Disclaimer: The information provided here is of a general nature. Ramin Communications is not recomending the specific products mentioned here and accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of information about specific products. Electricity is DANGEROUS and should not be treated lightly. Information on individual product packaging should be read carefully and understood before installation. The advice of qualified Electricians should be sought on specific requirements and installations.
Unlike CFLs, LED Lamps contain no mercury. For more on Fluorescent lamps and mercury, see end-of-life management and Mercury in Fish .
LED Lighting becomes main streamThe lifespan and low energy use of LED lighting makes a compelling case, to at least consider, LED direct replacements for Halogen, Incandescent, CFL and T5/T8 Fluorescent Tubes. Innovative use of LEDs has lead to new kinds of lighting, mobile and promotional products. LEDs are available in 5metre flexible strips, and have found applications for Street, Tunnel, Flood, Underwater, Ground, Safety, Security and Emergency Lighting, where energy efficiency means longer lasting lighting from emergency and backup power supplies.
The examples of LED lighting which can be seen in the new Cafe include an emergency exit sign, downlights, conventional B22/E27 pendant, uplighting and a panel.
The Gardener's Lodge Cafe, Broadway, Chippendale was opened by the Lord Mayor Clover Moore on 1 December 2012. The LED Lighting was just one of the Enviro credentials of the building, iterated by Ms Moore.
LEDs in Incandescent Lamp FormsOn the 2nd January 2012, there was a range of Liquidleds LED Lamps on the shelves. The lamps resembled incandescent lamps in form. The E27 Clear White 3W (4.1WattAC) Dimable (shown) has 80LEDs and is rated at 360°rees; 180Lumen and 15000 hours, was priced at $24.95. They also carried candle and round E14 3W Lamps, with fewer LEDs, were priced around $18.
The replacement 2.3W lamp finally arrived and was put into the bollard 17 February 2012. On Sat 18 February 2012, The LiquidLED lamp was installed on a timer to come on for about 4 hours a day.
23rd December 2012: The hardware store carried a range of Osram Parathom(r) Lamps with Edison Screw (E27) and Bayonette (B22d) fittings.
The Parathom(r) Pro and Classic A 60, lamps are marketed as equivalent to a 50W Incandescent and rated at 650lm (lumens), 3000K (Warm White), 25000hours/10,000 on/off and dimmable - cost AU$30.
4W B22 and 6W B22d/E27 Mercury (Hg) free 1 Osram LED Lamps were also on the shelf at about AU$18. The 12W LED directional Lamp, replaced a 14W CFL in a ceiling pendant fitting. An Osram Parathom(r) Pro (E27 fitting) was installed in the Garden Bolard below, but the height and directional nature of the lamp made it a less suitable direct replacement.
The bright LED Lamps are however, ideal for bathrooms, where good lighting is required. This lamp was installed in mid January 2012.
24 December 2010:Following the success of the LED lighting, installed during the kitchen renovation circa 2008, it was with some anticipation that we traipsed off to the Eco Store to buy an edison screw base LED-LAMP in December 2010. The store had only two, one on display and one still in its box.
With an advertised lifetime of 25 Years at 3 Hours a day (27,375 hours) the convenience factor of LED lighting became a big draw card. The convenience factor, of not having to constantly change light bulbs, was the draw card for Compact fluorescent lamp whose lifespan of 10,000 hours was 8 to 15 times that of Incandescents (Wikipedia)
Installed the Liquid Led into the bollard.
The failed 2.3Watt lamp, appears not to have failed completely. It came on about one hour after the power was supplied to it.
Replacement lamp, installed mid february 2012 works erratically, as though it takes time to warm up.
Replacement Globe is delivered and installed in Garden Bollard (replacing the liquidleds lamp).
The replacement lamp, supplied on 2nd August, has failed after less than 5 months. This would indicate a design rather than unit flaw. Perhaps the direct replacement lamp approach is flawed - the heat dissipation of the step down from 240 to 15volts may continue to be problematic or too costly. The Todae store in Glebe, from where I purchased the lamp, is closed down. Todae has an online store. I have been in contact and forwarded receipt of purchase (23 December 2011) at their request - they explained they were busy over Christmas which could be impacting on a lack of response by 2nd January 2012.
The LED Light Globe, purchased for $30 and installed in December has failed. The retailer happily provided a replacement lamp, indicating the LED Lamps have a 12 month warranty. This is not really sufficient for a lamp advertised with a 25 year life span at 3 hours a day. The replacement lamp was installed on 2nd August 2011.
An alternative 3W LED lamp, now available, would not have provided the same energy efficiency.
The LED lamp will be installed in a bollard to provide path lighting on a light sensitive switch. This means, in Sydney, it will be on for about 7 hours at the Summer Solstice and 14 at the Winter Solstice, which will reduce the life expectancy of the LED lamp to around 8 years.
The 2.3W LED Lamp energy use is half the 5W Fluorescent (CFL) Lamp it replaced - which is half the energy use for the same hours of lighting.
The price of Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) has come down over the years and by 2010 they are available for about AUD6. With a life expectancy one third of the LED Globe, their equivalent cost would be only AUD18 so, the LED Globe at AUD30 is still about twice the price of the CFL. When you factor in convenience/labour costs for replacing it as well as the energy savings it is worth implementing a program to replace CFLs, as they fail, with LED Globe.
Light Sensor and Timers
Originally, the path lighting was controlled by a programmed timer. This had to be constantly reprogrammed as the days got shorter and longer. The installation of a light sensor switch eliminated this problem. It was a surprise to discover, when the light sensor failed after about 10 years service, that it had the programmable feature.
In the past, the idea of the programmable feature was to conserve energy by reducing the the window during which the light sensor would operate. The programming was done via the light sensor, with the device responding by flashing its LED (which had not failed after 10 years service). The complicated interface, which had never been adjusted, to save energy or extend the lifetime of the incandescent bulbs, has become even less necessary with the replacement of CFL lamps with LED Lamps.
A survey of a major Hardware chain, an Eco Store, an Electronic Store and specialist Lighting Store, in Sydney, on 2nd July 2011, revealed that Bright Light LED Direct Replacement Globes available on Amazon were not yet available on the shelves.
The specialist lighting store had examples of LED Tubes, and their catalog included a range of bright Edison Screw Globes, both of which they were willing to specially order in for a customer. They also had a LED Strip remote controlled color changing, cabinet lighting installed on their counter. The price quoted for LED Tubes was over AUD100 and AUD60 for a bright non-dimable Edison Screw Base Globe.
The eco store had two LED Edison screw base globes a 2.3W at AUD30, discussed below, and a 3.6W Eddison Screw Base globe at AUD20. These are suitable where low levels of lighting are sufficient. They specialist eco-store and hardware warehouse carried two pin low voltage LED downlight to replace Halogen lamps.
Direct comparisons can be difficult, but Amazon has LED (Fluorescent replacement) Tubes from USD35 and Eddison Screw Base Globes from $15. This indicates the price of these products should drop.
A 17 June 2011 Choice Article about the Philips Master LEDbulb MV 12W, comments - "The unusual design hints at technical challenges that must be overcome for LED bulbs to become a reliable equivalent to a 60W globe" and prices the bulb due for release in August at AUD60.
23 December 2011...12W Osram LED Lampsat AUD30
LED Light Fittings installed in Pavement Glebe (Sydney) 2 Jan 2012
LED Lighting is being manufactured into a wide variety of Products. With a life expectancy of 30,000 (3.4 years operating 24x7) to 50,000 hrs (5.7 years 24x7) they provide convenience.
For Street lighting 42W, 84W, 126W LED Lighting provides the equivalent of 100W, 200W, 300W Hi-press sodium lamps at less than half the energy (electricty use).
The safe range of light to avoid exposing the eye to potentially damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation is 2000 to 3500 K and greater than 500 nanometers...Am J Public Health. October 20, 2011:e1-e4. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300246
Compact Fluorescent Lamps and Fluorescent Tubes contain mercury. Pe...www.epa.gov
EPA-FDA Joint Federal Advisory for Mercury in Fish: "What You Need to Know About Mercury in Fish and Shellfish"...www.epa.gov
www.ramin.com.au/eco-sydney/LED-Lighting.shtml © Ramin Communications 2011. Last modified 28 August 2013.
