HOW TO CHOOSE RIGHT
MODERN LED LIGHTING
FOR YOUR COMPANY AND DON'T GET BURNED
We are still registering a relatively large number of potential customers who are thinking about replacing lighting with modern LED lights, but they are based on insufficient erudition of themselves and a number of sellers, many myths and half-truths. Therefore, no matter who you decide to buy from, you should know that:
"We want a piece-for-piece replacement"
is often one of the variants considered, but it is only suitable where the current positions of the light fixtures are fully suitable for the situation when the original fixtures are replaced by LED lights, which have many times higher efficiency and better light dispersion. At the same time, also when the condition of the cabling corresponds to the current requirements of the standards.
By exchanging piece-for-piece, you close the possibility of saving often even half of the planned number of lights, the possibility of using intelligent control (whether movement or light increment). Furthermore, there is no guarantee that uneven light coverage will not occur.
The advantage of lower acquisition costs when replacing lighting piece by piece, so often very soon it will take...
That is why our offers also include a piece-for-piece exchange option, which we compare with optimized versions and you can make a decision based on accurate data.
"I don't need a technical lighting calculation..."
"...your competition made us an offer without any calculations and without them being ever here and they made it within a day."
Yes, this also happens, but the lighting modernization proposal should work with the current situation, the positions of technology, it should show the potential of the control installation, take into account the needs of the operation for locally different lighting conditionds, and this is impossible without projection.
Therefore, every serious supplier of industrial lighting works on the basis of a simulation of a lighting technical calculation in the order to meet the requirements of ČSN for illuminance, uniformity, glare and above all, to meet the requirements and needs of the customer given the nature of his activity.
We do not want to be the cheapest, but we want to be the best and provide you with a truly functional unit, which is why a lighting-technical calculation is standard for every variant of the solution we offer.
"Whiter light shines brighter,
so give us the lights in very white ...," many customers say. The color of the LED light is defined by the so-called chromaticity temperature, given in Kelvin (K). The colder ("whiter") the color of the light, the higher the value Kelvin in the configuration light fixtures.
However, substantiated scientific studies say that the human brain most naturally perceives light with a temperature close to daylight, which is slightly above 4000 K depending on the measurement location. You will create the best working conditions for your employees if you choose LED lights with a chromatic temperature of 4000 K, maximum 5000 K for artificial lighting. A correctly chosen color of light has a significant impact on the fatigue of your employees, their concentration and error rate.
Another safety factor - UGR - glare goes hand with the increasing chromatic temperature.
Our project managers will be happy to show you the difference in the color of the light on real samples of the offered LED lights.
Not only warranty, price and power
When choosing the right fixture, it is necessary to consider not only the factor of price, power consumption and warranty, but also the following parameters:
- The material and optics of the light fixture significantly affect passive cooling and the ability to direct the light beam
- Efficiency - (lm/W) - how many lumens the lights is able to create from one Watt (130-230 lm/W)
- L80 or L70 factor, i.e. in how many hours of operation will the light lose 20% (L80) or 30% (L70) of its power
- Ambient temperature and cooling - most common LEDs are suitable for ambient temperatures of up to 55°C, do not underestimate the lighting solution, its significantly affects its lifespan
- UGR - glare factor, this is an important element of health and safety, when inappropriately chosen lighting fixtures can dazzle and thus be the cause of injury or accidents
- IP and IK - resistance to liquids, mechanical impurities and to mechanical damage
- CRI - color rendering index, at least a CRI value of 80 is recommended
"...and how much does one of your LED lights cost?"
This classic query is completely irrelevant. It can be compared to the question "...and how much does a car cost?" The price for one LED light is really misleading.
Let's imagine a situation where we have a typical replacement for a 400W discharge lamp in front of us.
The first variant will be a Chinese LED light, UFO design with 250W power input and 130lm/W efficiency (luminous flux 32,500lm), with L 80 50,000 hours. The selling price will be around 3,900 CZK without VAT.
The second variant will be a light from EU production, with an input of 180W, an efficiency of 190lm/W (luminous flux 34,200lm), at L80 100,000h +. The selling price is then at the level of 8,000 CZK without VAT.
But the EU light has twice the lifespan, with a 28% lower power consumption it gives 6% more light, which makes it possible to use smaller amount of lights and that way to save more money. What is the relevance of the price assessment for 1 pc of LED light? None, the point is to compare the return on investment and the total lifetime.
"our lighting costs are small, we don't deal with them..."
Especially in the earlier period when the price of energy was at its long-term low, this argument was a relatively common myth.
Do you know how much lighting costs you? We will provide you with the exact data in our free analysis but for your idea...
In the 3-shift mode/ 5 days a week/ price 1kWh for 6 CZK without VAT, it will cost you annually (without maintenance costs, replacement of the source,..) lighting one light as follows:
1 pc of discharge lamp 400W: 14,688 CZK / year
1 pc of discharge lamp 200W: 9,180 CZK / year
1 pc of fluorescent lamp 2x 58W: 4,259 CZK / year
1 pc of fluorescent lamp 2x 36W: 2,643 CZK / year
Isn't it really worth reducing there costs by up to 80%?
"we don't want lighting control, it's not worth it..."
Here is another typical myth born of ignorance, misunderstanding or the efforts of lighting sellers to sell what they have in stock.
If we take into account the fact that the LED light will reduce the electricity consumption by at least 60%, then the control will easily cut another half of the remaining input power.
How can the control do that? Most often, it is movement control (see the video on the left), where the lights automatically respond to traffic, which is the trend in storage and logistics today. Another option is to control the lights with regard to the increase in light from outside, i.e. most often from windows and skylights, when modern LED lights regulate their output according to the current lighting situation.
The benefit of lighting control is most often seen in the context of increasing the purchase price of the implementation of lighting modernization. It has a payback of around 2 years, and in the following years of its life, in only saves your finances. You don't believe it? We will convince you with both calculations and our references.
"LEDs don't fit in our foundry because of the temperatures..."
Yes, common industrial LED lights offered in e-shops are indeed designed for use at ambient temperatures of 45-55 °C. However, LEDprojekty.cz can boast a number of installations in significantly more demanding conditions.
These are installations in foundry operations, where the temperature under the roof in exposed areas reaches long-term temperatures of around 70 °C or in the food industry, especially in the bakeries and meat processing plants, where in practice shock loads occur in ovens or smokehouses and the temperature is even higher in the short term.
LEDprojekty is an industry specialist, therefore we can solve such complex spaces and we are able to support our proposals by visiting specific reference plants. We will also subject your specific conditions to temperature measurement in order to choose the right solution.
"We don't want China, we want quality..."
Perhaps the most classic myth in our field. Three factors pragmatically determine the quality of the lights, its parameters such as luminosity or lifespan:
1. Used LED chip, when there are only a handful of real LED chip manufactures in the world (SAMSUNG, OSRAM, CREE, LUMILEDS,..), whose products are shared by all lighting manufacturers at different quality levels
2. Source where the situation is similar to chips, again there are several global producers (MEANWELL, TRIDONIC, MOSO,..), whose products appear across the spectrum of LED light manufacturers.
3. The construction of the body, which determines the ability of passive cooling, resistance to the external environment and significantly affects the service life.
If these three main factors are qualitatively up to par, then the country of production (completion) affects the final product only by its own local labor price.
It doesn't end with lighing...
Time and practice have shown us that cooperation usually does not end with lighting - modernization of lighting, but the situation generates a number of other needs.
It is mostly a matter of changing the cabling, often not only due to changes in the positions of the light fixtures - the so-called light grid, but also due to the replacement of old aluminum distribution boards.
By changing the start-up curve (the LED lights up at full power practically immediately), the replacement of fuses in the switchboard or even the entire rearming to a state suitable for subsequent revisions is often on the agenda.
For these purposes, LEDprojekty has a sufficient team of technicians, whose number we are constantly expanding so that we are capable of providing a full range of services and fast reaction times.
"...it's very interesting, but we will include LED lights in the investments for next year."
We understand all corporate and investment processes, but always consider carefully whether to implement lighting modernization outside of the standard investment plan. Why?
The answer is very simple. With an average return of less than 2 years, which we achieve in 2022 - after the increase in energy prices, postponing the investment for a year means hundreds of thousands of your budget, which you will spend unnecessarily on electricity. The carbon footprint also goes hand in hand.
At LEDprojekty, we can also help with unplanned financing, within the framework of available subsidy programs, a state-supported interest-free loan, or in the form of leasing or installments, which we can tailor to your need so that the investment is financed from savings and direct investment is not necessary.
Our managers will also help with the presentation of the project to your management...