LED Lighting

Why use LED Lights ?

Firstly, there was the incandescent Lamp then the Fluorescent tube then the Compact fluorescent tube ( CFL ) then the Low Voltage Halogen Lamp which was driven by a transformer. Finally a few years ago a new source of light came out, which was the use of LED in Light fittings. It has been an excellent concept both here in Australia and around the world. LED Lights have come at a great time, where consumers are desperately looking for means to save electricity. What has attracted consumers to the technology is the Low power usage, long lasting Lamp and Light Output. The only problem was the high cost of purchasing LED lights. Well just to inform you, we are at a point where prices have become so affordable, most homes and industry are starting to use LEDs

Who Makes LED Lights ?

Well, almost every Tom, Dick and Harry. Like any other product that surges onto the market and earns millions of dollars in sales , manufacturers become very keen to showcase themselves as being a Lighting Manufacturer of LED lights and a leader in the area. However these manufacturers fall way short of customer expectations. In Australia, we can mention here a few Australian companies that are Lighting manufacturers and have been around for a while.

• Pierlite Professional Lighting Solutions
• Crompton Lighting
• Sylvania Lighting Australasia
• Sunny Lighting
• Domus Lighting
  
  

Of Course there are others, but this gives you an idea

Who Makes LED Chips ?

Lighting Manufacturers purchase LED Chips and install them in their LED light Fittings, such as LED fixed downlights, recessed gimble LED downlights, high bay LED, Shopfitter LED and other light fittings. There are so many cheap and no name chips out there that do not have test reports or approvals. These generally go into the low end LED Lights. The reputable manufacturers will generally use the following Chips:

• Nichia
• Cree
• Bridgelux
• Epistar
• Samsung

I Wouldn't have a Clue How To Pick A LED Light

Well, firstly you need to like the way the light fitting is styled, if that's OK , you then need to look at the following:

1 Who makes the light

It is important to know that the company has been around for a while manufacturing LED lights, this way if you have installed so many lights and something goes wrong, you have a company that can support the problem. Also they will have a warranty period and Australian Approvals. Warranty is generally about 3 years

2 Total Power Consumption

Generally speaking most Light fittings out there are in the form of 50 Watt Low Voltage Down lights. You can get a 13 Watt LED Down light that produces the same light output to replace it. This means your reducing your energy bill down approximately 70 %, which is what you want

3 Type of Chip Used

You need to ask what type of Chip is used in the fitting. These are some of the well known brands

• Nichia
• Cree
• Bridgelux
• Epistar
• Samsung

4 LED Lamp Life

Over 50, 000 hours or 3 year warranty in domestic use is generally a good period

5 Lumen Output

Lumen output is very important, it is the amount of light that the LED produces. Generally around 700 Lumen is ideal to replace the average light in a home

Can I just get LED Lights from Overseas ?

Yes, You Can, Providing you have a good understanding in Electronics and Lighting engineering. You also need to consider the following:

1. The Supplier is telling you the truth, about the specifications of the LED Light. At times they will tell you all the things you want to hear, and our excitement takes over because we want to believe it to save 100's of dollars
2. The Supplier is actually a supplier and not a broker that sells anything he can get his hands on
3. The factory guarantees the LED Lights against poor workmanship and materials ( normally they say yes, they will for 3 -5 years and when the product arrives faulty, they say they will do it better next time )
4. The LED Light and the Driver have Australian Approvals so they can be used in Australia ( Insurance companies won't honour claims where products are not SAA approved )
5. You take out a products Liability Policy (incase the product fails and damages property or injures someone )
6. Lumen Output and Power consumption have been certified by an approved Testing Lab
7. The LED light is compatible with C bus, Dynalite and other Australian systems and Dimmers

Still Not Sure About LED Lights

If you had a skin rash and your next door neighbour was a Tiler, I'm sure you would not get his advice. The best person to speak to is an experienced electrician, he will be able to check what is currently there and what needs to be done to replace it. It is a good idea to take it a step at a time. Don't spend a lot of money and have yourself worried silly about it. Firstly choose a light that you like, and have it installed in one room, this will give you an idea of how it will look and how much light it will produce. Then if you are happy with that, you can get some ideas from your electrician on how to UP or DOWN or Adjust the rest of the lights. LED lighting is so cool, it will do miracles in any house, office and buildings, Wait till you install it.