NEWLED

Selection of your lighting supplier and what to watch out for

Experience - In recent years, the number of companies dealing with LED technology has increased. Many companies for example purchase luminaires straight from a manufacturer in China and offer them on the European market as their own products. These start-ups usually make basic errors in lighting and repeated "experiments" on customers. We solved the problems that these "newcomers" currently have many years ago. Therefore, it is very important to invest in experienced professionals. In most cases, the correct choice of the supplier is dictated by the parameters listed below.

Quality - The quality of the lighting is an equally important part of the offer provided. When selecting high-efficiency lighting (high ratio of lm/W), the initial investment can be higher but the total return on investment is higher. When deciding on the price of a luminaire, it is necessary to include the future energy savings into the calculations. LED lights are supposed to serve for 10 years and more and it is necessary to count what such lighting can "earn" in this time.

Lighting project - Each suitable supplier of LED lighting should submit an elaborate lighting project for the required space along with the quotation. Quality LED lights can produce more efficient lighting and savings. It all depends on the correct design and the number of luminaires and their placement.

Consulting - An experienced supplier of LED luminaires can not only adapt the lighting project to the individual needs but they can also provide advice. Knowledge of basic standards is an essential part of a lighting technicians work.

Reported lighting parameters - Erroneous and misleading parameters for individual luminaires have started to appear more often on the market for LED technology. Whether intentionally or simply out of ignorance, some vendors show a much better performance for their products than they actually provide. Unfortunately, nowadays, the situation in some cases goes so far that you can find lights on the market with performance levels that are far from realistic. Claims from traders eager for sales commissions often go far beyond the borders of "small untruths". For a layperson they can be convincing but it subsequently means a loss.

Certification - Lighting sold in the European union must have certification carried out by the notified body of the EU. In practice, this means that tests must be performed by a certification institute which is recorded in the European Commission list. Lighting imported from countries outside the EU often have a certificate from the manufacturer or a certification institute which is invalid in Europe.

Lifetime - Each luminaire with LED technology (including quality luminaires) loses luminous intensity over time but it never goes out at once. LED lighting suppliers are very happy to compete in placing the length of life of the product. The durability of LED luminaires must be precisely specified. It concerns the ratio of the luminosity of the product over time and its luminosity at the beginning. For example, L70 = 60,000 hours means that after 60 thousand hours the lamp will have a minimum of 70% of the original luminance values. A frequent error in calculations of many manufacturers is that they disregard higher temperature of the lamp which rapidly reduces the LED lifetime.

Guarantee - An investor should consider not only the length of guarantee but also what company the guarantee comes from. If it is from a company developed quickly and acting in the market for LED technology for example for only one year, then the company may disappear just as quickly as it was founded and the investor loses the guarantee (and possible repairs).