7 mistakes everyone makes when they upgrade to leds

7/29/2019 7 Mistakes Everyone Makes When They Upgrade to LEDs

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7MistakesEveryone

MakesWhenTheyUpgradetoLEDs

Ripoff,ScamsandCostlyMistakesToAvoidWhenUpgradingtoLEDs

SaveMoney&FrustrationByReadingThisReportFirst

YouAreNotStupid!Weknowthatalreadyasyouarehere,researchingwaysthatyoucansaveMoney,CarbonEmissionsANDTime,andthatgivesyouabigheadstartovertheblokenextdoor!Didyourlastenergybillkillyourbankaccount?

Oratleastmakeyouprettyannoyedhavingtopayit?

Iknowmineseemstohavejumpedby$50justinfeesandgovernmentschemechargesalone,anditjustseemslikewastedmoneytome.

DoyouwanttojustputonanotherJumper?No,meneither.IwantsolutionsthataregoingtoEasy,SustainableandComfortabletomaintain.UpgradingtoLEDsisexactlythatEasy&Sustainable

Unlessyoumakeoneofthese7Costlymistakes


2/13

Wellheretheyarethetrapsandtricksofthisnewinnovation:

1. YouBuytheWrongReplacementLampandItsNOTCompatibleWithYourDimmerSystem.

2. YourSupplierIsNotanERACResponsibleSupplier

3. YouBuyaCheapChineseImportthathasLowCRIandLowLumenOutput

4. YouSpendYourHard-EarnedMoneyOnT8LEDTubesOnlyToFindThatYouHavetoPayAnElectricianHundreds,ifnotThousands,ToMakeChangesToYourLightFittingToMakeThemFunctional.

5. YouThinkYouHaveFoundABargainOneBayOnlyToRealizeThatThereIsNoProductWarrantyAndNoMoneyBackGuaranteeIfTheLEDDoesntWorkOrFitCorrectly.

6. YoutryafewLEDs,andleavesomeofyourexistinglightinginthesamedimmablecircuit.

7. YoubuyALEDDownlightOnlyToFindItOnlyDimsToAbout50%OfYourExistingHalogen.

Noonehastimetositonlineresearchingformonths,learningaboutawholenewtechnologyjusttosavesomecash.SowehaveputtogetherthisreportthathelpsyouAvoidtheBiggestMistakesandMisconceptionsofLEDLighting.

MISTAKE1

YouBuytheWrongReplacementandItIsntCompatibleWithYourDimmerSystem.TherearehundredsandthousandsofLEDlamps,bulbsorlightingsystemsonthemarket,andyouwouldntbethefirsttogetoverwhelmedandcompletelyconfusedtryingtoensureyouspendyourmoneyontherightone,thefirsttime!WhenIstartedthisbusinessover3yearsago,Iwascompletelyoverwhelmed!ButIknewwhatIneeded,Ineededahalogendownlightreplacementthat;

Wasntgoingtocostmetheearth

Wasntgoingtorequireabulbchangeevery5minutesasmyHalogenswereblowingoutwaytoooften!

WasCOMPATIBLEwithmyClipsalc-Bus(computerized)dimmingsystem?LEDshadreducedinpriceenoughtowarrantmyinvestinthem,andtheyalsometmylongevityrequirements.


3/13

BUTfindinganLEDthatwascompatiblewithClipsalc-Buswasanotherquestionaltogether!

Thereweresomedownlightsonthemarketthatclaimtobeleadingedgeandtrailingedgecompatible,butNONEthatIcouldfindthatwereClipsalc-Buscompatible,letalonecompatiblewithALLdimmingsystems.Letmeexplainalittlemoreaboutdimmingsystemsandwhyweusethem.

YoumighthaveahouseyouarelookingatretrofittingLEDstoreplaceyourhalogendownlights.

OR

YoumightbebuildingandwanttofitLEDsfromthestart.Eitherway,dimmingsystemsaregreatbecause; Theysaveenergyyoucanregulatelightinternallydependingon

availabilityofsunlight. Youcancontrolwhichlightsareon,andwheredependingonwhatparts

ofthehouse/businessyouareoccupying. Youcanadjustthelightingleveltomatchthetaskyouare

undertakinge.g.Cookingvsmakingoutonthecouch! Generallydimmersjustmakeyourlightingthatbitmorecomfortableand

functional.

WhenusinganLED,throughconditioningweexpectasimilarexperiencetowhatanincandescentwouldgiveus.

WhilstsomeLEDlampsaremarkedascompatiblewithincandescent/halogendimmers,yourideaofwhatisDimmableandthemanufacturersideaofDimmableareprobablyverydifferent!(Afteralltheywanttomakesalesandcutcosts).

YouarelikelytogetsomeunexpectedandprettyaverageresultswhenyouuseadimmableLEDlampwithanincandescent/halogendimmer,including:

Reduceddimmingrange

Flickeringorflutteringofthelamp

Inconsistentperformancedependingonhowmanylampsyouhaverunningofftheonedimmer.

Diggingabitdeeper,themaincausesfortheincompatibilityarethese:

Isyourdimmeraleadingedge,trailingedgeORC-busDimmingsystem?

Eachofthesesystemsaredifferentinhowtheyalter/usethevoltagewaveform.

Switchoffhereifyouarentinterestedinthesciencebehindit!

(WATCHOUTITGETSABITTECHYANDBORING)


4/13

Varyingloads,mixedresults

AlthoughthereareapplicationswhereLEDlampswilloperatewithanincandescentdimmer,ingeneral,anincandescentdimmerwillprovideinconsistentperformancewithSSL.Amajorissueisinthedesignofeachlamptype.Theincandescentlampbynaturerepresentsasimpleresistiveloadwithalinearresponsetothe

dimmersetpoint(Fig.1).

Fig.1

Standardincandescentdimmersworkparticularlywellwiththistypeofloadbyswitchingonatanadjustablephaseangleafterthestartofeachalternatingcurrenthalf-cycle,therebyalteringthevoltagewaveformappliedtolamps.Byswitchinginsteadofabsorbingpartofthevoltagesupplied,minimalpoweriswasted,

anddimmingcanoccuralmostinstantaneously.

Incontrast,LEDlamploadscanvarygreatlyacrossdifferentmanufacturersanddesigns.Butmostcanbecharacterizedbyadiode-capacitorpowersupplyfeedingaconstantcurrentsource(Fig.2).

ThediodesrectifytheappliedACvoltage,allowingittochargethestoragecapacitor,whiletheLEDelementsdrawaconstantcurrentfromthepowersupplythatisrelatedtothedesireddimminglevelandbrightness.

Whatmakesthistypeofloadsignificantlydifferentfromincandescentlampsisthenon-linearrelationshipinwhichtheappliedvoltageandthecurrentflowingintotheloadarerelated.

Inincandescentlamps,asFig1shows,theappliedvoltageacrosstheloadandtheresultingcurrentflowingthroughtheloadarerelatedlinearlybyOhmsLaw(V=IR).Inthiscase,theresistancesetsthescale,andthe

currentwaveformfollowsthevoltagewaveform,differingonlybyscale.

InLEDloads,theappliedvoltageandresultingcurrentflowarenotrelatedbyasimplelinearrelationship.Inthediode-capacitorpowersupplymodeloftheLEDlamp,currentflowsfromtheappliedvoltagetotheloadonlywhenthemagnitudeoftheappliedvoltageexceedsthestoredvoltageonthepowersupplycapacitor.Thestoredvoltageonthepowersupplycapacitor,inturn,dependsonthecurrentdrawnbytheLEDelementsthemselves,whichisafunctionoftheLEDbrightness.

Therefore,thecurrentflowingfromthesupplytothelampdependsbothontheinstantaneousvalueoftheinputACvoltagewaveformandthebrightnessoftheLEDlamp.ChangingtheintensityordimmingleveloftheLEDlampaffectswhereintheAClinecycletheloadbeginstodrawcurrent.Thisinflectionpointalsoaffectstheamountofcurrentthatsurgesintothelamp.Therelationshipbetweenthesecurrentpeaks,andthetimesineachlinecyclewherethesecurrentpeaksoccur,dependsnon-linearlyonthelampdesign,the

LEDbrightnessandthesetdimminglevel.

(thanksLEDsMagazineforthatexcellentBORINGdescription!)

Yawn!


5/13

RightWAKEUP,

hereisthereasonyoucareaboutthatstuffMONEY&TIME!

Bottomlineis,withoutaprofessional,orsomeresearch,youprobablydontknowifyourdimmingsystemisleadingedge,trailingedgeorC-bus

Andultimatelywhocanbebotheredfindingout!?WellitsjustluckythatallLite$aversLEDdownlightsareCOMPATIBLEwithALLDimmingSystems!Sothatsolvesthatproblem!

MISTAKE2YourSupplierIsNotAnERACResponsibleSupplierWhoisERACandwhyaretheyimportant?

Well,ERAC,istheElectricalRegulatoryAuthoritiesCouncil,andthatnameprobablyautomaticallytellsyouwhytheyareimportant!BasicallythesearetheguyswhosaywhatsokinAustraliaandwhatsnotok!(They are the peak body of electrical safety regulators in Australia and New Zealand. ERACacts to ensure electrical safety regulatory systems are contemporary and harmonised

wherever possible.)SoanyonemanufacturingLEDs,orimportingthem,isboundtofollowtheERACregulations.BUTthatdoesntmeaneveryoneis.

Recently(March2013)ERACimplementedanewElectricalEquipmentSafetySystem(basedaroundgettinguniformityintheindustry),whichwasfirsttakenupbyQueensland,withotherstatesfollowingsuit.

ERACprotectyouasaconsumer,tomakesure,we,thesuppliers,arentrippingyouoff.Forexample,theymadearulingovertheLEDretrofitfluorescenttubereplacements.ERACexpressedseriousconcernswithelectricalsafetyissuesofboththeLEDtubesandT5/T8fluorescentlampadaptorassemblies.Theseconcernswerenotlimitedtothelampproductsthemselves;ERACwasalso

concernedwiththemodificationscarriedouttoexistingluminaires.Notonlyisitimperativethatyoubuyfromaresponsiblesupplier,butinthiscase,itsimportantyoufindafluorotubereplacementthatDOESNOTmakeALTERATIONStotheexistinglightfitting(liketheuniqueLite$aversLEDtube).WecansafelysaythatmostChineseimportsyouwillbuyoffthenetwonthaveanERACresponsiblesuppliernumber,soBUYATYOUROWNRISK.

MISTAKE3

YouBuyaCheapChineseImportthathasLowCRIandLowLumenOutputFirstlyIcanhearyouwonderingWhatOnEartharelumensandCRI?

Iwonderedthesamething!


6/13

Wetraditionallymeasureourlightinginwattsastheamountofwattsconsumedtoproducethelightsisusuallyhowwemeasurethebrightness

NEWSFLASHnotanymore!

LEDshaveturnedthisconceptonitsheaditslikethe

worldspinningintheotherdirection,itslikeRobinbeing

promotedtoBatmanitsCRRRAAAZZZYYY!Ok,maybeitsnotthatinteresting,butIfiguredifIamgettingboredexplainingthistoyou,thenyoureprobablygettingboredreadingit!

Factis,thisstuffJUSTAINTSEXY!

ButitiscrucialifyouwanttogetyourlightingrightthefirsttimeRight

Lumensitsthewaytomeasurelightalwayshasbeenbutonlyscientistsknewaboutit!Thisprettycolourfuldiagramprettymuchsumsitupforyou

Sowhatsconsideredgoodlumenoutput,andwhatsinferior?Wellenergysavinglightisallaboutreducingwattage,soyouwillfindthatmeasuringbywattsisnolongeraccurate,thefactremainstrue,generallythehigherthewattagethebrighterthelightbutonlywithINCANDESCENTandHALOGENBULBS.

E.g.Astandardhalogendownlightusuallydrawsabout50watts,andforthatyoucangetanLEDequivalentthatrangesfrom4.5throughto14watts.OurLite$avers10wattdownlightgivesout680lumens.Anythingabove650lumensisconsideredgoodfordownlights.


7/13

Remember,Lumenisthestandardunitformeasuringthebrightnessofalight.Itisequaltotheamountoflighthittingonesquarefootofsurface,onefootawayfromthelight.Essentiallythehigherthelumensthebrighterthelight.Youshouldalsoconsiderbeamspread.Forstandardceilingheightsofbetween2.4-2.7metres,awiderbeamspreadof60degreesormoreisrecommended.Anarrowerbeamspreadoflessthan50degreesisneededforceilingshigherthan2.7metres,andmorelightswillbeneeded.ColourtemperaturemattersButonlysofaraswhatyouaredoingintheroomyouarein.Itdoesntmatterwhenyouarechoosingtheamountoflumensofyournewlamp.Itisdowntopersonalpreferencewhetheryouchoosewarmwhiteorcoolwhite.However,coolwhiteisidealfortask-orientatedareaslikekitchensandlaundries,whilewarmwhitecreatesamoreintimateatmospheresuitedtobedroomsandlivingrooms.Sticktojustonecolourthroughoutanopenplanarea,otherwisethemixingofcoloursinoneopenareawilllookbad,anddistract

peopletofocusonyourlighting,ratherthanwhatitslighting.CRIorColourrenderingIndex:Isbasicallythemeasurementofhowclosethelightistothetruecolour,orinthecaseoflightingdaylight.

Whyisthismeasurementimportant?Well,youtellmewouldyoulikeyourwifeheadingoutonthetownlooking

pasty?Likeshesputhermake-uponinthedark?


8/13

MISTAKE4YouSpendYourHard-EarnedMoneyOnT8LEDTubesOnlyToFindThatYouHavetoPayAnElectricianHundreds,ifnotThousands,ToMakeChangesToYourLightFittingToMakeThemFunctional.

PaddyfromUrbanCampnearlygotdonelikethis!Paddyisoneofourchampionclients.HeistheCEOofUrbanCamp,aschoolcampforbushkidsintheheartofMelbourne.(BythewaythatsignheisholdingiswhatmotivatedUrbanCamptoinvestinLEDs). AfewyearsbacktheCityofMelbourne(whoUrbanCampleasetheirbuildingsfrom),gotasustainability/energyefficiencyreportdone.

Itrecommendedalotofupgradestogetthecamprunningatmaximumenergyefficiency,includingsolarhotwater,lightingandheatingupgrades.

Problemwas,whentheygottothebitaboutlightingupgrades,itwasgoingtocostthemover$35,000toupgrade360T8fluoros!!!(seepaddysfullstoryhere!)

ThatsINSANE!!!

Yes,LEDsareamazingtechnology,butnotamazingenoughtowarrant$35,000!TheT8/T5LEDretrofitfluorotubereplacementshavecomeafairwayinthepastfewyears,intermsoftechnologicaladvancements,butSTILL,mostrequireanelectriciantomakechangestotheluminaire(lightfitting).

Makingchangestotheluminaire

canbedangerous,andcanbeunsafe,accordingtoERAC.

Modified luminairesFor a modified luminaire, the manufacturer of the original luminaire will no longer be

responsible for compliance of the modified product. Any modifications made to the originalluminaire may alter the characteristics of the original product, for example the safety aspects ofthe original luminaire; hence compliance assessments of the original luminaire may no longerbe applicable to the modified luminaire. In this case, the modified luminaire will be consideredto be a new luminaire.(Excerpt from ERAC electrical regulatory ruling #0001 on LED & T8-T5 fluorescentlamp adaptor retrofits Nov 2011.)Sobasically,ifyoumakemodifications(ANYatall)toluminairestoenabletheretrofittingofanLEDtubeinplaceofafluorotube,itisconsideredaNEWluminaire.

That means that the manufacturer of the luminaire is no longer

interested when you call him up and say Hey, I want to make awarranty claim! or worse still , you find that after making changes to

the luminaire to accommodate the new lights- your insurance company

doesnt want to know you!


9/13

SoinregardstoT8/T5LEDtubes,youarebetteroffgoingwithonethatyoumakeNOCHANGEStoluminairewhatsoever,anditfitsin,justlikeanewfluoro.(bythewaythatswhatoursdoes!)

Notonlyisitsafer,butyousaveTHOUSANDSongettingan

electricianintoretrofitforyou(iftheyeventurnupwhenthey

saytheywill!).Whenitcomestodownlights,werecommendalwaysgettinganelectricalsafetyassessment.Usuallyitsbesttoemploytheservicesofaqualifiedelectrician.Youcantreallyentirelyavoidthecostsofanelectricianhere,excepttosaythatifyoualreadyhavedownlightsthatareplugandplay,theLite$aversdownlightkitsareanexactlikeforlikereplacement.IfyoudontwemightbethefirsttoincludeALLthebitsyouneedtomakeyourset-upplugandplay!Nowthatseasier!

MISTAKE5YouThinkYouHaveFoundABargainOneBayOnlyToRealizeThatThereIsNoProductWarrantyOrMoneyBackGuaranteeIfTheLEDDoesntWorkOrFitCorrectly.

ThereisLOADSofCRAPoneBay.ThereIsaidit!YesyoucanacquireLEDtubesordownlightsforafractionofsomeoftheothersonthemarketButitstheoldadageyougetwhatyoupayfor.Everyoneislookingforvalueformoney.Whenyouareporingoveradecisiontospendthousandsonalightingupgrade,whatdoyouseeasvalue?Itmightjustbeme,butIwantsomereassurancethatif. Ibuythewrongthing

IdontlikewhatIbought Itisntrightformydimmingsystem OneofmyLEDlampsisfaulty Mywifesuddenlygotlaidofffromworkandwecantaffordtheupgrade

anymore,Icangeta100%moneybackguarantee*,ANDawarrantyalongwarranty.Somewebsiteswillofferyouwarrantiesusuallyonly2year,butIdbesurprisedifmanyareofferinga100%moneybackguarantee.TobeperfectlyhonestwithyouthatscarestheCRAPoutofme!(thatIamofferingyoua100%moneybackguarantee),ButthatshowshowmuchLite$aversbelieveinourproducts!Buyingonlinecanbeawesome,butthereareloadsoftraps.Whilstthisreportmayhavegonesomeofthewaytoexplainingtheusualpitfalls,ithastakenme3yearstogetmyheadaroundLEDS.


10/13

IcanhonestlysayitsprobablynotworththeriskofbuyingoneBayfromChina.Knowthecompanyyouarebuyingfromandwhattheyofferasbackupaftersalesservice!

MISTAKE6

YouinstallonlyafewLEDs,andleaveyourexistinglightinginthesamedimmablecircuit.ThesinglemostcommonmistakepeoplemakeistotryjustafewLEDSinthemostusedareaofhome/office.Yougetthesparkietoputtheminandfindthatwhenyoutrytodimthem,itallgoesuptheput!Youknowyoureintroublewheneventhesparkie

looksworriedWorsestill,theelectriciansaysitsthedimmermaybe?NotlikelyMorelikely=themismatchoflightsconfusestheLEDdriverwhichreadsthechangeincurrentasasurgeandshutsitselfdowntoprotecttheLEDlamp.Sounlessyouhaveareallyswitchedonelectrician,thewordsmilkingitforwhatitsworthmay

springtomind.YouneedtoasktheinstallingelectricianssomeseriousquestionsabouttrackingthecircuitsoyouSAVEmoneywhenhesaystheremustbeashortcircuitsomewhere?Beware,Becareful,Besafe.Evenourfriendswhoareelectricianshavewastedthousandstryingtogettheresultthattheywant.

MISTAKE7YoubuyALEDDownlightOnlyToFindItOnlyDimsToAbout50%OfYourExistingHalogen.I fitted six led lamps in my bathroom and used a dimmer. The lamps flicker on

dimming why? I removed the led lamps and tested the combination in a rig whichI made and they work perfectly they dim and are stable.... But not in the ceiling

... Any ideas .. Many thanks

Unfortunately the advice given in wholesalers isn't always accurate. I put a

trailing edge dimmer in, as advised, and it doesn't dim until the last bit of the knoband even then only marginally.

Plus you get the disco effect occasionally.TheabovearequotestakenfromtheWhirlpoolforummessageboard.


11/13

Soithappens.Moreoftenthanyouthink.Infactthereisabout15pagesonthisforumofpeoplerespondingwiththesameorsimilarproblems.Thefactis,therearehardlyanydownlightsonthemarketthatarecompletelycompatiblewithuniversal,trailingedgeANDClipsalC-Busdimmingsystems.Thereasonyougetflickering,orthedownlightnotdimmingcompletelyiscomplicated.Toboot,usingnon-dimmableLEDsonadimmingsystemwilllikelyburnoutthedimmingcircuit.Typicallythemorecomplicatedthedimmingsystem(likeC-Bus)thelesslikelyitisthatyourLEDswillworkonit.Thisisbecausetheyaresensitivetotheelectricalloadandarelookingatthecurrentbeingdrawnbeforetheyactivate,butLEDs,beingsoenergyefficient,dontdrawmuchpowerandsometimesdon'tactivatethedimmer.

InferiorLEDsusingtraditionaldimmersaremorelikelytobeseentoflickerthan

traditionalhalogensastheLEDtechnologyturnsonandoffquickly,whereasa

glowingfilamentneverstopsradiatinglight.Ifyouwantyourdimmertogetdownasfaras10%,someretailerswillbesuggestingtoyouanewdimmingsystem.

WARNING:DONTGETSUCKEDINANDWASTEYOURMONEY!

Lite$aversLEDdownlightkitsarenotonlycompletelycompatiblewithanydimmingsystem;

theyDIMALLTHEWAYdownto3%!


12/13

Hopefullyyouareawake!Hopefullyyoufoundthisreporthelpful.HopefullyyouunderstandthatIhavenotevenscratchedthesurfaceofallthetechnologicaladvancementsandconsiderationsthatmustbemadewhenupgradingtoLEDs.

ThatsWhy

YouShouldGiveUsACall,oranEmailWewouldbehappytorunthroughwithyourcurrentlightingsystem,giveyouafreelightingassessment,andhelpyoumakethemostofthisfantastictechnology.

Jumpbackonthewebsitehere:www.litesavers.com.au

Checkoutproducts,

Andsomeoftheothertestimonialsfromsatisfiedclients.

Ph.1800078734oremail

[email protected]

PPS.BONUSMISTAKE!!!YouHaveNoIdeaWhatLEDReplacementisTheRightOneForYourExistingLighting

NeitherdoI!!!UntilIseeit!SowhydontyougiveLite$aversacallandwewillcomeout

obligationfreeandgiveyoualightingassessment.AlightingassessmentwillgiveyouanideaofhowmuchyourinvestmentinLEDswillbe,andhowmuchyouwillsaveeachyear,andoverthelifetimeoftheLEDlamp.Inthemeantime,intheinterestsofbeingabitmorehelpful!Especiallytothoseofyouthinkingyouknowwhatyouwant,andyoureabouttobuyitoffouronlinestore

Incandescent/

HalogensMetalHalide

Compact

Fluorescent

(CFLs)

Light

EmittingDiodes

(LEDs)Efficacy 15-25Lm/W 80-105Lm/W 40-70Lm/W 60-140Lm/W

ColourRendering

Index

CRI:

98-100

CRI:

60-70

CRI:

60-90

CRI:

70-95

Lifespan Lifespan:

3,000hours

Lifespan:

10,000hours

Lifespan:

15,000hours

Lifespan:

40,000hours


13/13

WattageComparisons

40-60 5-15 12-15 5-8

60-75 15-25 15-18 7-10

75-100 20-35 18-23 10-15

100-150 25-40 23-35 15-20

150-200 35-45 30-45 20-25

200-250 40-55 45-60 25-30

7 mistakes everyone makes when they upgrade to leds

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