Glen Krise, Managing Director of MEGAMAN UK guides you through the halogen ban as the phase out begins this month.
Halogen directional lamps are being phased out across Europe this month (September). This is because they are a highly inefficient and expensive way of lighting any space, when compared to LEDs. With the advances in LED lighting technology, there are now a wide range of exceptional alternatives to halogen lamps.
Here is how to prepare for the ban in September and communicate the benefits of LEDs to your clients…
The 1st September 2016 ban applies to reflector lamps. There will be a further ban in 2018 of the remaining halogen lamps.
LEDs save money
Although LED lamps are initially more expensive to buy than halogens, here is what your customers need to know:
- LEDs last a lot longer – ONE MEGAMAN LED GU10 lamp can last more than 12 times longer than a halogen equivalent
- LEDs cost a lot less to run once installed – By replacing six 50W halogen downlights with six MEGAMAN LED 6W GU10’s, the electricity savings are £53.81 per year, over the lifetime of the LED lamps the saving in energy alone could be over £900
- LEDs reduce CO2 emissions, helping the environment – By switching just six halogens, 209kg of CO2 is saved per year. Imagine the impact on CO2 emissions if this was multiplied across every home in the UK?
To tailor cost savings for a particular retrofit or new build project, the MEGAMAN ‘cost-of-ownership’ tool is a quick and easy way to work out actual savings achieved by switching from halogens to LEDs.
Here are some pointers when purchasing and fitting the latest LEDs to ensure a successful transition…
Using dimmable LEDs
The number one rule for successfully dimming LED lighting is to make sure that the LEDs used are actually dimmable (this is stated on the packaging).
MEGAMAN has introduced new U-Dim technology to ensure that lamps that include this innovation are compatible with the widest possible range of both Leading-edge and Trailing-edge dimmers as well as allowing a dim down to just 5%.
Choosing dimmable lamps doesn’t guarantee good dimming performance however. To ensure total compatibility, remember to check the lamp manufacturer’s list of LEDs and compatible dimmers.
Choosing the best lamp for the job
- Warm or cool? – Unlike halogens, LED lamps come in cool white (4000K +) and warm white varieties (2800K-3000K). It is worth checking with your customer what type of light they need before purchasing to avoid disappointment. Also, thanks to technological advances, LEDs from reputable manufacturers also deliver true colour-representation, avoiding the ‘off blue’ colour so prevalent when using lower quality LEDs.
- Lumens NOT wattage!– Gone are the days when swapping a lamp based on its wattage was a safe bet. It is now all about lumens. The lumen (lm) is the real measurement for brightness provided by a lamp and is the number to focus on when choosing a suitable LED.
To download a printable sheet on the benefits of LEDs to give to your customers, or to find out more about the latest halogen equivalent LED products available, such as MEGAMAN’s latest Dim to Warm range, why not visit www.planfortheban.eu?
