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The Strange and Mysterious World of LEDs

April 20, 2015
One thing has become quite clear to me recently. There’s still a lot of confusion out there on the LED front among the rank and file of electrical designers, maintenance personnel, and electrical contractors.

One thing has become quite clear to me recently. There’s still a lot of confusion out there on the LED front among the rank and file of electrical designers, maintenance personnel, and electrical contractors. And it seems to be getting worse the more this technology evolves. In the beginning, the questions were somewhat basic. How long will these lamps last? What’s the basic technology behind their operation? How much energy do they use? Where can I install them? How do I justify their high initial cost? Because early generations of this product line took on the form factor of existing lamps, there were also questions and concerns about light output — mainly as viewed by the customer. Quality of light was a big concern, but most everyone seemed to move on from these issues after a reasonable amount of time.

Then the questions quickly shifted to dimming and control and driver compatibility concerns. Why can’t I control new LED lamps with my existing dimmers? Do you really expect me to test product compatibility on my end through mock-up test installations? How do I future-proof my installations so I don’t have to change out the entire system when individual components start to fail?

But before the masses could even begin to feel comfortable about these issues, the rapid development of this technology is now giving manufacturers the flexibility to create new mechanical and optical designs never seen before. It’s no wonder the engineers and contractors that are trying to incorporate LED luminaires in their electrical design plans are scratching their heads a bit these days. And so are the maintenance professionals charged with servicing and replacing these new luminaires.

Our cover story this month, “LEDs Still a Mystery to Many Contractors,” touches upon a few of these technical issues, but mainly sheds some light on an entirely different topic — the purchasing component of an LED lighting system installation. As we all know, the Internet offers a quick and simple point of entry for new manufacturers and suppliers. That’s not a bad thing, but it opens the door for those interested in supplying cheap and unproven products into the market. It also makes it much more difficult for a buyer to assess quality and compare specs from various suppliers.

But purchasing problems aren’t specific to the online world. Contractors are also struggling to get the technical information they need from their traditional local electrical distributors. When they don’t get the service they feel they deserve from their trusted local distributor, they are forced to take matters back into their own hands — and that means heading right back to the Internet in search of answers.

One of the key points made in this article is that buyers must match the right product to the application at hand and make sure they can rely on the supplier for future service and support — no matter what type of product you’re buying. In other words, when buying online, it’s important to be extremely cautious.

Dumb lighting systems are a dying breed. Success on the LED lighting front will be based on smart product purchases and technical proficiency in the areas of network control systems, sensors, digital interfaces, software, and building automation systems. If you don’t keep pace with this new technology and make smart purchasing decisions, then you just might disappear too.

About the Author

MIKE EBY | Senior Director of Content - Buildings

Mike received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering in 1986 and an M.S. degree in engineering management in 1994 from the University of South Florida. He is currently a member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), and American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE).

Prior to joining EC&M as Editor-in-Chief in September 1999, Mike served as the Executive Editor of Transmission & Distribution World magazine for five years. Before joining Penton Media, Mike held various engineering titles within the Substation and Transmission Engineering Groups at Florida Power & Light Co., Juno Beach, FL.

Mike was awarded the Southeastern Electric Exchange (SEE) Excellence in Engineering Award in 1993 and has received numerous regional and national editorial awards for his reporting and writing work in the electrical market.

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