For example, I surveyed a well known frozen seafood company's factory and store in Fraserburgh a couple of years ago over 40 SON 250W downlighters operating round the clock all year round accounting for 11.5kWh of constant fixed electrical demand.  The company were not being irresponsible, they simply knew that these fittings could not be switched on and off quickly and therefore it was better to leave them permanently ON.

This is endemic in the industry - when I was in Trinidad last year for the major supermarket company I surveyed their Cold Storage depot serving the entire island and found more than 130 SON downlighters attributable for 46kW of standing load 24/7 for the same reasons.

The fitting shown below is a true replacement for these units but with several major benefits beyond mere energy savings!

                                       Typical Cold Store Situation                          144W LED Cold Store Down-lighter

Trust me when I tell you that these fittings are beyond mere replacements.  They more than replicate the light output of the heavy SON and Metal halide fittings, but importantly, they are instantly switchable at full output which means that suddenly cold store owners / operators can make massive savings by introducing occupancy controls to their stores.  The supermarket facility described above would save more than 25kW every hour 365 days a year which amounts to 219,000kWh a year. 

Now sadly in Trinidad electricity is way cheap and so this saving is only worth around £5,500 but the same energy saving in the UK would be worth at least £17,000 and in most cases far more.

The LED fittings are not cheap but they do offer really serious energy savings and would be eligible for the Carbon Trust's interest free loan which should make them affordable to any business.