Industry Comment
The shape of things to come
Neil Wareham, Head of Southern Lighting Design Services and Solutions at electrical wholesaler, YESSS Electrical, discusses the latest lighting developments and how new products and trends will shape the industry.
O
ver the past decade, the biggest development in lighting has undoubtedly been LED. With LED
products now representing nearly 50% of new sales, this technology is becoming the first choice for consumers and installers. LEDs have been improving for years, but in the last decade, innovation has accelerated sharply, driven by the demands of general lighting and an increased focus on energy efficiency. Prices have fallen, capabilities are expanding and manufacturing is becoming increasingly efficient. As a result, the technology is far more accessible. In America, 2014 was a tipping point for
lighting. U.S. Department of Energy statistics revealed that around 49 million LEDs were installed in the U.S. in 2012 – saving about $675m p/a on energy costs. The UK looks set to follow, with energy costs a key driver. Lighting accounts for 20% of the world’s energy usage, while commercial usage accounts for more than 50%.
UK building regulations encourage energy
saving, with changes to Part L lighting regulations introduced last year requiring lighting efficiency calculations to be supplied as part of the approval process, lighting energy use to be metered throughout the building and the occupier to be provided with a strategy for ongoing improvement in energy performance. This is just one of many initiatives designed
to help reduce the UK’s energy usage and encourage efficiency.
New LED lighting can impact hugely on efficiency calculations, particularly when used as a replacement for commercial fluorescent lights. Although fluorescent is still an inexpensive option for retrofitting, fluorescent lamps operate best around room temperature. At much lower or higher temperatures, efficiency dramatically decreases.
www.ewnews.co.uk Where fluorescent lighting has largely been a
more affordable option, LED lighting can provide greater savings in the long run in terms of cost, environmental impact, energy consumption, and durability. With this in mind, it is no surprise that the
market is growing. And it is commercial LED lighting that is experiencing growth, with high output luminaries – which use the least possible energy – proving extremely popular.
understandably concerned by the cost and how quickly the products will pay for themselves and deliver a return on investment (ROI).
One way wholesalers, such as YESSS, are helping to educate installers on this is by providing cost of ownership calculations to help them work with customers to make informed decisions. There remains a need for further education
The early stages of LED saw low output lamps gradually develop into a technology that is suitable for all domestic and commercial use. We can now see examples of LED being used in settings from bathroom lighting to stadium lighting.
The cost effectiveness and long life span of
LED, coupled with growing availability across different categories and the improved aesthetic possibilities, makes LED highly desirable and with further improvements – such as the development of LED chips to produce more lumens per watt – this is likely to continue.
The biggest trend looks set to be the
replacement of existing older style fittings with new LED lighting, or an energy saving solution that delivers strong return on investment. Many commercial users would like to change to LED in order to save energy, but are
and we still find that some end users and contractors have a limited knowledge of LED lighting and its applications. This can lead to mis-selling, leaving some LED lighting products with a poor reputation they don’t deserve. Ensuring that electricians and contractors are up to date with the latest technologies and the products or solutions that are available, and are well equipped with a thorough and solid understanding of LED lighting, is paramount when helping customers to choose a suitable product. For example, it is not just about the actual lighting but the other complementary products that can make lighting more energy efficient, such as controls, daylight sensors and PIR sensors. Wholesalers in particular can provide a huge amount of support in this area, offering free seminars or training sessions and working with contractors to deliver a complete solution. In turn, contractors and installers should use
their knowledge and insight to ensure that customers are kept abreast of the long-term benefits of LED lighting to help them save money. As an industry, we must ensure that new
products and designs incorporate the necessary technologies to help save energy, whilst still maintaining high-quality performance, but as we like to say – it is not what lighting you use but how you use it!
www.yesss.co.uk September 2015 electrical wholesaler | 21
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