The team at BG Electrical and Luceco tell us more about why engagement and feedback from those on the front line have helped to shape the development of the latest solutions to hit the market.
Many issues can hold up a lighting or wiring installation and whilst we can’t solve them all, we’ve been working hard with the nation’s electrical contractors to resolve as many as we can.
Listening to your feedback, we’ve redeveloped many of our Luceco Lighting and BG Electrical product lines, to make installation quicker, easier and more versatile in application.
Two of those ranges recently redeveloped are the Luceco FTYPE Compact LED downlights and the BG Fortress circuit protection range, both of which are now available.
FTYPE goes compact
Our new FTYPE Compact range is an evolutionary upgrade of our FTYPE range of LED downlights. With enhanced crystalline optics, the latest Samsung chips are all packed into a more compact unit for more versatility, particularly in low or obstructed ceiling voids.
Simon Shenton, Head of LED Lighting Product Development at Luceco, says: “There are several features we’ve further developed within our FTYPE Compact range to make them quicker and easier to install.
“Our Speedfit loop-in loop-out push fit terminals allows for cable to be installed in NEL-NEL order, eliminating cable cross-over for quick and orderly installation. What’s more, the terminals can be used with both solid and stranded cables, removing the need to specify different products for each cable type.
“This is also a major benefit of our Clip&fit cable clamp housing, which tightly secures both solid and stranded cable.”
He adds: “To reduce the likelihood of installation damage to plasterboard around the fitting aperture, our range is supplied with rubber shrouds on the clips and magnetic bezels that snap into place without requiring removal of the whole unit.”
A wide range of decorative bezels are available to suit every aesthetic, easily swapped to suit later changes in décor. All downlights in the range offer 100 lumens per watt output, are NHBC Certified for I-JOIST applications, 30-60-90 minute fire rated and Parts L, C and E compliant, with the 4W versions Part L exempt.
Similar to the original FTYPE, the new compact range includes fixed, adjustable and a new regressed version, which includes a regressed optic that sets the LEDs further into the downlight. This creates a lower glare and softer feel within the space illuminated.
The range also includes Dim2Warm and Colour Changing versions, providing varying lighting colour temperature options to suit different environments and preferences.
Feeding back on circuit protection
Another product group that has undergone many recent changes is the BG Fortress circuit protection range. Over the past 18 months, our product development team have worked alongside contractors to upgrade this range of products.
”Helping contractors make their installation quicker and easier has been one of the key drivers behind our ongoing design changes”, says David Cleaver, Senior Product Manager for BG Electrical.
“The recent changes have largely been focused on the construction and internal wiring of the consumer unit. We have addressed this by changing the internal wiring configuration, making it a lot easier for the incoming and outgoing cables to be installed, using sonic welded cables instead of large bulky ferrules.”
He continues: “We’ve included a quick release DIN rail and offset incomer that allows more space around the top, sides and back of the DIN rail, and entries to dress the cable. Extra support has been added to the DIN rail to make it easier and more stable when torquing the device terminals.”
The range includes combi-style screws, so the contractor only needs to use one screwdriver for installation, with backed-out and retained terminal screws preventing the inconvenience of losing screws.
To improve accuracy, an integrated spirit level helps contractors check the board is level, bringing convenience and simplifying the installation process; particularly useful when working with one pair of hands. Floating busbars are included which can be cut to size and configured for the installation requirements, offering maximum flexibility for the contractor.
All these key additions are as a result of contractor feedback, making the Fortress consumer units quicker and easier to install.
High integrity comes as standard in the Fortress Dual RCD boards, allowing the separation of important circuits, such as alarm systems and fridge freezers. With great flexibility and a highly customisable range of devices that include A Type RCDs (including 100A), A Type RCBOs, SPDs and variable board configurations, contractors can tailor their requirements to meet the latest regulations and almost any application.
We’d like to thank all those contractors that provided us with their feedback and those that worked directly with us. If you’d like to provide feedback on any of our product ranges and help us further develop our products, let us know at marketing@luceco.com.
