Energy saving

Did you know? about Lighting

1. What do you need to bear in mind when changing your lighting?

Provided you are happy with the quality and intensity of your current lighting, the advice from Fenie Energía is to aim to replace it with products of similar lighting characteristics. Below we explain the technical characteristics to take into account.

• Lumens: this is the quantity of light emitted by a light source. It should be borne in mind that the lumens required for LED equipment are often lower than with conventional bulbs. The latter emit light in all directions, some of which is not made use of, while LED devices emit their light directly towards the working plane (a clear example being fluorescent tubes).
• Chromatic Reproduction Index (CRI): this parameter indicates how well colours will be distinguished. With a level of 100, all colours will be visible, and with just 1, scales of grey.
• Temperature: this is the colour or warmth of the light. For example, the incandescent light bulbs in a living room are typically 2700 K, giving an orangey-yellow colour, while the fluorescent bulbs in an office, at 4000 K, give off white light.
• Angle: this is the angle at which the light emerges from the light fitting. In a corridor with halogen bulbs it is typically 35-60° so that the light reflects off the floor, while in an office with fluorescent lighting it is normally 120° to achieve uniform lighting without overlit areas.

2. How have LEDs evolved over recent years?

The LED market has matured, and successfully overcome some of the drawbacks associated with the earlier devices from just a few years ago:

• Lack of reliability and unfamiliar brand names: the technology has evolved rapidly, and all prestigious international lighting manufacturers now have an extensive offering of LED products.
• Prices of LED devices: now that the major manufacturers have offset the cost of their R&D, refreshed their product range and applied economies of scale, prices have come down in line with other technologies.
• Technical issues: those blueish LEDs and “blinding lights” are a thing of the past. With high-quality products, it is now hard to tell the difference between traditional and LED lightbulbs.

3. Is it time I switched my installation to LED?

We can’t guarantee that now is the right time to replace your lighting, but it is undoubtedly time for a professional to evaluate your installation and produce a pricing study:

• It is cost-effective, and pays for itself in a short time.
• It improves the image of your business with appropriate lighting without any great investment.
• It avoids bothersome maintenance and constant changing of lightbulbs.