Sparks Electrical News March 2022

LIGHTING

12

SHEDDING LIGHT WITH PHILIP HAMMOND

Introducing the new Antley Monate LED Post Top

The role light plays in our lives cannot be underestimated

um spigot base, aluminium reflector, high impact acrylic conical diffuser, high impact glass impregnated nylon top cover and stainless-steel external screws ensures a quality product for use in residential areas, shopping mall parking lots, car parks, pedestrian walkways and public areas to maintain or increase the modern architectural design of existing or new developments. The IP66 in- gress protection gives the Monate added peace of mind with its excellent dust and water protection, and the in- clusion of a 10 kV/10 kA surge protector keeps the fitting protected against unforeseen power spikes. Antley Lights (Pty) Ltd is a B-BBEE Company, 51% Black owned and 100% owned by South African citizens. Antley Lights was established in January 2020. Its prod- uct range includes steel poles, high masts, street lighting, flood lighting, urban lighting, commercial lighting and industrial lighting. These ranges of high-quality lighting products use the latest lighting technologies available at the most affordable prices to provide creative and cost- effective lighting solutions to the market. Antley Light’s products have been specifically designed and selected to fulfil the requirements of the harsh African climate, and have been used extensively in infrastructure pro- jects such as highways, main roads, residential streets, high mast area lighting, stadium and sports lighting, urban lighting, commercial, industrial and energy efficiency projects. formance and serviceability. The Olympia Pro is a 114 W, 21 880 lumen LED with 90-degree optics which ensures light is controlled and focused on the key areas on both the horizontal and vertical planes. The colour rendering of 5700 K comple- ments the signage and ensures maximum visibility from a distance to attract passing customers. Other featured luminaires for SWIFT were the follow- ing: • Istria: Side entry 48 W 4000 K on a 5 m mounting height pole. • Iris bollard 16 W 4000 K. • Serengeti up/down wall light 25 W 220 V 4000 K. • Sputnik trunion mounted 38 W 3000 K. Enquiries: info@antley.co.za

I hope that the year has started well for our readers. We have certainly experienced a considerable improvement in the number of new projects awarded to BHA Lighting. BHA School of Lighting has also had a num- ber of new student enrolments, more than usual for this time of year. You may have thought that my criticism of the state of lighting knowledge and the standard of lighting design in South Africa was too harsh. Well, unfortunately, that is my honest opinion after more than 50 years of experience. With that said, I now aim to con- tribute knowledge to the readers and to ad- dress the problems identified in the February edition of Shedding Light. We are busy setting up a YouTube channel where readers will be able to access record- ings of webinars that I have presented, all of which contribute valuable knowledge on a variety of lighting subjects. You will now ben- efit from the content from our Foundation Lighting course which is the first level basic content for newcomers to lighting as well as those who have been in the field of lighting for a number of years. We all need light to see to perform tasks, which can vary from simply walking along a passage to carrying out repairs on min- ute components in an instrument such as a watch. It is obvious that more light is needed for the latter than the former because of the size of the objects that need to be seen and processed. It is not obvious how much light is needed for each task, the direction from which the light must come, the composition of the light source and restrictions on the amount of glare which can be tolerated both from the light source and that reflected from the work surface. This will be discussed in future editions. The role light plays in our lives cannot be underestimated. It has visual as well as non- visual effects on humans as well as all living creatures. It creates visual effects which can influence our perception and reaction to the spatial environment near and around us. It enables us to see detail, to perceive colour, to follow sport with ease, to follow the ball in a fast-moving sport, to adjust to various light conditions. We usually are not always aware of these psychological effects except when specifically viewing a scene in nature, a piece of sculpture or architecture, or a set in a theatrical production. However, the visual conditions under which we work, relax, play or even move can have a great effect on our moods, reactions and psychological well-being. Light is indeed the trigger of our emotional experiences. Light or the complete absence of light is required to control our body clocks. The body clocks turn on and off the production of different hormones in the body. We are

not able to function properly without the production of these hormones. One hor- mone that is produced in low light or in the absence of light at night when we sleep, is Melatonin which is our own cancer fighting mechanism. It supports our immune system, is an anti-oxidant and anti-ageing hormone. To achieve the correct daily dosage, we need to have seven to eight hours of quality sleep. Students on our Advanced Diploma course study this in great detail. As this series progresses, readers will learn about the lighting requirements for our workplace for both safety and productivity. They will be given recommendations on how to make lighting contribute to the quality of our lives physiologically and psychologically. The science and art of lighting will depend on the adaptability of the eye to function with reasonable efficiency over a very wide range of conditions. It is important, therefore, that we have some knowledge of how the eye works and how the information collected by the eye is interpreted by the brain. The eye is often compared to a camera although the analogy is not 100% correct; it aids understanding. There is a lens at the front which is adjusted according to the amount of light passing through it. There are receptors on the retina at the rear on which the image is formed. However, it is important to appreciate that the theory of perception involves other functions of the body on or- der to understand the effect of vision in our everyday lives. The eye itself is merely the organ which transmits visual data to the brain where it must be interpreted against a database which we have built up over time. The eye is able to see an entire kaleidoscope of light, shade and colour but it is the brain behind the eye which will decide what is to be rec- ognised and what must be rejected. The optical system of the eye is gener- ally well known and details of its construc- tion and the part each component plays in the process of seeing is available in many publications in print and online which deal with light and lighting. The function of the brain as a visual computer is unfortunately vaguely interpreted and much of it is pure speculation. Nevertheless, we do have some knowledge of how certain factors such as in- tensity and colour react in the mind of most people and it is this information which will be used to explain the effect of light on our lives in the April edition of Shedding Light in Sparks Electrical News . I am prepared to assist any of the readers and give basic advice about lighting to mini- mise their risk of non-compliance. Stay safe and keep well.

C ombining diligent research and development, the latest in LED technology and a 99.98% polished high purity, anodised, aluminium indirect reflector, the Monate gives you pleasant, low glare light with unparalleled performance while creating eye pleasing area ambiance. The construction of a high pressure, diecast alumini-

Lighting solution for new service station A frican Spirit, trading as SWIFT, approached Regent Lighting Solutions (RLS) to assist with the lighting of a new service station in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga. SWIFT is a new brand of service station which commenced trading in 2021.

Working closely with the SWIFT technical team, the forecourts of these service stations are designed to cre- ate an inviting and unique appearance. Regent provided a lighting solution to complement the brand identity of SWIFT. The impact of the lighting was critical as with a new brand differentiation is an important factor. The Olympia Pro was selected for the under-canopy illumination and is locally manufactured and designed to meet the extreme environmental conditions on the African continent. Factors considered in the selection of this fitting included energy efficiency, reliability, high per-

Enquiries: www.regentlight.co.za

Enquiries: www.bhaschooloflighting.co.za

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

MARCH 2022