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BSEE LIGHTING & ENERGY


As the popularity of LED lighting continues to grow, both the early adopters and those about to take the plunge will face an increasing


dilemma. It will concern building services professionals, specifiers and contractors across the municipal, healthcare, education, leisure and entertainment sectors, as well as those managing retail, office and industrial facilities. Michael Morrison, Sales Director, Light Efficient Design UK Limited, explains.


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MAKING LED LIGHTING PAY Balancing the switch from HID to LED


W


ith LED in the ascendancy, building services professionals need to carefully evaluate how


best to balance the switch from HID to LED with their ongoing maintenance and re-lamping strategies.


For optimum results, these must not only prove cost-effective and convenient, but future-proofed, as over time even the most reliable LED technology will require updating, despite a 50,000 hours lifetime allowing a healthy 8-12 years between re-lamping – although considerably shorter with low quality imports.


Out with HID ‘


Fortunately, as a steadily growing number of UK buildings services professionals will already know, there is a now well-proven alternative to ploughing on with total LED HID system upgrades. A retrofit approach can offer a more straightforward and lower cost upgrade path by simply allowing the replacement of HID lamps with the latest high quality LED solutions, whilst still retaining the existing light fittings. As they continue to increase and expand energy saving LED usage across their buildings facilities and the wider campus, professionals can therefore avoid incurring the additional costs and disruption associated with ‘all or nothing’ LED HID replacement solutions.


Not only can a


LED retrofit option eliminate the need to increase the utility service, thereby providing immediate cost savings, long term savings can be realised too, on the utility bill and from the reduced level of maintenance required.





uLED‐8030 140W retrofit high bay which replaces up to 400W HID lamps. For use in retail, industrial, and warehouse environments.


32 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER MARCH 2017


Replacing perfectly serviceable fittings and the undertaking of architectural re- design work are no longer a prerequisite. As well as enabling faster ROI, the concept of retrofitting also allows the flexibility for professionals to phase in the cost of conversion to LED as part of planned and budgeted ‘opex’ maintenance schedules. A typical concern contractors and installers have when presenting a new kind of solution is whether the products available can fit most applications. Good quality LED retrofit solutions are becoming increasingly available, Light Efficient Design, for example, has now


developed a product range to fit the most common types of fittings when replacing 50 – 1000 Watt discharge lamps. The company has also recently introduced the first range of 35 and 55 Watt SOX bayonet cap retrofits for replacing these increasingly hard to find lamps.


The growing availability of certified and warranted high quality product is therefore allowing the retrofit approach to become much more viable and for an increasingly diverse range of applications and


environments; from low bays and high bays for factory, warehouse, retail mall, hotel and office spaces, to post tops, bollards and wall packs for exterior floodlighting and walkways. Furthermore, as LED technology advances, services and environmental professionals will be able to leverage future improvements in energy savings and carbon reduction as retrofitting offers a flexible upgrade path from the old to the new.


Taking the retrofit approach entails assessing the wattage of each lamp to be replaced and selecting the appropriate LED lamp. The lamps are easy and fast to install; removing the existing lamp, bypassing the ballast (recommended) by wiring directly from the power to the lamp socket, and then connecting the new lamp.


The installation process takes about the same time as a typical HID re-lamping. For the specifier, be they in house or external, this simplicity of design also makes it quick and easy to arrange a trial installation or firsthand demonstration on the buildings premises.


Further benefits


One of the growing challenges faced by users and their contractors is in reducing the load on electrical systems, either to reduce electricity bills or to add more capacity to electrical systems to support expansion. Not only can a LED retrofit option eliminate the need to increase the utility service, thereby providing immediate cost savings, long term savings can be realised too, on the utility bill and from


uLED‐8090A 120W retrofit for low bay and floodlight installations. A unique one‐sided LED design allows a very high light output.


the reduced level of maintenance required.


There are also considerable labour savings when taking into account each HID lamp may require £200 – £250 in manpower to replace it over the life of the equivalent LED lamp. This is based on HID lamps having a typical life of only two years with less than 50% of light output, compared to LED lamps rated for 50,000 hours and at that time still retaining 70% of their light output. Simplifying the replacement of the light source from HID to LED can save up to 70% in energy costs. Additional savings will be achieved from the substantial reduction in temperature per lamp compared to HIDs which generate significant heat, often measuring 200ºC or more and therefore placing considerable stress on HVAC systems. Clearly, use of sensors and controls will allow even further reductions in energy consumption.


www.led-llc.com Food for thought


u Look for established manufacturers able to offer a full line of warrantied, fully tested LED HID retrofits with guaranteed lifecycles. There are many spurious luminosity claims made by cheaper alternatives.


u Check for the effectiveness of the lens for light distribution and prevention of discolouration as well as certifications such as CE and ROHS.


u Effective thermal management is critical to the performance of the LEDs and drivers. High wattage and enclosed applications will require solutions with built in active cooling to sustain operating temperatures and extend LED life.


u Installing complete LED fittings means there is no possibility of future upgrades. LED retrofit allows continuous upgrades as LED technology performance improves.


u Specify suppressors to protect against surges and spikes in cases of poor power supply quality.


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uLED‐8085 60W retrofit post top solution which mimics the shape of traditional HID lamps.


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