Types of Lighting Part 2

 LED ( light emitting diode )
 HID ( high intensity discharge )

 LED Lighting

LED (light emitting diode) lighting is the latest generation of lighting. Although LEDs have been around since the sixties they were very basic and could only be used as an electronic component. In more recent years they have been used mainly in gardens and as accent lighting due to their long life expectancy (usually 30,000 hours) and choice of colours. When LEDs are chosen in blue, red or green they provide a bright colourful light, the bigger the LED, the brighter the light tends to be. The main problem with LED lighting is when the colour white is required. Through reading this page you will have discovered that there are many different shades of white. Older versions of LED could not achieve the same clear crisp shade of white with the correct colour temperature of a halogen. They had a poor colour rendering index level (CRI) and were not very bright.

Recent advances in technology have seen LED lighting improve to the point were it has taken over from halogen and compact fluorescent in almost every way. They last 4x longer than compact fluorescent and 20x longer than halogen. Offering energy savings of 60% compared to compact fluorescent and 90% compared to halogen. For almost every incandescent or halogen lamp there is an LED solution.

The original problems such as poor colour rendering and insufficient brightness have been resolved with the arrival of high power LEDs. High power LEDs come in the form of the popular GU10 cap and can be a direct retrofit for halogen running directly from the mains.

Others types of high power LEDs are LED downlights, this new breed of downlight comes as a complete fitting; a 3x3W LED, an LED driver that only used 7.9W to power it and an aluminium downlight. LED downlights last between 30,000 and 75,000 hours, they are available in IP65 (water and dust resistant), fire rated and dimmable. The only problem with LEDs now is the price, but for a larger initial investment your lighting can last for 30 years (based on 6 hours per day use).  With the money saved in energy the payback period will be between 1 and 2 years depending on your circumstances and usage.

High Intensity Discharge lamps

High intensity discharge lamps are Metal Halide (HQI), Mercury (MBFU) and High Pressure Sodium (SON). These lamps are generally used in warehouses due to their long life expectancy and the lack of maintenance that they require. They are usually placed very high up in light fittings called low bays or high bays. This type of lamp is used in many out applications such as floodlights and amenity lights. They offer outstanding efficiency and long life, each type has its own distinct qualities: