7

Mistakes Everyone Makes When They Upgrade to LEDs

Rip off, Scams and Costly Mistakes To Avoid When Upgrading to LEDs
Save Money & Frustration By Reading This Report First
You Are Not Stupid!

We know that already as you are here, researching ways that you can save Money, Carbon Emissions AND Time, and that gives you a big head start over the bloke next door! Did your last energy bill kill your bank account? Or at least make you pretty annoyed having to pay it? I know mine seems to have jumped by $50 just in fees and government scheme charges alone, and it just seems like wasted money to me.

Do you want to just put on another Jumper?

No, me neither. I want solutions that are going to Easy, Sustainable and Comfortable to maintain. Upgrading to LEDs is exactly thatEasy & Sustainable

Unless you make one of these 7 Costly mistakes

1. You Buy the Wrong Replacement Lamp and Its NOT Compatible With Your Dimmer System. 2. Your Supplier Is Not an ERAC Responsible Supplier

Well here they arethe traps and tricks of this new innovation:

3. You Buy a Cheap Chinese Import that has Low CRI and Low Lumen Output 4. You Spend Your Hard-Earned Money On T8 LED Tubes Only To Find That You Have to Pay An Electrician Hundreds, if not Thousands, To Make Changes To Your Light Fitting To Make Them Functional. 5. You Think You Have Found A Bargain On eBay Only To Realize That There Is No Product Warranty And No Money Back Guarantee If The LED Doesnt Work Or Fit Correctly. 6. You try a few LEDs, and leave some of your existing lighting in the same dimmable circuit. 7. You buy A LED Downlight Only To Find It Only Dims To About 50% Of Your Existing Halogen. No one has time to sit online researching for months, learning about a whole new technology just to save some cash. So we have put together this report that helps you Avoid the Biggest Mistakes and Misconceptions of LED Lighting.

MISTAKE 1 You Buy the Wrong Replacement and It Isnt Compatible With Your Dimmer System.

There are hundreds and thousands of LED lamps, bulbs or lighting systems on the market, and you wouldnt be the first to get overwhelmed and completely confused trying to ensure you spend your money on the right one, the first time! When I started this business over 3 years ago, I was completely overwhelmed! But I knew what I needed, I needed a halogen downlight replacement that; Wasnt going to cost me the earth Wasnt going to require a bulb change every 5 minutes as my Halogens were blowing out way too often! Was COMPATIBLE with my Clipsal c-Bus (computerized) dimming system? LEDs had reduced in price enough to warrant my invest in them, and they also met my longevity requirements.

BUT finding an LED that was compatible with Clipsal c-Bus was another question altogether! There were some downlights on the market that claim to be leading edge and trailing edge compatible, but NONE that I could find that were Clipsal c-Bus compatible, let alone compatible with ALL dimming systems. Let me explain a little more about dimming systems and why we use them. You might have a house you are looking at retrofitting LEDs to replace your halogen downlights. OR You might be building and want to fit LEDs from the start. Either way, dimming systems are great because; They save energy you can regulate light internally depending on availability of sunlight. You can control which lights are on, and where depending on what parts of the house/ business you are occupying. You can adjust the lighting level to match the task you are undertakinge.g. Cooking vs making out on the couch! Generally dimmers just make your lighting that bit more comfortable and functional. When using an LED, through conditioning we expect a similar experience to what an incandescent would give us. Whilst some LED lamps are marked as compatible with incandescent/ halogen dimmers, your idea of what is Dimmable and the manufacturers idea of Dimmable are probably very different! (After all they want to make sales and cut costs). You are likely to get some unexpected and pretty average results when you use a dimmable LED lamp with an incandescent / halogen dimmer, including: Reduced dimming range Flickering or fluttering of the lamp Inconsistent performance depending on how many lamps you have running off the one dimmer.

Digging a bit deeper, the main causes for the incompatibility are these:
Is your dimmer a leading edge, trailing edge OR C-bus Dimming system? Each of these systems are different in how they alter/use the voltage waveform. Switch off here if you arent interested in the science behind it! (WATCH OUT IT GETS A BIT TECHY AND BORING)

Varying loads, mixed results Although there are applications where LED lamps will operate with an incandescent dimmer, in general, an incandescent dimmer will provide inconsistent performance with SSL. A major issue is in the design of each lamp type. The incandescent lamp by nature represents a simple resistive load with a linear response to the dimmer set point (Fig. 1).

Fig.1
Standard incandescent dimmers work particularly well with this type of load by switching on at an adjustable phase angle after the start of each alternating current half-cycle, thereby altering the voltage waveform applied to lamps. By switching instead of absorbing part of the voltage supplied, minimal power is wasted, and dimming can occur almost instantaneously. In contrast, LED lamp loads can vary greatly across different manufacturers and designs. But most can be characterized by a diode-capacitor power supply feeding a constant current source (Fig. 2).

The diodes rectify the applied AC voltage, allowing it to charge the storage capacitor, while the LED elements draw a constant current from the power supply that is related to the desired dimming level and brightness. What makes this type of load significantly different from incandescent lamps is the non-linear relationship in which the applied voltage and the current flowing into the load are related. In incandescent lamps, as Fig 1 shows, the applied voltage across the load and the resulting current flowing through the load are related linearly by Ohms Law (V = IR). In this case, the resistance sets the scale, and the current waveform follows the voltage waveform, differing only by scale. In LED loads, the applied voltage and resulting current flow are not related by a simple linear relationship. In the diode-capacitor power supply model of the LED lamp, current flows from the applied voltage to the load only when the magnitude of the applied voltage exceeds the stored voltage on the power supply capacitor. The stored voltage on the power supply capacitor, in turn, depends on the current drawn by the LED elements themselves, which is a function of the LED brightness. Therefore, the current flowing from the supply to the lamp depends both on the instantaneous value of the input AC voltage waveform and the brightness of the LED lamp. Changing the intensity or dimming level of the LED lamp affects where in the AC line cycle the load begins to draw current. This inflection point also affects the amount of current that surges into the lamp. The relationship between these current peaks, and the times in each line cycle where these current peaks occur, depends non-linearly on the lamp design, the LED brightness and the set dimming level.
(thanks LEDs Magazine for that excellent BORING description!)

Yawn!

 Right WAKE UP, here is the reason you care about that stuff MONEY & TIME!

Bottom line is, without a professional, or some research, you probably dont know if your dimming system is leading edge, trailing edge or C-bus And ultimately who can be bothered finding out!? Well its just lucky that all Lite$avers LED downlights are COMPATIBLE with ALL Dimming Systems! So that solves that problem!

MISTAKE 2 Your Supplier Is Not An ERAC Responsible Supplier

Who is ERAC and why are they important? Well, ERAC, is the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council, and that name probably automatically tells you why they are important! Basically these are the guys who say whats ok in Australia and whats not ok!
(They are the peak body of electrical safety regulators in Australia and New Zealand. ERAC acts to ensure electrical safety regulatory systems are contemporary and harmonised wherever possible.)

So anyone manufacturing LEDs, or importing them, is bound to follow the ERAC regulations. BUT that doesnt mean everyone is. Recently (March 2013) ERAC implemented a new Electrical Equipment Safety System (based around getting uniformity in the industry), which was first taken up by Queensland, with other states following suit. ERAC protect you as a consumer, to make sure, we, the suppliers, arent ripping you off. For example, they made a ruling over the LED retrofit fluorescent tube replacements. ERAC expressed serious concerns with electrical safety issues of both the LED tubes and T5/T8 fluorescent lamp adaptor assemblies. These concerns were not limited to the lamp products themselves; ERAC was also concerned with the modifications carried out to existing luminaires. Not only is it imperative that you buy from a responsible supplier, but in this case, its important you find a fluoro tube replacement that DOES NOT make ALTERATIONS to the existing light fitting (like the unique Lite$avers LED tube). We can safely say that most Chinese imports you will buy off the net wont have an ERAC responsible supplier number, so BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK.

MISTAKE 3 You Buy a Cheap Chinese Import that has Low CRI and Low Lumen Output

Firstly I can hear you wondering What On Earth are lumens and CRI? I wondered the same thing!

We traditionally measure our lighting in wattsas the amount of watts consumed to produce the lights is usually how we measure the brightness NEWSFLASHnot anymore!

LEDs have turned this concept on its headits like the world spinning in the other direction, its like Robin being promoted to Batmanits CRRRAAAZZZYYY!
Ok, maybe its not that interesting, but I figured if I am getting bored explaining this to you, then youre probably getting bored reading it!

But it is crucial if you want to get your lighting right the first time Right Lumens its the way to measure light always has been but only scientists knew about it! This pretty colourful diagram pretty much sums it up for you

Fact is, this stuff JUST AINT SEXY!

So whats considered good lumen output, and whats inferior? Well energy saving light is all about reducing wattage, so you will find that measuring by watts is no longer accurate, the fact remains true, generally the higher the wattage the brighter the light but only with INCANDESCENT and HALOGEN BULBS. E.g. A standard halogen downlight usually draws about 50 watts, and for that you can get an LED equivalent that ranges from 4.5 through to 14 watts. Our Lite$avers 10watt downlight gives out 680 lumens. Anything above 650 lumens is considered good for downlights.

Remember, Lumen is the standard unit for measuring the brightness of a light. It is equal to the amount of light hitting one square foot of surface, one foot away from the light. Essentially the higher the lumens the brighter the light. You should also consider beam spread. For standard ceiling heights of between 2.4-2.7 metres, a wider beam spread of 60 degrees or more is recommended. A narrower beam spread of less than 50 degrees is needed for ceilings higher than 2.7 metres, and more lights will be needed. Colour temperature matters But only so far as what you are doing in the room you are in. It doesnt matter when you are choosing the amount of lumens of your new lamp. It is down to personal preference whether you choose warm white or cool white. However, cool white is ideal for task-orientated areas like kitchens and laundries, while warm white creates a more intimate atmosphere suited to bedrooms and living rooms. Stick to just one colour throughout an open plan area, otherwise the mixing of colours in one open area will look bad, and distract people to focus on your lighting, rather than what its lighting. CRI or Colour rendering Index: Is basically the measurement of how close the light is to the true colour, or in the case of lighting daylight. Why is this measurement important? Well, you tell mewould you like your wife heading out on the town looking pasty? Like shes put her make-up on in the dark?

MISTAKE 4 You Spend Your Hard-Earned Money On T8 LED Tubes Only To Find That You Have to Pay An Electrician Hundreds, if not Thousands, To Make Changes To Your Light Fitting To Make Them Functional.
Paddy is one of our champion clients. He is the CEO of Urban Camp, a school camp for bush kids in the heart of Melbourne. (By the way that sign he is holding is what motivated Urban Camp to invest in LEDs). A few years back the City of Melbourne (who Urban Camp lease their buildings from), got a sustainability/ energy efficiency report done. It recommended a lot of upgrades to get the camp running at maximum energy efficiency, including solar hot water, lighting and heating upgrades. Problem was, when they got to the bit about lighting upgrades, it was going to cost them over $35,000 to upgrade 360 T8 fluoros!!! (see paddys full story here!)

Paddy from Urban Camp nearly got done like this!

Thats INSANE!!!
Yes, LEDs are amazing technology, but not amazing enough to warrant $35,000! The T8/ T5 LED retrofit fluoro tube replacements have come a fair way in the past few years, in terms of technological advancements, but STILL, most require an electrician to make changes to the luminaire (light fitting). Making changes to the luminaire can be dangerous, and can be unsafe, according to ERAC.
Modified luminaires For 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 original luminaire may alter the characteristics of the original product, for example the safety aspects of the original luminaire; hence compliance assessments of the original luminaire may no longer be applicable to the modified luminaire. In this case, the modified luminaire will be considered to be a new luminaire. (Excerpt from ERAC electrical regulatory ruling #0001 on LED & T8-T5 fluorescent
lamp adaptor retrofits Nov 2011.)

So basically, if you make modifications (ANY at all) to luminaires to enable the retrofitting of an LED tube in place of a fluoro tube, it is considered a NEW luminaire.

That means that the manufacturer of the luminaire is no longer interested when you call him up and say Hey, I want to make a warranty 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!

 So in regards to T8/T5 LED tubes, you are better off going with one that you make NO CHANGES to luminaire whatsoever, and it fits in, just like a new fluoro. (by the way thats what ours does!)

Not only is it safer, but you save THOUSANDS on getting an electrician in to retrofit for you (if they even turn up when they say they will!).
When it comes to downlights, we recommend always getting an electrical safety assessment. Usually its best to employ the services of a qualified electrician. You cant really entirely avoid the costs of an electrician here, except to say that if you already have downlights that are plug and play, the Lite$avers downlight kits are an exact like for like replacement. If you dontwe might be the first to include ALL the bits you need to make your set-up plug and play! Now thats easier!

MISTAKE 5 You Think You Have Found A Bargain On eBay Only To Realize That There Is No Product Warranty Or Money Back Guarantee If The LED Doesnt Work Or Fit Correctly.

There is LOADS of CRAP on eBay.

There I said it! Yes you can acquire LED tubes or downlights for a fraction of some of the others on the market But its the old adageyou get what you pay for. Everyone is looking for value for money. When you are poring over a decision to spend thousands on a lighting upgrade, what do you see as value? It might just be me, but I want some reassurance that if. I buy the wrong thing I dont like what I bought It isnt right for my dimming system One of my LED lamps is faulty My wife suddenly got laid off from work and we cant afford the upgrade anymore, I can get a 100% money back guarantee*, AND a warrantya long warranty. Some websites will offer you warrantiesusually only 2 year, but Id be surprised if many are offering a 100% money back guarantee. To be perfectly honest with you that scares the CRAP out of me! (that I am offering you a 100% money back guarantee), But that shows how much Lite$avers believe in our products! Buying online can be awesome, but there are loads of traps. Whilst this report may have gone some of the way to explaining the usual pitfalls, it has taken me 3 years to get my head around LEDS.

I can honestly say its probably not worth the risk of buying on eBay from China. Know the company you are buying fromand what they offer as back up after sales service!

MISTAKE 6 You install only a few LEDs, and leave your existing lighting in the same dimmable circuit.
The single most common mistake people make is to try just a few LEDS in the most used area of home/office. You get the sparkie to put them in and find that when you try to dim them , it all goes up the put! You know youre in trouble when even the sparkie looks worried Worse still, the electrician says its the dimmer maybe? Not likely More likely = the mismatch of lights confuses the LED driver which reads the change in current as a surge and shuts itself down to protect the LED lamp. So unless you have a really switched on electrician, the words milking it for what its worth may spring to mind. You need to ask the installing electricians some serious questions about tracking the circuit so you SAVE money when he says there must be a short circuit somewhere? Beware, Be careful, Be safe. Even our friends who are electricians have wasted thousands trying to get the result that they want.

MISTAKE 7

You buy A LED Downlight Only To Find It Only Dims To About 50% Of Your Existing Halogen.

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 which I 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 knob and even then only marginally. Plus you get the disco effect occasionally.

The above are quotes taken from the Whirlpool forum message board.

So it happens. More often than you think. In fact there is about 15 pages on this forum of people responding with the same or similar problems. The fact is, there are hardly any downlights on the market that are completely compatible with universal, trailing edge AND Clipsal C-Bus dimming systems. The reason you get flickering, or the downlight not dimming completely is complicated. To boot, using non-dimmable LEDs on a dimming system will likely burn out the dimming circuit. Typically the more complicated the dimming system (like C-Bus) the less likely it is that your LEDs will work on it. This is because they are sensitive to the electrical load and are looking at the current being drawn before they activate, but LEDs, being so energy efficient, dont draw much power and sometimes don't activate the dimmer. Inferior LEDs using traditional dimmers are more likely to be seen to flicker than traditional halogens as the LED technology turns on and off quickly, whereas a glowing filament never stops radiating light. If you want your dimmer to get down as far as 10%, some retailers will be suggesting to you a new dimming system. WARNING: DONT GET SUCKED IN AND WASTE YOUR MONEY!

Lite$avers LED downlight kits are not only completely compatible with any dimming system; they DIM ALL THE WAY down to 3 %!

Hopefully you are awake! Hopefully you found this report helpful. Hopefully you understand that I have not even scratched the surface of all the technological advancements and considerations that must be made when upgrading to LEDs. Thats Why You Should Give Us A Call, or an Email We would be happy to run through with your current lighting system, give you a free lighting assessment, and help you make the most of this fantastic technology.

Jump back on the website here: www.litesavers.com.au Check out products, And some of the other testimonials from satisfied clients. Ph. 1800 078 734 or email info@litesavers.com.au For a free lighting assessment today

PPS. BONUS MISTAKE!!! You Have No Idea What LED Replacement is The Right One For Your Existing Lighting Neither do I!!!
Until I see it! So why dont you give Lite$avers a call and we will come out obligation free and give you a lighting assessment. A lighting assessment will give you an idea of how much your investment in LEDs will be, and how much you will save each year, and over the lifetime of the LED lamp. In the meantime, in the interests of being a bit more helpful! Especially to those of you thinking you know what you want, and youre about to buy it off our online store
Incandescent / Halogens Metal Halide 80-105 Lm/W CRI: 60-70 Lifespan: 10,000 hours Compact Fluorescent (CFLs) 40-70 Lm/W CRI: 60-90 Lifespan: 15,000 hours Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) 60-140 Lm/W CRI: 70-95 Lifespan: 40,000 hours

Efficacy 15-25 Lm/W Colour Rendering CRI: Index 98-100 Lifespan Lifespan: 3,000 hours

 40 - 60 60 - 75 75 - 100 100-150 150-200 200-250

5-15 15-25 20-35 25-40 35-45 40-55

Wattage Comparisons 12-15 15-18 18-23 23-35 30-45 45-60

5-8 7-10 10-15 15-20 20-25 25-30