LED Lighting for a brighter future!

An LED lighting problem that's baffled scientists for decades has been solved. AND: Why flicker is back – and is worse then ever. PLUS: Lux launches a new event for the fall. Lux Today newscast for Tuesday 24 May 2016 is presented by Courtney Ferguson.

Philips Lighting showcased truly pioneering lighting innovations at Light + Building 2016, the world’s leading trade fair for lighting in Frankfurt, Germany.  Philips brought together leading experts to inspire and engage fellow professionals as part of their speaker program at light+building. Connected lighting in smart cities Delivering smart buildings New technology trends and their impact on LED luminaires We’ve captured these insightful talks in a series of videos – so if you couldn’t make it to the show, here’s your chance to catch up on what you missed.

A looming skills shortage could derail the revolution in connected lighting – unless action is taken to train a generation of contractors. PLUS: Customer who spent $150 million on lighting says pace of technological development is 'overwhelming'. Lux Today webcast for May 17 2016 with Courtney Ferguson.

The UK's Ministry of Justice has unveiled its latest technical specification for lighting – but it barely mentions LEDs. Looking to win some business from the custodial sector? The Ministry of Justice has unveiled its latest technical specification for lighting, with the emphasis firmly on quality and longevity.  However the document – titled the  Ministry of Justice, Estate Directorate Technical Standards: Electrical Installation (operating at low voltage and extra low voltage): Standard number: STD/E/SPEC/018 –  is remarkably short on LEDs. After all, there are lots of aspects of LED performance that would appear to lend themselves to custodial lighting: the discreet form factor that the source makes possible that could reduce overall luminaire size; the operational benefits from energy usage and lighting control; the potential safety benefits in using Power over Ethernet wiring; and the colour quality that's now available acros...

Since old fashioned incandescent and halogen bulbs are being banned by governments around the world, most home owners have had to consider low energy alternatives. The favourite choice now is LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs, which are currently leading the field in terms of energy savings, product life and ease of use. But how many of us understand the ways in which LED bulbs are different to incandescent models, and how to ensure that when we upgrade our lighting we actually make the right choices ? Let’s start with some basic facts about LED bulbs. Basically, they offer a number of significant advantages to the obsolete incandescent types: Major power saving:  LEDs use approximately five times less energy as incandescent bulbs. As an example, you can replace an old 40W reading light bulb with an 8W LED. And since LEDs offer a more focused light, the energy savings could be up to 90%, and you can therefore have a lower-wattage bulb. ‘Cleaner’ Product:  L...

The IoT, in which every device can communicate with every other device – even a smart bedcover can ‘talk’ with devices such as Philips’ Hue LED lighting system – is fast becoming a fact of life, like it or not. But how are the IoT technologies evolving, what are the benefits and how about the risks? And how about a wider context? James Hunt explains: Internet and device growth…and the IoT could represent 200 billion devices by 2020. Some say even this is conservative! To see each illustration full size, please click on it. Mario Morales, IDC The IoT is as of countless ‘things’ that are fitted with uniquely identifiable embedded devices that are wirelessly connected to the Net.  These ‘nodes’, as the ‘things’ are called, can send or receive information without human intervention. The nodes can even be fitted to animals (to track or find them), and indeed to people and their clothes – for a variety of reasons we may or may not like. To achieve this, ev...

The humble Cat 5 cable - now capable of carrying power to your lights as well as data Lux reports: LED lighting is helping buildings around the world slash their electricity bills because the amount of energy needed to run LEDs is so much lower than that consumed by traditional forms of lighting. But lower energy consumption isn’t just about saving money and being kind to the environment. It’s starting to demonstrate other benefits too. The electrical load of LED sources is now so low that you don’t even need mains cables to power them – you can use standard network cables, so it’s easier and cheaper to connect and control your lights. This technology is called ‘power over Ethernet’ (PoE) and, as the name suggests, it’s a way of providing power for electrical equipment through Ethernet cables – the same ones that already form the backbone of the IT network in your office. Ethernet uses ‘cat 5’ (or more recently cat 5e or cat6) cables – the kind you plug into your router...

Philips chiefs turn down buyers in favour of a stock market flotation. PLUS: Why laser diodes are the hottest trend in car lighting AND: The winners of the Lighting Design Awards. Lux Today webcast for Tuesday May 10 2016 is presented by Courtney Ferguson.

When lighting traffic routes the primary concern is safety and comfort, especially in conflict areas where traffic may be merging, becoming compressed or changing direction or in stretches of open road where traffic speeds may be high. To ensure safety on stretches of open road involves visibility over relatively large distances, generally 30 metres or more, to account for the high traffic speeds that may be present. To achieve this at below optimal lighting levels for our eye requires a different approach to lighting which is to light the road surface, making objects appear in silhouette against the bright surface. However where speeds can be expected to be lower and objects closer, such as in conflict areas or tunnels, this no longer works as the road surface may be visually below the object outline preventing it appearing as a silhouette, and therefore the objects themselves need to be lit as opposed to the road surface. These changing requirements are reflected in the design...