Safety with High Visibility LED Lights

No doubt you’ve heard about how energy efficient and cost effective LED lighting can be compared to older lighting alternatives, something that has seen the number of homeowners and companies investing in the ever-improving LED technology all over Australia. Interestingly, there are a number of advantages in terms of general safety that LED lighting provides as well.

Replacing your globe with LED lighting alternatives can actually go a long way in preventing fire hazards and this article will discuss a few of the ways and reasons why.

Less of a Fire Hazard

As Australians, we are all aware of how devastating fires can be. Whether they be bushfires that burn through largely rural areas or house fires that are contained within a single room, they pose a huge threat to our wellbeing.

You may be surprised to hear that people using the wrong kind of light bulb in their fixture are one of the top five causes of home electrical fires. This is generally a case of wanting more brightness and using light bulbs that have a higher wattage than the light fixture can handle. When you’re constantly changing light bulbs several times a year, it just so happens that sometimes a mistake is made.

Thankfully, LED lights are a little different. Brightness is not determined by wattage, whereas there is a correlation between the two with incandescent bulbs. As they consume less energy and remain cool to touch, you are able to get the same brightness with a fraction of the wattage and they can be left on for hours without generating more heat. They therefore greatly reducing the chance of having a fire hazard on your hands, particularly in summer where excess heat can spark an electrical fire.

Shatter-Proof

The majority of LED lights are made out of hard plastic, meaning that they really - if ever - shatter, and are completely harmless if they do. They are cases in the past where fluorescent light bulbs have burst and shattered, which sends pieces of glass down onto the floor. This can be a considerable safety risk, particularly given that if the light is not working, you may be walking around in the dark and you can easily step onto a piece of glass! LED lights enable you to avoid this problem.

Health Benefits

One of the most overlooked benefits of LED lighting is the fact that it is free of certain UV emissions found in older lighting technology. These emissions can actually lead to several health conditions, in certain cases, including nasty things like skin cancer, headaches or even premature ageing. There was some concern when LED lighting first become popular that the nature and colour of the light could lead to eye strain, however, technology has improved to the point that warm lighting can also be produced and there is little risk of this occurring today.

Further, LED lights are free of the mercury that is found in incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs. This substance is actually toxic to humans and without a doubt poses a various risk to our health.

The list of advantages of LED flood lights with high visibility like NIMMO Floodlights are extensive and include the fact that they are more energy efficient, more cost effective, long lasting and require far less maintenance. But as this article has shown, there certainly are safety benefits as well and this is something you should consider if you are looking to invest in LED lighting in Australia. If you’re looking for more information, feel free to contact littil today for a discussion about your needs and initiate bigger changes with  steps towards LED. 

Choosing Commercial LED Tube Lights for Your Business

So you’ve made the decision to invest in LED tube lights for your business. The problem is you know very little about this technology and what solution you’re looking for. Working with a professional Australian-based provider will generally mean that you’re getting the right advice given your needs. But as is the case for any retail product, a little bit of knowledge about what you’re buying can put you in a much better position to make a decision and look at your options as objectively and clearly as possible.

This article will take you through some of the things you need to think about when buying LED tube lights to ensure that they fit your illumination needs.

Considering Length

The first thing you need to consider when it comes to tube lighting is the length of the lights. This will depend on the room that you are planning to install them and what their main purpose is. Most tube lights will vary from around 2 - 8 feet or more but this will vary from supplier to supplier.

Measuring Quality

Higher quality LED tube lights like Fortis T8 LED tubes will naturally be more expensive, so if you feel you are paying a little extra and you’re expecting a product that will perform and last, consider the CRI and CCT. These take into account the quality of the light and its temperature, which is a determining factor in a globe’s longevity. This information should be readily available of you take a look at the specs of your LED lights.

Colouring Rendering Index (or CRI) measures light quality, with a higher score indicating a greater spectrum of colours being produced by the light source. Generally speaking, for a casual commercial environment you’ll be looking at CRI of 80 or above, but in cases where high visibility is of great importance, you should consider LED tube lights 82 > CRI for the best results.

Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) is all about the heat that the light produces and the colour of light it produces; the two are closely tied. One of the defining features of LED lights is the fact that they produce lower levels of heat, utilising more of their energy in producing light rather than heat.

That said, some heat is naturally still produced; LED globes with a higher CCT (usually 5000 kelvin+) will produce a much sharper, cooler white light. For those with a CCT of around 3000k, you’ll be getting a much warmer, comfortable light, possibly suited to a relaxed dining area or living room for example. Most work areas and office buildings ar best served with globes of around 4000k, but consider these factors when thing about the kind of atmosphere you wish to create in your commercial setting.

Light Optics

The optics of an LED globe essentially determine how concentrated or dispersed the light is. Clear optics will allow for a focused beam of light that is stronger but is contained in a smaller space. This is often the preferred option in for industrial applications where high visibility is very important.

For office spaces, you’ll generally be looking for Diffuse optics, which are moderate in terms of light dispersion but allow you to minimise glare and create a comfortable, relaxed working space. Wide beam optics are useful to splash light around a large room; the light is internationally directed upwards into the fixture which enables it to fill a room more easily. This means you have a smoother, well distributed beam of light rather than the ‘cave’ effect’ that can make large rooms quite uncomfortable.

This article has covered the basic considerations you and your supplier need to make when fitting your building for LED lights. Finding the balance is often best left to a professional if you have little experience, so it’s always worth while to chat it through with someone that has worked closely with T8 LED tube lights and is knowledgable about their product. For more information, we’d encourage you to get in touch with the team at littil today to discuss your LED needs or find out more information about the process.