Illuminants
1. Why will there be no longer any incandescent lamps?
2. Which illuminants can I use to replace the incandescent light?
3. What do I have to observe when choosing an illuminant which is to replace the incandescent lamp?
4. What are LED and LED retrofit lamps?
5. What are the advantages of LED?
6. Is LED light cold and uncomfortable?
7. Can LED retrofit illuminants and LED luminaires be dimmed?
8. What kind of information is indicated by Lux?
9. What kind of information is indicated by Kelvin?
10. What kind of information is indicated by Watt?
11. What kind of information is indicated by Lumen?
1. Why will there be no longer any incandescent lamps?
The EU decided to gradually withdraw incandescent lamps from the market as they are considered to be “environmental polluters” due to their poor energy balance. A further disadvantage of conventional incandescent lamps is the comparatively short service life of only approx. 1000 hours. Incandescent lamps only transform five per cent of the energy used into light, the rest is released in the form of heat.
In 2012, the withdrawal from the incandescent lamp technology was completed since now all incandescent lamps must have energy efficiency class C. But there is no conventional incandescent lamp that complies with this requirement.
2. Which illuminants can I use to replace the incandescent light?
There are three alternatives for the incandescent lamp: halogen lamps, LED lamps and energy-saving lamps. Halogen lamps with energy efficiency class B and C initially may remain on the market.
For an atmospheric, brilliant light it is recommend using 12V or 230V eco halogen lamps. These lamps save up to 50% or up to 30% of energy compared to conventional incandescent lamps. And they do this without loss of light quality.
The future of household lighting is considered to be in the still young discipline of LED lamp technology. Thus, LED lighting is a serious alternative to incandescent, halogen and energy-saving lamps. Particularly the service life with up 25,000 hours of operation, the low maintenance requirements and no use of mercury make the LED a sustainable, eco-friendly light solution. Consumers increasingly value the LED due to the energy saving opportunities of up to 80% compared to conventional incandescent lamps. Furthermore, the warm-white light has an excellent colour rendering with an index of up to Ra=95. It does not flicker and is – in contrast to the energy-saving lamp – fully available upon being switched on.
Energy-saving lamps save energy and offer a lot of light for high illuminance levels. They consume about 80 per cent less power than incandescent lamps and offer 6,000 hours of operation, which is six times longer compared to a conventional incandescent lamp. Due to their design energy-saving lamps are always frosted. Thus, light is diffused uniformly without any disturbing shadow, however, it lets colours appear less brilliant due to the rather poor colour rendering index of Ra = 80. If you require a particularly brilliant light, halogen lamps or high-quality LED are to be preferred.
3. What do I have to observe when choosing an illuminant which is to replace the incandescent lamp?
When buying incandescent lamps it was always sufficient to take a look at the packaging that provided information on the shape and the wattage. If you, however, want to replace the incandescent lamp by another illuminant with the same brightness level, you need to find a lamp with the same light intensity which is measured in lumens. Furthermore, the luminous colour (warm / cold) and a similar colour rendering index specified as Ra or as CRI value are also important.
Example: for replacing a 60 W incandescent lamp with 710 lumens (corresponds to about 12 lumens / watt) the following lamps are worth considering:
- LED lamps: 470 lumens (= 8 watts), 806 lumens (= 12 watts)
- Halogen lamps: 630 lumens (= 42 watts), 840 lumens (= 53 watts)
- Energy-saving lamps: 630 lumens (= 11 watts), 850 lumens (= 15 watts)
If you would like to dim LED retrofit light sources we recommend observing the following items. Here you can find tips on the dimming of LED retrofit light sources and LED luminaires.
4. What are LED and LED retrofit lamps?
LED stands for „Light-Emitting Diode“. So-called LED retrofit lamps are an efficient replacement for incandescent, halogen and energy-saving lamps. They are provided with a screw, plug-in or bayonet base and thus can easily be integrated into the existing sockets of conventional luminaires.
With a screw base and the classic pear shape they can replace conventional incandescent, halogen and energy-saving lamps with a plug-in or bayonet base they can replace halogen lamps.
5. What are the advantages of LED?
The future of household lighting is considered to be in the still young discipline of LED lamp technology. Here are some advantages of LED at a glance:
- Significant energy savings: in comparison to incandescent lamps the energy savings currently amount to 80% and this number expected to increase further.
- Extremely long service life: the service life amounts to about 25,000 hours of operation and about 12,500 switching cycles and is thus very long.
- Perfect light atmosphere: the warm-white light of high-quality LED has an excellent colour rendering of up to Ra=95. It does not flicker and is fully available upon being switched on.
- Good for the environment: thanks to the reduction of CO2 emissions and the omission of mercury in LED lamps they are eco-friendly.
6. Is LED light cold and uncomfortable?
It is a prejudice that originates from the beginning of LED technology that LEDs emit cold-white light. Today, LEDs are available in different luminous colours. The luminous colour of the LED is specified by means of the luminous colour temperature using the unit Kelvin. The spectrum of the white LED tones ranges from 2,700 (warm-white) to 6,000 Kelvin (cold-white).
7. Can LED retrofit illuminants and LED luminaires be dimmed?
Yes, if you observe the following:
First, you need to make sure that the LED illuminant is dimmable. Specifications on the dimmability of the product must always be stated unambiguously on the packaging.
Dimming of LED retrofit illuminants for 230V:
The easiest way is to use LED illuminants that operate directly from the mains supply (E27, E14, GU10) without a transformer being required (E27, E14, GU10). The required minimum load of the dimmer itself might constitute an obstacle for LED illuminants for 230V since the power input of LED lamps is very low. Many dimmers only operate with a power of 40W or more. Modern dimmers, however, operate starting with a base load of 20W. For this reason, please make sure that the connected lamps achieve the required minimum load.
Moreover, the right dimmer must be selected (leading-edge dimmer or trailing-edge dimmer). This information can be found on the packaging, in the operating instructions or on the manufacturer’s website. Modern dimmers with the required minimum load that are designed for LEDs and that are operated via a three-core connector including a neutral conductor are also recommended. If LED are dimmed by means of edge dimmers there are disadvantages in terms of efficiency. Moreover, the brightness can only be dimmed up to 10 – 20% of the light intensity.
Dimming of LED retrofit illuminants for 12V:
LED retrofit illuminants for 12V are available as a dimmable and not dimmable version. The dimmable version is provided for dimming using a leading-edge dimmer or a trailing-edge dimmer. Furthermore, the correct operating unit must be observed. The LED retrofit lamp must match the available operating unit. Otherwise the operating unit must be replaced. The required dimming type is specified on the packaging of the illuminant. Modern dimmers that are designed for LED and that are operated via a three-core connector including a neutral conductor are also recommended. If LEDs are dimmed by means of edge dimmers there are disadvantages in terms of efficiency. Moreover, the brightness can only be dimmed up to 10 – 20% of the light intensity.
In a few cases there might be problems with standard dimmers despite choosing the correct dimming type. In such cases, please contact the illuminant manufacturer.
Since dimming LED retrofit illuminants for 12V is currently still problematic Bruck recommends to refrain from dimming these illuminants.
Dimming LED luminaires:
Depending on the operating unit installed, luminaires with integrated LEDs can also be dimmed. For further information on this topic please refer to the operating instructions.
For LED luminaires professional dimmers are recommended that are not integrated in the switch box but in the luminaire or the lamp. The dimming is then effected by means of a wireless button or the dimmer which send control signals to the luminaire or the lamp via the mains cable. Bruck will introduce corresponding luminaires to the market in 2013/2014.
- How to assess the quality of LED retrofit illuminants?
- What does the „certified quality“ for LED illuminants by BRUCK mean?
BRUCK offers you certified LED illuminants by renowned manufacturers as a replacement for 230V halogen lamps. These are suitable for BRUCK luminaires. Depending on the design, there lamps are either not dimmable or dimmable.
Furthermore, certified LED illuminants by renowned manufacturers are available as a replacement for 12V halogen lamps. These are suitable for BRUCK luminaires and BRUCK transformers for operation without a dimmer.
8. What kind of information is indicated by Lux?
Lux is the unit of luminous emittance, measuring luminous flux per unit area (lumens per square metre). By means of this value it can be assessed whether an area, for instance, a desk is illuminated sufficiently.
On a sunny day in summer, for instance, 100,000 lux are produced. For lighting a computer workstation approx. 500 lux are required.
9. What kind of information is indicated by Kelvin?
The value given in Kelvin (K) gives information on the colour temperature of the illuminant. Standard illuminants have a colour temperature range from 3,300 Kelvin (warm-white) to 5,300 Kelvin (cold-white).
The colour temperature of a lamp is determined by comparison with the colour of a "blackbody radiator". When it is heated up its colour shifts from dark red to light blue. The colour temperature is thus determined by comparing the colour of the light source with the colour of the "blackbody radiator". The temperature the "blackbody radiator" achieves when it has the same colour as the lamp is thus also the colour temperature of the lamp.
10. What kind of information is indicated by Watt?
The power an illuminant produces, also called wattage, gives information on the energy consumption of an illuminant. The proportion of the consumed power that is then transformed into light depends on the efficiency of the illuminant.
- LED retrofit lamps (as of 2012): approx. 60 lumens / watt
- 230V eco halogen lamps: approx. 16 lumens / watt
- 12V eco halogen lamps: approx. 25 lumens / watt
- Energy-saving lamps: approx. 55 lumens / watt
11. What kind of information is indicated by Lumen?
Lumen (lm) is the unit of luminous flux of an illuminant. The higher the luminous flux, the higher is the amount of light emitted by the lamp.