Recent advances in LED lighting technology have made it a viable alternative to fluorescent lighting, and many registered social landlords are starting to sit up and take note.
While the need to contain energy usage and demonstrate a reduction in carbon emissions is a key factor, so too is the cost of maintenance. Many housing organisations find the appeal of eliminating unscheduled (and un-auditable) maintenance works irresistible. One national Housing association recently carried out an audit of its lamp changes nationwide, only to discover that they had been paying their maintenance contractor to replace every lamp in every building at least twice within a single year. This is either a serious flaw in the components, or something rather more sinister…
Compliance is no longer a given…
Since the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) came into force, combined with the latest Emergency Lighting Regulations BS 5266, the need for effective and compliant emergency lighting systems has become a high priority for any landlord especially in the Social Housing field.
The majority of existing communal lighting installations now no longer conform to current regulations and guidelines in terms of light levels or emergency compliance. While these regulations are not retrospective, landlords are still found to be culpable when something goes wrong, as evidenced by the increase in enforcement notices being issued by the Fire Service.
It was previously possible for a landlord to claim emergency lighting would be provided by the street lights, but following the decision to turn street lights off by some Councils the regulations state that that is no longer an option to be relied upon. Furthermore, most emergency lighting is not called into action due to fire, but usually because there has been some other electrical fault such as main fuses electricity head or power cuts.
A well designed lighting system will make full provision for the needs of all residents, which may relate to age, partial sightedness, disabilities and more. The “one size fits all” approach is fast becoming unacceptable.
What aren’t they telling you?
There are many pitfalls to be avoided when selecting lighting equipment, and warranties need studying carefully. The quality of LEDs varies widely; while they can potentially provide many years of maintenance-free service, and the wrong choice can be expensive.
Often it’s “what they don’t tell you” that warrants attention, and while many lighting manufacturers offer attractive guarantees on the life of their LED’s, other essential components such as battery packs or LED drivers remain uncovered. There’s also the small print to watch out for, such as the requirement to register every luminaire, and a return-to-base inspection before and liability will be accepted for defects.
A credible warranty should guarantee performance without small print or onerous conditions imposed on building landlord. For added peace of mind it should be underwritten, meaning that it will still be honoured even in the event of a change in circumstances for the equipment manufacturer.
LEDs – an informed choice or bandwagon jumping?
There are already numerous examples of LED lighting systems that have failed to live up to the hype, reminiscent of the early days of compact fluorescent lighting when the initial uptake slowed considerably in the wake of low quality products flooding the market and affecting confidence in the technology. It took several years for his to recover.
Likewise, there are many examples of suppliers of solar photovoltaic panels who cashed in on the Feed in Tariff bandwagon that are now no longer trading, meaning there’s no-one to honour warranties and remedy issues with workmanship or product quality.
We hope the take-up of LED lighting does not go the same way.
Written by John Bishop, CEO of Commulite Ltd.
