Industrial lighting manufacturer Appleton recently sent out a press release identifying five key trends in that sector, summarized here.
HIGHER EFFICACY: Only a decade ago, 75 lumens/W qualified an LED luminaire as a groundbreaking product. New chips are offering efficacy as high as 150 lm/W. This means an end-user can actually replace a first-generation LED product and achieve savings of more than 70%, not to mention the savings when retrofitting incandescent, fluorescent or HID lighting.
IMPROVED SURGE PROTECTION: First-generation LEDs were designed without a thorough understanding of the electrical environments found in industrial facilities. As a result, these luminaires failed at rates as high as 50% two months to two years after installation. Reacting to customers’ needs and new ANSI standards, manufacturers are making 6 kV urge protection as a standard feature with 10 kV as an option. The new ANSI standard is 6 kV.
FASTER PAYBACK: According to Appleton, initial investment required for an LED retrofit or a new installation will continue to drop in 2018 as the price of luminaries becomes more in-line with HIDs, making payback typically less than three years or, depending on certain factors such as rebates, as brief as 18 months.
LOWER COLOR TEMPERATURES: End-users now can choose expanded color temperature options in newer LED luminaries, from cool 7000K to warm 3000K to assure the most productive level preferred color of light for any working environment.
CUSTOMIZED OPTICS: Today’s LED industrial luminaires can provide satisfying light levels and uniformity. Features include secondary optics enabling unique light distribution patterns, which can maximize luminaire spacing and reduce the number of luminaires needed.
