Friday 28 February 2014

International Student House’s Bistro LED Switchover

MasterLED GLS
International Student House (ISH), London accommodates university students and interns from over 100 different countries. ISH is not just a place to stay, it is a social and culture centre which holds lectures, debates, themed suppers and culture nights. The ISH has its very own bistro which by day is a busy modern restaurant transforming into a lively nightclub in the evening. Due to its multipurpose use, the lighting installed in the bistro can often be on for almost 24 hours a day.

ISE is committed to reducing its environmental impact and carbon emissions. As part of an £180,000 refurbishment of the ISH’s ground floor, LED lighting was installed in the bistro area. The LED switchover has doubled lighting levels, reduced power consumption by 84%, delivered savings of over £1,000 per annum and cut carbon emissions by almost 6,300kg a year. The lighting engineers opted to use Philips’ MasterLED bulb, MasterLED spot and Latina LED down-lighters.


MasterLED Spot
Latina LED Down-light
Philips’ Latina down-lighters were installed in the server area as they fit perfectly with its new design. The costly GLS pendant down-lighters in the server area were retrofitted with Philips MasterLED 8 watt lamps. Before the LED switch-over the dining area was lit with over 100 50 watt halogen down-lighters, the replacement lamps needed to illuminate the space during the day and not impact the night club ambiance in the evenings. With energy saving in mind, ISE opted to install Philips MasterLED spot GU10 7 watts lamps and remove the existing energy consuming halogen lamps. 

Thursday 27 February 2014

SchoolVision: Philips’ Innovative Lighting System Proven to Improve Pupils’ Concentration

The SchoolVision system is specifically designed to enhance the learning environment; studies proving its benefits have been conducted all over the world. 

It is well established that lighting has a significant effect on our mood, energy levels and concentration. Using this knowledge, SchoolVision provides an outstanding learning environment that engages and stimulates or relaxes and calms. Pupils get the very best start in school with light that enhances learning, improves results and makes everyone feel at ease. 

In a single day, one classroom hosts a variety of activities ranging from; focused tasks and quiet reading time to creative pursuits and lively group work, all requiring differing levels of energy and concentration. Using the SchoolVision touch-pad teachers can support the rhythm of activity in the classroom by switching between warm light and daylight, whatever the time of day, whatever the lesson. 

Teachers are able to chose from one of four settings; Normal, Energy, Focus and Calm. The different ambiances are produced by varying the balance between light intensity and colour temperature, making each setting suitable for specific tasks or times of the day.  

The Normal setting was designed to be used during general classroom activities; light is emitted at a standard level of intensity, in a standard colour temperature. This light level is proven to help students pay attention. The very cool colour and high intensity light emitted in the Energy setting helps invigorate pupils when energy levels are lacking, this is ideal for use first thing in the morning or after lunch. The Focus setting emits light of the highest intensity in a cool colour temperature; this mood is designed to aid concentration during tests and challenging tasks. The Calm setting’s warm light temperature provides a relaxed ambiance for individual work and quiet time; it has also been proven to calm a hyperactive class!

As with all Philips products, SchoolVision adheres to relevant lighting norms and provides comfortable light with no shadows or glare. Daylight sensors dim the lights when there is enough natural daylight to create the desired ambiance and presence detectors turn off the lights when the classroom is empty. SchoolVision is also energy efficient offering savings of up to 57%.

Epsom and Ewell High School is the first school in the UK to have SchoolVision fitted. Results from this pilot study show that the SchoolVison system positively impacts pupils’ concentration levels. City University London has carried out a series of standard D2 Test Trials, in two of the High School’s Science Laboratories. These are standard psychometric tests which measure concentration. Focus group research with teachers and pupils was also carried out. 

The study has delivered the following results; one classroom saw D2 test scores increase by 17 points since the implementation of SchoolVision and the other by 40. A control group demonstrated no improvement in concentration levels over the same time frame. 

Head researcher, Dr Efrosyni Konstantinou from City University London’s Centre for Performance at Work, highlights that, more than anything, different students have different learning needs.

“On the whole, in qualitative interviews, both students and teachers noted how the lighting changes positively impacted the mood in the classroom. The benefits associated with the different SchoolVision lighting settings included better concentration, increased alertness, enhanced efficiency and a calmer mood which inidicate that the SchoolVision can be the beginning to a new way of teaching and learning for future student generations”.

The findings echo those from other research into the effects of the SchoolVision lighting system. A year long study in a primary school in Hamburg, Germany found that, with the SchoolVision lighting system, pupil reading speeds increased by 35%, frequency of errors fell by almost 45% and restlessness was reduced by 75%.




Wednesday 19 February 2014

Selfridges’ State-Of-The-Art LED Lighting

A new lighting system was unveiled at Selfridges’ Project Ocean event, this campaign aimed to promote sustainable eating. To ensure its message reached an even wider audience, the luminaires were adapted to give the buildings exterior an under-the-sea effect. Although Philips' initial brief was to only provide a scheme for the external façade on Oxford Street; after seeing the benefits of the PowerCore lighting, Selfridges decided to extend the system to both Duke and Orchard Street.

Sustainability is high on Selfridges’ agenda and so any lighting solution offered to them must deliver significant energy savings. The department store hosts a range of events and projects and so requested a low maintenance, energy saving lighting solution, capable of transforming the department stores façade at the press of a button.

Philips ColorGraze
Philips ColorBlast

Philips ColorReach
Selfridges’ required a lighting system adept at producing a variety of colour and effects, using their unrivalled knowledge of LED lighting Philips opted to install three of their flagship products; ColorReach PowerCore, ColorBlast PowerCore and ColorGraze PowerCore. Selfridges’ key architectural features were highlighted by the ColorReach PowerCore lamps. Because of its compact, low profile design, the ColorGraze PowerCore LED surface linear was used. The brief detailed that architectural lighting was required for both indoor and outdoor applications and so ColorBlast PowerCore luminaires were installed. These have a wide rage of capabilities and can be positioned almost anywhere!

As a listed landmark building, Selfridges’ have strict rules in place governing what can be affixed to the exterior meaning drilling is prohibited. Working closely with Selfridges’ in-house electrical contractor, Philips overcame this obstacle by mounting the luminaires using a special resin.

If you would like more inofrmation about any of the above products visit our website http://theledspecialist.co.uk/ or call the office and speak to one of our informed sales team

Monday 17 February 2014

TransforMax – a simple plug and play retrofit solution

Philips’ new patented TransforMax technology enables Philips low voltage LED lamps to universally replace 12v Halogen spot lamps. TransforMax is a unique patented protected intelligent driver concept designed to be used with 12v LED lamps. It enables broad compatibility with existing electronic and electromagnetic Halogen transformers.

Using TransforMax technology without a dimmer

To provide an estimation of how many LED lamps can be connected to an existing halogen transformer, the rated power of the transformer is divided by the LED lamp replacement wattage. For example if you are replacing a 35w halogen lamp with a 7w MR16 lamp and there is a 150w transformer available, the calculation would be 150 ÷ 35 = 4.3 (branch max.). This shows 4 lamps can be attached to this transformer.
 
Using TransforMax with a dimmer

When the LED lamps are connected to a dimmer it is important to determine the maximum loading of both your transformer(s) and your dimmer in either watts or volt amps. Maximum loading is determined by both the system max. and branch max., the calculation for branch max. is shown above. System max can be calculated by dividing the dimmer rating wattage by the wattage of the equivalent halogen, for example if you have a dimmer rating of 200w and a 35w halogen the system max is 200 ÷ 35 = 5.7 (system max). This shows 5 lamps can be used per dimmer. The total number of lamps you can install is limited by the system max, you must also ensure the transformer load is sufficient to allow for the individual branch max. In the example provided above, although 5 lamps can be attached to the dimmer, the transformer's branch max is 4 lamps and so if 5 lamps were to be attached to this dimmer, two transformers would need to be used. 

Thursday 13 February 2014

Put the focus back on your merchandise with Philips AirFlux Technology

AirFlux technology, the latest innovation from Philips, enables lamps to blend seamlessly into the background due to their lightweight, sleek design. This allows object to reveal their true colours and really take centre stage.

AirFlux lamps offer superior visual comfort and maximum performance through use of a single optic. These lamps do not have any distracting heat sink fins and so are 30% lighter than current lamps, their smooth white design means you can instantaneously fit in and forget. 

This new technology keeps the LEDs constantly cool ensuring lamps are emitting light of t he highest quality and colour. Removal of the ventilator means there is more space for the optical lenses and ensures the beam is smooth and inclusion free.


At present, AirFlux technology is available in the following platforms PAR 38, PAR 30S, PAR 30L, PAR 20. These lamps are perfect for downlight applications. 

To purchase yours today visit http://theledspecialist.co.uk/ or call the office on 0118 950 7125 to speak to one of our knowledgeable sales team.



Wednesday 5 February 2014

Save time with LED Controlled Lighting

Philips' LEDcontrol
Another new addition to the Philips MASTER LED range is a control system compatible with MASTER LEDtubes. This brand new control system automatically switches LED tubes on and off emitting light only when you need it.

This control system is compatible with GA110 Philips MASTER LEDtube, this combination offers a complete solution to energy saving and allows you to efficiently manage your energy consumption. 

Philips MASTER LEDtubes integrate a LED light source into the form of a traditional fluorescent, they are uniquely designed to create an impeccable uniform appearance which is virtually undistinguishable from traditional fluorescent lighting.

For more information or to purchase either of these products visit http://theledspecialist.co.uk or call our office to speak to one of our lighting specialists 01189507125 

Monday 3 February 2014

Philips 7 watt MASTER LEDbulb has been given a makeover….

MASTER LEDbulb 7 watt
Convex or Concave?



The MASTER LEDbulb Designer is Philips latest innovation; this new lamp can be combined with either a convex or concave cover enabling you to find the best match for the surrounding décor. This feature is also useful as due to the lamps extended lifetime it may well endure several re-decorations and so covers can been changed to create the desired ambiance of each renovation.

Each MASTER LEDbulb emits warm light similar to that of an incandescent lamp. It's sleek design makes it ideal for application in open fixtures where the lamp is fully visible. Similar to other MASTER LEDbulbs, the Designer lamp has excellent light performance, it is fully dimmable and offers up to 80% energy savings.

This lamp was created with the hospitality and retail industries in mind as within these sectors aesthetic design is especially important.