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LEDs for All

Posted by Aardvark Display Lighting on Wednesday, June 19, 2013 Under: Newsletter

LEDs for All

The relentless march of the LED continues and every month we are finding new more powerful and more cost-effective LED bulbs to use in our wide range of exhibition and display lighting.

Almost all our ranges now come with an LED option, usually a simple case of replacing a “conventional” bulb with a retrofit LED bulb. Although there is still a qualitative difference between LED options and conventional options, the gap is narrowing all the time.

Our current recommendation for low-voltage halogen spotlight replacements is a 3W MR16 (LED) which delivers a 320 lumen (lm) output. For a GU10 (High Spot) or GZ10 mains replacement we are recommending the 4.5W GU10 delivering 300 lm output.

These outputs compare with around 750 lm in one of our conventional MR16 range of bulbs (though some competitors on the market would deliver less lumens per watt).

There are more powerful options available but the cost per lumen grows exponentially with increasing output. We think that our recommendations represent best value for money in today’s market.

We can also now supply our Europa floodlight with an LED bulb, though its output is well below that of a 160W or 200W linear halogen bulb. Never-the-less, for some situations, particularly where heat or energy consumption are factors, this 8W LED bulb can supply just the right answer.

With the new events season looming large on the horizon, it is definitely a time to consider switching to LEDs or, at the very least, offering your clients an LED option, which will not only reduce heat on the display, stand or exhibition, but will also help to reduce global warming and boost your, and their, green credentials. For static displays (museums, shops, galleries etc.) the LED offers a massive saving in running costs over the lifetime of the bulb.