Sparks Electrical News August 2019

LIGHTING

21

CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS OF LEDs

This is vital information that lighting suppliers should communicate to their customers in order to create the correct expectation and avoid confusion. In light of the above, it is important to offer customers good quality light fittings with longer, reliable warrantees to avoid frequent replacement. There are many inexpensive light fittings and lamps in the market that only carry a one year warranty, and for that reason it would be a good option rather to buy something a bit more expensive that you know is going to have a longer life. Spazio Lighting endeavours to supply all products with a five year warranty in the near future.

emit sufcient light. The warranty of the fitting will also often correspond with the life expectancy on the box. For example, if you buy a GU10 LED lamp with a life expectancy of 25 000 hours, the lamp will, in most cases, have a two year warranty. This means that the supplier guarantees that the lamp will operate at its full capacity for two years, after which you will probably start experiencing light loss or chip failure. If you require a fitting that will last longer, it would be best to look for something with a 50 000 hours life expectancy, accompanied by a five year warranty. The significance of this has to be taken in account especially where integrated chips are supplied with the fittings because the whole fitting will have to be replaced and not just the simple lamp source.

SPAZIO LIGHTING recently embarked on an aware- ness campaign to inform customers and profes- sionals that even LED light fittings and lamps have a life span, regardless of what the common belief is. Consumers and professional consultants are of- ten under the false impression that an LED power source is an endless supply of light and will never have to be replaced. This is not the case. An LED chip has a life span, however, it is longer than most of the older technologies. When buying an LED light fitting, or an LED lamp, you will find the life expectancy of the fitting on the packaging. This will give you an indication of how long the LED power source is expected to operate at full capacity until the LED chip will either fail, or cease to LEONARDO SHINES BRIGHTER AT ABOUT 10% OF THE RUNNING COST T he Leonardo, Sandton’s newest skyscraper, is rapidly approaching completion. When fin- ished, it will be Africa’s tallest building. Home to residential, commercial (both ofce space and re- tail), and a Legacy hotel, The Leonardo is considered South Africa’s icon of prosperity. As such, fittings throughout the building have been selected to meet the highest expectations of luxury, quality and innovation. Major Tech, a specialist importer of lighting, electrical products, switches and sockets, gives some insight into this element of the construction process, as well as the scope in a project of this size. Rhodam Evans, Veti Product Manager at Major Tech, says the building will likely house in excess of 10 km of strip lighting on completion. The company has to date supplied 6.5 km of the strip lighting, over 10 000 panel lights, and 500 star lights – and there are still 20 storeys that require fitment. In addition, the chosen lighting offers residents and businesses massive power savings and lighting automation – a feature unique in apartment buildings, says Evans. “Residents will have the option of controlling light settings via a smartphone or tablet,” he says. Major Tech has used AA-rated LEDs throughout the building. “We have gone completely green in this regard, which will provide a significant advantage to landlords, businesses, and residents,” says Evans. The lighting choices offer high lumen output and very low power consumption, and the strip lighting, for example, comes with a five-year warrantee. Having been on site for 18 months, Major Tech has supplied the first 35 floors of the construction and provided contractors and engineers with professional advice and technical support where needed. The restaurant and its wine cellar, as well as the spa and gym are complete with linear lighting and automated LEDs, while commercial areas have been fitted with bright LED strips – drawing approximated 9 W per metre and providing up to 1 350 lumens per metre in output. Furthermore, all LEDs come with a five-year warranty. This contributes to the financial and environmental cost savings offered to landlords and residents of The Leonardo. “With the products we have selected, The Leonardo’s lighting needs will be met by roughly 10% of the power required by regular incandescent lightbulbs, with far superior quality, longevity and ease of use,” Evans concludes.

Enquirie: +27 (0)11 555 5555

Enquiries: www.major-tech.com

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

AUGUST 2019