Alexander Bürkle – Lighting conversion 2023: Efficient alternatives for outdated light sources

August 30, 2023
Alexander Burkle

Impending change is knocking on the door

 

It’s time to start thinking seriously about alternative lighting options.

By the end of August the conventional linear T5 and T8 fluorescent lamps will disappear from the market, followed by most low and high voltage halogen lamps by the beginning of September.

 

Since 2009, lamps that are inefficient or contain pollutants have been pushed out of the market. Linear T5 and T8 fluorescent lamps are now on the agenda from August 25th and most low- and high-voltage halogen lamps from September 1st. There are occasional reports of a total ban, but this is untrue: as usual, existing lamps will be allowed to continue to be used and existing stock to be sold.

We may recall how, in the transition from traditional incandescent bulbs, shrewd minds bought up large amounts of the remaining inventory and sold it over an extended period of time. The alternatives of the time, such as the “energy-saving lamp” or the up-and-coming LED technology, initially created uncertainty among many people. But over the years this fear of progress faded: LEDs were appreciated and widely accepted for their numerous advantages. In the case of fluorescent lighting, there is unlikely to be a similar emergence of leftovers as manufacturers have been phasing out the older technology for some time. This also applies to inventories in electrical wholesalers.

The LED fluorescent lamps are characterized by their efficiency and pioneering technology. All well-known manufacturers offer products that enable a smooth transition. In many cases, old lights can easily be converted to LED, but this is not always the case. If you have any questions, competent specialists in the electrical wholesale trade will be happy to help.

In addition, it is advisable to use the upcoming change as an opportunity and learn about smart lighting solutions in order to achieve maximum efficient results. The lighting industry agrees that LED technology is mature and groundbreaking increases in efficiency are no longer to be expected. Significant electricity savings can only be achieved through networked, intelligent systems that can, for example, adjust the lighting control as required. There are even plug-and-play solutions for retrofits that install quickly and can be controlled via apps and wireless communication. The technical experts in the electrical wholesale trade are happy to calculate how quickly the investment in these new lighting solutions will pay off for customers.

 

SourceAlexander Bürkle

EMR Analysis

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EMR Additional Notes:

  • LED:
    • LED stands for light emitting diode. LED lighting products produce light up to 90% more efficiently than incandescent light bulbs. How do they work? An electrical current passes through a microchip, which illuminates the tiny light sources we call LEDs and the result is visible light.
    • A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons.
  • LED vs. Halogen:
    • Halogen bulbs, while lasting longer than incandescent bulbs, only last up to 2,000 hours. In contrast, LED bulbs can last up to 25,000 hours, and LED tubes are rated for up to 50,000 hours. LED bulbs can use as much as 80% percent less energy than halogen bulbs.
    • There’s obviously a clear winner when it comes to LED vs halogen lighting. LED lights are more energy-efficient, have a longer lifespan, and offer more choices in color temperature. They do cost a little more, but their extremely long lifespan easily offsets the higher upfront cost.
  • microLED:
    • Compared to widespread LCD technology, microLED displays offer better contrast, response times, and energy efficiency. They are also capable of high speed modulation, and have been proposed for chip-to-chip interconnect applications.
    • MicroLED prototype displays have been shown to offer up to 10 times more brightness than the best OLED panel while being significantly more power efficient, making them an exciting new technology in the world of displays.
  • OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode):
    • This refers to the panel that’s used inside an OLED TV – or any other kind of OLED screen. So it’s the OLED panel makes OLED TVs stand out in comparison to other types of panels. You’ll also find CRT (cathode ray tube), LED (light-emitting diode), LCD (liquid crystal display), or QLED (quantum dot).
    • LED LCD screens use a backlight to illuminate their pixels, while OLED’s pixels produce their own light. You might hear OLED’s pixels called ‘self-emissive’, while LCD tech is ‘transmissive’. The light of an OLED display can be controlled on a pixel-by-pixel basis.
    • OLED TVs should offer better overall eye comfort than QLED and any other LCD-based screen, because OLED produces significantly less blue light than LED-backlit QLED TVs.

 

  • CFL & CFLni:
    • There are two types of CFLs — integrated and non-integrated lamps, where CFL-i denotes an integrated ballast and CFL-ni denotes a non-integrated ballast. Integrated lamps combine the tube and ballast in a single unit. These lamps allow consumers to replace incandescent lamps easily with CFLs.
Image result for what is CFLni ?

 

  •  T5 fluorescent lamps: 
    • The “T” refers to “tubular,” which is the shape of the bulb, while the number represents a fraction in eighths of an inch. This means a T5 bulb is tubular and is 5/8″ in diameter, while a T8 bulb is also tubular and is 8/8″ (meaning 1″) in diameter.
  • T8 fluorescent lamp: 
    • The “T” designation in fluorescent lamp nomenclature stands for tubular — the shape of the lamp. The number immediately following the T gives the diameter of the lamp in eighths of an inch. A T8 lamp (on the right in the figure below) is eight-eighths of an inch, or one inch (2.54 cm), in diameter.
T8 and T5 Fluorescent lamp lighting system | Download Scientific Diagram

 

  • Fluorescent lighting ban by September 2023
    • https://www.eceee.org/all-news/news/eu-commission-adopts-regulation-to-ban-fluorescent-lighting-by-september-2023/
    • The European Commission has adopted 12 regulations under the RoHS Directive effectively banning fluorescent lighting for sale in the EU by September 2023. On a cumulative basis between 2023 and 2035, the much-delayed decision to phase-out these mercury-containing lamps will save approximately €18.2 billion, as well as 190 TWh of electricity and 1.8 metric tonnes of toxic mercury. The EU decision will provide crucial support to a global effort to phase-out fluorescents under the Minamata Convention on Mercury.