Electrical Contracting News (ECN) May 2016 | Page 26

LED INNOVATION

THE FIFTH ELEMENT
Paul Davidson of Aurora sets out some benchmarks when
designing lighting schemes and selecting LED products.

A

fifth attribute is
now aligned to the
traditional four key
criteria governing LED
performance. Smart
technology now sits
alongside thermal
management, optical
control, the efficacy of light and reliability
of power.
What’s so exciting is that ‘smart’ brings
to market a sea of opportunity, connecting

lighting to the Internet of Things.
The ubiquitous integrated fire rated LED
downlight is set to become the jewel in
lighting’s crown. At Light+Building 2016
in Frankfurt this March, the very best of
breed was on show, with the capability to
deliver on all five ‘elements’ performing
well side by side in the same fitting.
We often refer to the conventional
four as LED’s lighting DNA. So what are
the guiding principles of best practice in
manufacturing quality LED?

Thermal issues
Heat has a negative impact on the
performance of any LED light source. The
next generation in thermal management
technology is able to dissipate heat away
from the LED chip, providing higher
quality, brighter light for longer.
Products are normally warranted by a
quality manufacturer to L70 for a stated
number of hours which means that clients
can expect a light output of 70 per cent
of the lumen performance stated at that

period of time. As an example, a 1,000
lumen LED luminaire will deliver at least
700 lumens after six years, based on
burning 4,000 hours per year.
An emerging trend in construction is
to insulate the ceiling void by ‘blowing
in’ loose fill insulation as an alternative to
loose-laid products. Loose fill completely
encloses the fitting which could affect LED
performance in inferior downlights.
As an example, Aurora has developed
NanoDrive technology in its most

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