Walking the conference floor of LightFair International (LFI) is like something straight out of a movie. The noise, the excitement, the innovation: I was at the center of it all. As I navigated through the booths, I liked where many of the manufacturers were headed. It was no big surprise that LEDs would be heavily saturated throughout the show, especially with the recent development and advancements in the controlling of all light sources. Since a fixture is maximizing energy savings while off, having control systems utilizing occupancy, vacancy, daylight harvesting, demand response, etc., can even improve the efficiency of the LED source.
It seemed to me that the products offering the best long term solutions for customers looking to invest were the ones that offer scalability and modularity. There are, of course, some setbacks to this:
What if the technology improves in six months?
Where will the technology be in five years?
Six months or five years, the answer’s the same: it will be better. An upgrade utilizing modular systems gives you the flexibility to replace components while continuing to use the newest technology, which can offer some solace in a quicker decision. The quicker the decision, the sooner you begin saving!
Another interesting component at LFI was discussions on optical design and product decision. Saving wattage is great, don’t get us wrong, but putting the light where you want it at a reduced wattage is even better! In my opinion, the products that utilize the same optic (distribution) for each LED offer the best solution, especially in exterior applications. Say you have each LED giving off a different distribution in order to make up a total pattern. If there’s a failure among any specific area, the distribution pattern will be comprised. Yet with an optical design that has all the diodes in the same distribution, you can suffer a loss of LED’s and change in lumen output, without it affecting distribution.
Did you or your company attend LFI? Post here and let us know what products or concepts you focused on while attending! For a wrap up of the event, please visit: http://www.lightfair.com
Jacy Everett
Director of Business Development
jeverett@aetnalighting.com
