An LED Lighting Service: A Potential Key to Widespread Adoption

In an effort to work around the problem of LED lighting currently being too expensive for the average consumer, one company is looking to turn the technology into a service.

That is the essentially the core concept of Digital Lumens’ plan to provide LED lighting and energy management services, instead of outright selling their equipment. The startup company, based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is looking to launch its niche services in early 2013, this according to a statement by CEO Tom Pincince. Part of their service plan’s guarantee is providing enough lighting to ensure a good working environment for employees.

He noted that consumers today typically look at lighting equipment, such as light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, as a purchase. And because of the ability of LEDs to be integrated with smart lighting control systems, their services could one day expand to managing an intelligent lighting system remotely.

Appeal

What makes the service planned by Digital Lumens appealing revolves around how the LED fixtures can be wirelessly connected through, and how they come packed with processors and sensors that create a lighting system that can be adjusted to the specific needs of certain areas inside an office.

For instance, an office can have lights automatically dimmed when no workers are around, or immediately switch to full power when the shades are drawn (e.g. PowerPoint presentations and film screenings).

Components

Digital Lumens doesn’t do any R&D on the LED components themselves, instead choosing to use products from Cree. The company designs unique lighting systems and have created their own lighting management software.

The company is looking to aim its services on the industrial sector, which involves illuminating spaces such as warehouses and factories.

Hampshire Parks Finally Get Budget for Overhaul of Lights to LEDs

Hampshire, a county located along the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom, is now a step closer to achieving its goal of reducing carbon emissions, thanks to its local council approving the proposal to convert existing streetlights into more energy efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lamps for its two national parks.

The project, which will cost around £1 million, involves the replacement of approximately 3,600 traditional streetlights to LED lamps, which are not only more energy efficient, but also have the ability to be dimmed. The LEDs are provided Urbis and WRTL, and will be distributed across the New Forest and South Downs National Parks. 

Proponents of the project estimate that the new LED park lights will lead to £24,000 in energy savings each year—of course, that figure will depend on how high or low the cost of electricity will be. Moreover, the LEDs are also expected to help reduce Hampshire’s carbon emissions by up to 138 metric tonnes.

The public has thankfully met the new initiative with open arms. Graham Bryant, Hampshire Astronomical Group chairman and a member of the Campaign for Dark Skies, an organisation that seeks to solve the problem of light pollution, notes that LED lights are better since they are more controllable. 

He points out that LEDs are capable of being tweaked to display most of its light towards the ground, instead of towards the sky, as is the case with conventional streetlights that throw as much as 30 percent of their light upwards. 

The initial phase of Hampshire’s retrofit project will begin on May 2013 in Petersfield, and September 2013 in Brockenhurst. The target completion date of the project is set for March 2015.

Bay Bridge Shows Off Amazing Light Display of LEDs

The San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, known locally as the Bay Bridge, celebrated its 75th anniversary last year, and to mark the occasion, it’s getting a new touch of light delivered by LEDs.

Around 25,000 light-emitting diode (LED) lights will be installed across the Bay Bridge’s western span during the course of the next several months; the project is part of a 2-year art installation that pays tribute to the bridge’s anniversary and its colourful history.

Ben Davis: Visionary

Two years after the proposal of the ambitious art project, Ben Davis and his team, The Bay Lights, are finally in the crucial stage of hanging the lights. The group has secured all the necessary permits for the installation of LEDs and has amassed close to $8 million of the funds required to bring his brainchild to life. 

According to Davis, the LEDs will finally be strung on the bridge in October, which will culminate in a grand lighting ceremony during the project’s completion in March 2013. 

Installation Begins, Artist Leo Villareal on Board

This October, crews will finally begin the task of installing the art project, which was conceptualised by lighting designer Leo Villareal—he has already created similar lighting sculptures and installations in public spaces and museums, and this will be one of his largest yet.

The installation features around 25,000 LED lights, each one programmable and attached to the Bay Bridge’s suspension cables, which span 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometres) of the bridge’s northern section.

The LEDs, designed to work in unison, will display elaborate lighting displays, which will be programmed by Villareal himself. 

Cost and Return of Investment

The Bay Lights managed to do the nearly impossible task of amassing over 60 percent of the $8 million in private funding to make the installation possible. Even more impressive is how the group managed to secure permits from various authorities in the San Francisco – Oakridge area. 

What’s more, a commissioned study by the project’s organisers project that the installation will help bring in close to $100 million in revenue for San Francisco—the money is predicted to come from visitors coming to view the art installation.

The Bay Lights from Words Pictures Ideas on Vimeo.

Nova Scotia Makes the Switch to LED Lights

It’s official—the Province of Nova Scotia in Canada has passed a law that will mandate the conversion of all 120,000 roadway lights in the Province to energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lights, an initiative that’s expect to help gain $5 million in annual energy savings once completed.

The project, estimated to be completed by 2023, sets Nova Scotia apart as the first jurisdiction in all of North America to make the use of energy-efficient LED lights for roadway lighting mandatory.

Nova Scotia Energy Minister Charlie Parker officially finalized the amendments to the Province’s Energy-Efficient Appliances Regulations on September 14. He points out that with the transition to LED-powered roadway lights, the entire Province could stand to save millions of dollars through the sheer savings LEDs bring to the table, as they use less than half the electricity of the current lighting setup.

Moreover, Parker notes that this reduced consumption of energy could pave the way for better air quality for the Province and a smaller carbon footprint on the environment.

Nova Scotia is estimated to have 120,000 streetlights, and according to the new regulations, Nova Scotiat Power will have to convert all of them to LEDs by 2019. Municipalities on the other hand, will have until December 2022. Nova Scotia Power owns and operates the majority of all streetlights within the Province, while the remaining 10 percent of roadway lighting are under the jurisdiction of Nova Scotia’s municipalities.

The plan to change Nova Scotia’s streetlights to LEDs was spearheaded by Province Premier Darrell Dexter, Province Premier Darrell Dexter in 2011. The announcement comes in the heels of many other communities in North America and the rest of the world making moves to  make the switch to LED lights, due to their increased durability (leading to fewer maintenance costs) and superb energy efficiency.

Philips Sees Africa as Potential Market for LED Lighting Solutions

Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting solutions, combined with solar power technology, may have the potential to provide cheap light to poor communities all over the world.

According to Philips Lighting Africa marketing manager, John Westermeyer, the combination of LED lighting technology together with solar power solutions paves the way for impoverished communities to finally have access to cheap, perhaps even free, illumination, particularly at night. With LEDs drawing far less power than any other lighting solution on the market, it’s the perfect companion to solar power, which drastically enhances the lifetime of LEDs.

Philips, which used to be the dominant force in the world of electronics, recently shifted its focus towards developing energy solutions. The company is setting its gaze on developing products and systems for developing markets, such as many countries in the African continent.

While Philips lost its top place to South Korean giants Samsung and LG in the LED television market, the company is setting its sights on Africa as an emerging market for LED lighting technologies. LEDs stand out for their superb energy efficiency, using a mere 10 to 20 percent of the electricity used by traditional lights and generating the same lighting power. Moreover, LEDs have a longer lifespan, with some products boasting of ratings of up to 50,000 hours.

As a sign of its commitment to lighting up impoverished communities in Africa, Philips recently launched an off-the-grid electricity programme in Lomshiyo, Mpumalanga. The company also plans to launch a similar project in Cape Town.

Philips ambitious plans, however, have not been without critics. Westermeyer vocally shut down suggestions of the company using the programme as a marketing strategy, saying that the small-scale electrification of communities in Africa with LED lights and solar power is viable and a huge area of focus for Philips.

City Hall Park in Los Angeles Switches to LED Lights

As proof of how aggressive LED lighting has been in the medium-scale to large lighting projects sector, another lighting project has just been completed, this time in the City Hall Park of Los Angeles.

The park surrounding Los Angeles City hall has just been outfitted with multiple LED lights, as part of a medium-scale renovation project that’s estimated to cost around 1 million USD, with the goal of making City Hall more energy efficient.

China’s LED Lighting Market Driven by Desire to Save Money and Energy

According to the China Securities Journal, China’s market for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for commercial applications, such as lighting up establishments like malls and offices, is continually opening up in the country, this despite a number of problems affecting the industry.

Guangzhou Hongli Opto-Electronic Co., Ltd. chairperson Li Guoping, notes that the promotion and adoption of LED lights has so far been the strongest for commercial buildings, malls and business offices. Not surprisingly, this follows a worldwide trend of offices and malls being the first to recognise LEDs for their benefits, despite being more expensive than conventional light sources.

Seoul Looking to Make the Switch to LED Lighting

Seoul, Korea’s capital, is planning on investing more resources in LED lighting retrofit projects for the benefit of public areas and to spurn Korea’s public sector to install light-emitting diodes in their facilities and establishments.

Seoul Metropolitan Government recently announced its plans to replace the conventional lights found in public areas such as city government offices, streets and major roads, and subway stations with LED lighting before the end of 2018.

Streetlights in Wiltshire, England may be Shut Down amidst Energy Saving Project Debates

Close to half of all streetlights in the South West England county of Wiltshire may be switched off, as council chiefs in the community debate on the best projects to save energy and money. At least 20,000 lights are at risk for being shut down, leaving many streets all over the county in the dark—that is, if council is unable to find a more sustainable lighting solution.

Lights in Wiltshire may be switched off between the hours of 12 midnight and 5:30 in the early morning in towns and rural areas all over the county. If no solution to this drastic measure is found, Wiltshire stands to become the first local authority in South West England to go from trail switch offs of lights, to a grand-scale shut down of streetlights. For many people in the area, it’s a gloomy return to the pre-Victorian days of total darkness.

India Looks to Provide Incentives for LED Light Buyers

Move over compact fluorescent lamps—there’s a new darling in town.

The Delhi government is currently promoting light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as a competing lighting product against compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which have been shunned by some consumers due to their toxic components. Touted by the government as a superior alternative, LEDs are praised not just for being more energy efficient than CFLs, but for also being easy and safe to dispose and recycle since they contain no traces of mercury.

The high prices of LEDs in India have stifled efforts for consumers to seriously consider them as viable lighting solutions at home (they cost up to 5 times more than the average CFL in India) but the government is looking at offering tax breaks to consumers in an effort to entice them to buy LEDs.

Saving on your Electric Bill: Pair AC Unites with LEDs

For many people around the world, the month of July represents the peak of summer. In fact, you might have heard of heat waves hitting many regions in the United States. As you probably know, when it’s summer, it’s imperative that you turn up those air conditioning units to keep cool and survive the scorching temperatures. However, this comes at a price, namely in the form of a more robust electric bill.

Since you can’t exactly turn of your air conditioning unit to save electricity, you’ll have to look for some other solutions. You may not know it, but home lighting is something that actually kills your electric bill in more ways than one. First, let’s start with heat.

English Entrepreneur Joins LED Revolution with Start-up

LED technology is paving the way for start-ups to capitalise on the growing need for more energy efficient solutions on a residential and commercial level. All over the world, businessmen from different backgrounds are looking into the possibilities LEDs have to offer.

Tony Carter of East Yorkshire, England, is one such entrepreneur. Formerly working as an aircraft engineer, he hopes to join the business of supplying LED light bulbs as the interest and demand for energy-efficient lighting continues to grow. Carter says the demand for methods to decrease electricity bills and cut carbon emissions has made the energy saving lighting market a highly lucrative sector for new entrepreneurs to invest in.