What a quarter it has been. Another trip to India to visit our hotel client, two visits to the Far East for Lighting Exhibitions and more trips up the M1 and down the M4 than my carbon footprint feels comfortable with. In fact, I am starting to experience carbon footprint bunions.

It's an odd paradox and one that must be witnessed in many quasi-environmental professions. You have a new product whose core relevance is the reduction of energy use, and you've got to burn up immense amounts of fossil fuel telling people all about it. Imagine the scene at COP15 when thousands of delegates arrived in planes from all over the world to argue with each other about the need for serious and rapid reduction in, well, the use of petroleum. Yes, I read the mitigating headlines too but, you know, they had to get there somehow.

I spoke to not one but two physicists recently at one of the London Universities. As it happens, God bless them, (or whatever belief or unbelief system they subscribe to), they both bought a load of LED Bulbs from me for their personal use. One of them was convinced that the human intervention in climate change was undeniable, the other was equally adamant in the opposite corner. However, we all agreed that saving energy was, in and of itself, a good thing. Whether or not it is our own bally old fault that it's alarmingly nippy, or wet, or steamy out there, (and let's face it, no one looks smart in a puffer jacket or a T- Shirt), the undeniable truth is that a reduction in energy consumption will preserve what we have for longer, will allow more funding for healthcare or education as the Local Authorities or Public Sector Bodies find they have to spend less of their budgets on , yes I'm going to say it, lighting.

Ah, but I know what you're thinking, there's a flaw in my thesis, isn't there? The energy companies will get a bit miffed, won't they? What an appalling shame. Well, doubtless they'll just put up our electricity costs even further than they are currently (sorry) planning to bridge the revenue gap, -  simples - .....which will mean that switching to LED (do you see where I'm going with this? it's ever so jolly) will result in even faster paybacks.

What about new products? Well, one thing I guarantee about Kudos is that we listen to our clients. Can't always do anything about a particular requirement, like an LED retro-fit equivalent 4-pin quad fitting, but we do listen. We have, in the last few months, released a track light system, a dimmable PAR light suite, even more powerful and dimmable (!) MR16s and GU10s (up to 400 lumens) and, da daaa, a true equivalent to a 60 Watt incandescent bulb, the EQ60. The eagle eyed anoraks among you may have spotted an article in the Mail on Sunday a couple of months ago about a similar product from a Dutch company. No names no packed lunch. Now I have never slandered, libelled or generally rubbished a competitor product in my whole lighting career but, technically, ours is brighter, lasts as long or longer and, as I write, is about half the price. We have deliberately chosen to keep our margins very tight in order to allow customers to buy it at a sensible price with a sensible payback period. At 12 hours use a day, an independent calculation suggests that in under 8 months the bulb will have paid for itself in energy consumption alone, let alone maintenance, switching mechanism and wiring benefits.

I wonder if the words HEFCE SALIX mean anything to you. How about Revolving Green Fund? If they do you will already be familiar with the carbon trust backed loan schemes to encourage people to reduce energy. Ideally the way it works is that the financial savings on energy more than compensate for the required repayments such that, in effect, the scheme is cash generating. This is specifically relevant to Universities. They have been in the news a great deal recently as the Government intends to cut funding which might result in fewer students and constraints in other areas. Something a University might wish to take note of are Hefce's own words in their recent report "Carbon reduction target and strategy for higher education in England". On page 14 of the report (paragraph 47) in a section entitled "Key areas where carbon reductions could occur" they state the following:

"47. According to the SQW report the six most viable interventions in terms of scale of impact and cost-effectiveness for the sector are:

• lights and electrical appliances......"

I know I would say this but I don't believe it is coincidence that "lights" is the first word used in the first recommendation in the list. Changing a light bulb, or a fitting, is extremely easy. One of the longest running jokes always begins "How many xxx does it take to change a light bulb?" If you are in a position to take advantage of a loan scheme such as Salix offer I can tell you that the vast majority of our products are compliant. And that's a bit of a no-brainer.

Please think about your lighting and please, please think about changing to LED and please, please, please think about partnering with Kudos. After almost three years experience of LED lighting in research and marketing we do know what we're doing and some very exacting institutions have put their trust in us. Hospitals, Universities, hotel groups and large corporations have now been using our LEDs for over a year. And if they use them for 12 hours a day, they've still got 10 years to go.

And please do think again if you're contemplating CFLs. You may have heard it before but consider this. A single household CFL contains enough Mercury to contaminate 6000 gallons of fresh. Now that.....is a heck of a lot of orange squash.

See you next time.

Simon Bix

Energy saving lightbulbs are about to get a lot more popular - with the launch of the radical new LightPlanet EQ60.

For the first time, consumers will have the chance to buy state of the art LED lighting for their homes - at a price that won't break the bank.

The EU's decision to ban 100 watt bulbs recently provoked a storm of protest. And it's going to get worse. 60 watt bulbs are due to go the same way in 2011.

But help is at hand. Bristol firm Kudos Business Technologies is about to launch the LightPlanet EQ60 - a low energy LED bulb which will sell for half the price of current models.

The LightPlanet EQ60 produces as much light as a conventional 60 watt bulb. Yet it's far more energy efficient, using just 7 watts of electricity.

Its £14.99 price tag means that for the first time, a high-tech LED bulb will be affordable to hard-pressed families. And it will last at least 15 years.

Instant light, every night

The problem with most of the energy saving bulbs on the market at the moment is that they take time to warm up, have a tendency to flicker and worse, contain quantities of toxic mercury.

The drawbacks of these Compact Fluorescent Lights, or CFLs, are well known. But until recently, there simply was no cheap, energy-efficient alternative.

Simon Leggett, head of Kudos Business Technologies says:

"CFLs are based on outdated technology. For too long there hasn't been a viable alternative. But now there is. Our bulbs are safe and clean, use even LESS electricity than CFLs and offer bright light from the moment you press the switch.

And now, as our LightPlanet EQ60 demonstrates, they can be affordable too".

The LightPlanet EQ60 is available to buy at www.lightplanet.co.uk

What's loomin' in lightin'?

Yes, very funny, Simon. I'm sure regular readers (both of you) are up with the game by now. This is the bit where I try and tell you something illuminating (you see it's quite irresistible) about the wonderful world of LEDs in an undoubtedly hilarious way.

Well, this month it's watts and lumens. (As an English Graduate (scl!) from the esteemed University of Bangor (where?) I don't think that was a particularly well structured sentence - but what can you do? I blame Rupert Murdoch.) The estivators among you may not have noticed that we have all suffered a bereavement this week. Yes, indeed, the bally old EU has killed off the 100 Watt incandescent bulb. It was a dignified death of a very old friend; perhaps two hundred years from the spark of the idea (sorry) to today's ultimate snuffing. Bit of a tricky one to say for sure who invented it -Humphrey Davy with his arc light, Henric Globel, Thomas Alva Edison working with - yes, you've guessed it, bamboo,  Swann, Woodward and Evans. Who knows? It depends on your definition of a light bulb I suppose. I mean, if it glows low for a few minutes and then burns out is that technically worthy of the name? A barbecue does a far better job. If you want my view (don't...!), I reckon that the modern light bulb started with the development of the ductile tungsten filament -  and that was in 1906 or thereabouts. Queen Victoria wouldn't have seen it but young Bertie, (that's Edward VII to the thickies out there) certainly would and the Royal Family have been at the sharp end of lighting developments ever since. I wonder how many of you knew that the current heir to the throne oversaw the installation of LED lighting several years ago in inaccessible parts of Buckingham Palace, and let's be honest, with those ceilings that's everywhere, to light priceless paintings in the stairwells. Think of the savings on scaffolding bills to change a traditional bulb. His niece could have bought another horse.............shoe.

I'm digressing here I can tell. I sound like Ronnie Corbett. Where's my Pringle sweater?

Yes, watts and lumens. As well as axing the 100 watt bulb the Eurocrats have also told us that we must now deal in lumens and not watts. Shame...scandal...never, I hear both of you cry. But alas here, gentle reader, is where I prefer to take the road less travelled; I think it's an improvement. It's by no means the perfect measure but it is better. There, I've said it. Anyone still reading?

Watts are a measure of electrical consumption. Lumens are a measure of light intensity or, more prosaically, the brightness of something. And surely, if we're talking about lights, that's what you'd prefer to know about, wouldn't you? I mean, an oven uses watts too, but it's more relevant to know how hot it is, don't you think?

The reason it's not perfect is that measuring lumens doesn't tell you about efficiency; how effectively a light source burns relative to the amount of power it's consuming - carbon footprint and all that. On the side of a box in your local supermarket you'll now see 600 lm or 500 lm instead of 60 or 100 watts or whatever. But the key measurement is neither lumens nor watts. It's lumens per watt and by this measurement LEDs win every time. They clearly use the least amount of energy for the most amount of light. A standard LED generates 70+ lumens per watt against a CFL at around 50, a halogen at about 20 and an incandescent at about 15.

The complexities of lux, candela and foot candles and their relationship to visible usable light I'll leave to next month. Bet you can't wait.

Kudos Business Technologies Ltd

Press Release

Keywords: 100w bulb, EU bulb ban, CFL, LED, EU Law, Low energy lighting, lighting, Carbon reduction

Resources:

Images attached

Contact:

Simon Leggett

Kudos Business Technologies Ltd

Tel: +44 1761 463181

Email: simon.Leggett@kudos-bt.com

1^st September 2009 - For Immediate Release

Lighting News Beats Bulb Ban Blues

From today, new EU laws mean its illegal to sell 100 watt light bulbs anywhere in the country. Pretty soon all other old-style bulbs will be banned as well. Europe wants us to use low-energy alternatives instead.

Its part of a campaign to save energy and combat climate change.

Yet many people are angry about the move. They dislike so-called "energy saving" bulbs, or CFLs, because they take ages to warm up, they flicker and cause headaches, and they contain poisons such as mercury.

Customers have been panic-buying 100w light bulbs because they can't stand the alternative.

But help is at hand, because there is now another option.

New developments in LED technology mean manufacturers can now produce bulbs that and are as bright as the ones we've always known. They don't flicker, and they don't contain harmful toxins.

Simon Leggett, CEO of Kudos Business Technologies, a specialist provider of LED bulbs says: "The current generation of energy saving bulbs rely on dead-end technology. They're polluting our planet, they look horrible and customers don't like them. Our new LED bulbs save more energy, they're more environmentally friendly, they produce a better light, and they last longer."

LEDs have come a long way over the past few years. The technology behind the little red dot on your television is now ready to light up your whole living room.

About Kudos Business Technologies:

Kudos supplies information, products, services and solutions to companies aiming to reduce their impact on the environment. We do this by helping clients to benefit from new technology and innovative products.

As a leading proponent of LED technology for property lighting, we work with Business Owners, Facilities Managers, Developers and Architects to replace outdated lighting systems and design efficient LED alternatives.

Kudos Business Technologies is the creator of the Light Planet brand of LED lights.

You see the thing about the summer, in the UK anyway, is that the weather can surprise you. There you are, looking rather balefully at your diary in May and thinking "I wonder how many layers I'm going to need for the Garden Opera next month or the Pop in the Park at Painshill." Don't look now but I think that was onomatopoeia, by the way. Doubtless someone will correct me.

And the weather forecast is really helpful, isn't it? True story, this. A Met Office man was once asked what percentage of the time they got the weather forecast right. Quick as a whippet, and with misplaced confidence he replied. "About 48% of the time". Back came the follow-up question. "In that case, why don't you forecast exactly the opposite of what you expect and you'll be right 52% of the time?" Now, I know what you're thinking - what is he talking about? Well, it's about perception, and perceived wisdom. We all assume that Meteorological Officers know their stuff because they have years of experience in their chosen field when, quite honestly, they're in the dark like the rest of us praying that the barby's going to be alright. And speaking of in the dark (you have got to be joking, the reader groaned, a pun from the 19^th century?) it's not unlike the perceived wisdom about LED lighting. Some people, let's be honest lots of people, still believe that the light quality or luminosity is not yet good enough, that the difference between traditional lighting and LED technology will not only be discernible but largely unwelcome. Well, obviously, you don't stop reading here....

Another little story. I was at an outdoor summer opera a couple of weeks ago in the heart of London and was entertaining some clients, colleagues and companions. We had erected a gazebo and watched the show while being pleasantly served with, I think the polite word is, refreshments. After the show finished, at about 10.30 pm, we then spent a further happy hour discussing it, business and whatever came to mind. The business bit was all about sustainable products, and (you're with me, I'm sure) particularly LED technology. The place where the evening's entertainment took place is an extremely well-known London square with an ever-increasing number of LED advocates such that I am beginning to refer to it as not Red Square but Led Square. Ah, ha - yes, I am so funny.....but anyway....And guess what, our gazebo was lit entirely by LED latest generation 4ft T8s and a string of the globe 7 watt multi-headed and liquid LEDs run off a portable generator. And this is the thing about perceived wisdom (finally...), we didn't tell anyone that the entire tent was lit by LEDs and no one noticed anything different. It was genuinely very bright inside with a warm white glow from all of the units. When we eventually revealed the secret at the end of the evening with a little dramatic ran ta ta ta ta ta taaaa...! people were so surprised and impressed that we now have four more clients in the square. And the prices are falling too. In the corporate world, a 50 watt fluorescent tube light used for perhaps 12 hours per day will use approximately £50 more energy per year than our latest Mark 1 Solid State LED tubes for the same level of light. They cost (obviously depending on the size of your order, Mr. Customer) about £60. And this does not include any maintenance, wiring or switch mechanism cost savings derived from the lower power consumption of the LEDs. Therefore, in a little more than a year, the lamp has paid for itself and will save you a further £50 each year. The mathematical geniuses amongst you will have immediately worked out that if you happen to have 2107 bulbs in your premises you'll be saving £100,850 per annum on electricity. Wait a minute, you could hire Ronaldo for the week, wait...no, 4 days, no...well, you'd get him for the weekend at least.

During the summer you'll see a lot of LEDs, unless you're a boring old stick in the mud who never goes out. You'll see them at every open air concert where they use coloured lights for the stage or the surroundings. You'll see them when you climb into your car and look at the dashboard when you drive off for dinner. You'll see them at the airport on the departure screens when you leave for your holiday. And soon, very soon, you'll see them in your offices and in your homes. LED general lighting has arrived and is here to stay, at least until OLEDs arrive in about 10 years. They save up to 80% of your lighting bill. They are environmentally responsible as they don't use mercury or emit UV, and they last for over 50,000 hours; that's 5.7 years at 24 hours of every day non-stop. So, by my reckoning, if you fitted one tomorrow, Saturday 4^th July, perhaps to celebrate those pesky Americans giving us the bum's rush a couple of centuries ago it would go out on March 16^th 2015. Who knows? We might have won a Lions Tour by then.

Talk to you next month and thanks to all of our new clients.

Bickers

The place isn't crowded. In fact there's only me and one other Brit with his ear strapped to his mobile and his fingers glued to his laptop. I sneak a peek at his screen as I make my way to a seat - low spec machine tools.......... Sounds riveting. Ha! Did you see what I.....? Oh, please yourselves.

Although the bar might be empty, there's a whole load of LEDs in here. Little blue and white LED strings trim the glittering Perspex counter and sprinkle light on the mirrored shelving. There are LEDs in the floor, but not the ceiling. There are LEDs on the departure boards but not above the head boards. LEDs everywhere except where we sell them.

And that's the point about LEDs in general and India in particular. Nobody's afraid of LEDs because they've been around for decades fulfilling the same applications as they are in this bar - point light, coloured light, excite light, mood light. They're on our mobile ‘phones and our laptops, our traffic lights and our white goods. But not many are on our ceilings or our desks. And there's a good reason for that; the same reason, in fact, that I'm writing this. Until relatively recently LEDs just weren't ready to be considered as a genuine traditional general light replacement for an office or a domestic dwelling or any "grand room" environment such as a lecture hall or a library or a theatre. And when I say recently I mean nine months ago.

Well now they are......... (whoaah....hang on...prepare yourself...sales pitch looming... block ears...turn away...talk to deadly dull colleague.....!) and you really ought to think about installing them.

Facts and stuff - They use 20% (approx) of the electricity of a traditional bulb for the same level of light - we're up to 124 lumens per watt for the light efficiency aficionados amongst you.......... That's easy for me to say.

They emit no harmful UV or Mercury. Surely CFLs should be a busted flush, shouldn't they? All that Mercury poisoning the factory workers (Sunday Times London - May 3rd 2009 Page 25), the fact that one CFL bulb has enough toxicity to contaminate 6000 gallons of fresh water. Yes, you read that right. If you break one in your house, you will remember to open a window for at least half an hour, now won't you?

They last forever - actually that's not true - they last a very long time. Market recognised tests indicate up to 50,000 hours and beyond. Question; how many 65 year olds does it take to change two LED light bulbs? Answer: None, because, with 35 years of life at 4 hours use per day, they'll be 100 years old before they need to change the second one....and therefore probably a bit d....well, you get the idea.

They're cool. No really, they are cool. With some of the most sophisticated recent developments in heat dispersal they remain touchable (am I allowed to use that word in a public document?) for absolutely ages. Good for the kids' bedroom then.

They're very green. Without going all tree huggy on you, let's be honest. We do need to do more for the environment and yes, hands up, guilty, we are actively supporting carbon offsetting and specific environmental trust programmes. For every single bulb you buy not only will you be doing your bit but we will be donating a percentage of your purchase to a sustainability project. Again, have a look at the website to find out more. And while you're cogitating, cogitate on this. If every household in Britain switched to LED down lighters alone (not including tubes, desk lamps, fridge lights etc.) we would save enough power to remove the need for two power stations and save the electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of 1.4 million homes. Just think what could be done with the money saved. That's it.

No more green stuff. Promise. (Dept of Energy Report  - September 2008).

There's one drawback. They do cost a bit. But we've got some good news here too. Firstly, we'll buy back your CFLs and send them foc to parts of the world where they will be put to good and responsible use and disposed off very carefully. Secondly, at 4 hours use per day they will pay for themselves in about a year when you add all the replacement halogens and traditional bulbs you normally have to buy. Check out the payback calculator on the website and you'll soon find out.

Oh, yes India. What I am doing here? As far as India is concerned, they're desperate to reduce electricity consumption, (the blasted grid goes haywire every 10 minutes) but until we (and others of course) started talking to them they hadn't realised that using LEDs was one straightforward way of helping themselves. Obviously we're doing our job working with hotel groups and Universities to reduce their energy requirement and carbon emissions by installing LEDs. But we're doing more than that. We are working with some local partners to bring power and light to a series of rural charity projects. Our plan is to explore ways of providing adequate heat and light for zero cost in very deprived communities. I know it's a tough time economically for all of us but there needs to be perspective. Where we might be worried about paying the Orange bill these people worry about paying for an orange. Even trying to help is a good thing just of itself. It makes you feel better. More than can be said for this beer. Bing bong. Ah! That'll be my flight. Now, which film.....?

Simon Bickerstaffe. 

On an exciting first day at Light Fair 2009 we witnessed at close quarters not so much an exhibition but a brutal confrontation as the battle lines were drawn between the competing lighting technologies of traditional, CFL and LED.

Democracy may not be a perfect system but it is a true indicator of tides and opinions and, put simply, whether people are fed up with hearing from one bunch of guys and begin to favour another. So it was with Light Fair. The CFL stands, not so long ago burning brightly, (well actually taking quite a bit of time to warm up if we're honest), were deserted. How times change, he chuckled. The traditional stands of incandescents and fluorescents were being visited by way of curiosity, while there was standing room only at many of the LED stands.

Of particular interest to us was Fulham Technologies, who have partnered with Samsung to offer a potential straight replacement 2' x 2' even tone and very bright complete unit luminaire with little requirement for rewiring. Also, we spent a lot of time on the Ilumisys stand and were hugely impressed with their Mark 1 fluorescent tube replacement. This solid state unit requires no ballast replacement, has no flicker and offers a luminosity that is equivalent to traditional fluorescents. Furthermore, the individual points of light are much larger than those associated with other LED flourescents and,as a result are far more aesthetically pleasing. Their patented
technology was the talk of the show.

Light Fair International is one of the leading annual events for the lighting industry. Year after year, thousands of architecture, design, engineering and lighting industry professionals come to LFI to:-

• Find the newest ideas in lighting products, technology and design.
• Gather the latest industry-related information.
• Network with key industry players.

Lightfair provides us with a great forum to meet with our supply partners, explore new ideas and see how other companies are exploiting LED technology. As well as keeping up with a busy meeting schedule, we are hoping to find time to walk the tradeshow floor and meet new people.

The Government is promoting compact fluorescent technology as a way of reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Although compact fluorescent bulbs are energy efficient, they have major drawbacks.

Health campaigners are concerned about the flicker from these lights, which can cause severe migraines. Yet this problem, ignored by politicians, isn’t the most serious issue.

Energy saving bulbs are poisonous!

There are growing concerns about the mercury contained in compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs. Every single one contains enough of this highly toxic substance to contaminate 6000 gallons of water.

Many used bulbs will end up in landfill sites and will contaminate the environment. And very few consumers seem to be aware of the danger.

Some commentators think it could become a major social problem – much like the addition of lead to petrol products, which caused severe health problems in young children.

The safe, clean and efficient alternative

In the rush to embrace CFL as an energy saving option, a safer, more efficient technology has been largely ignored.

Bulbs using Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are now available as viable replacements for incandescent lights. LED bulbs last longer than CFLs, use less power and produce flicker-free light. And they do not contain harmful substances.

The development of LEDs for production of white light has been astonishing. So fast, in fact, that many people will only be aware of LEDs as red indicator lights on electrical appliances.

LEDs are now commonly used in vehicle lights, torches, streetlights and other common applications – and their efficiency is staggering. But they have only recently been introduced for general lighting applications.

Specialist companies such as environmental consultants Kudos Business Technologies are raising awareness of the potential for LED lighting in homes and offices

A well-designed LED spot light, equivalent to the halogen bulbs commonly used in homes throughout the country, can use 80% less energy than its conventional counterpart. And it will last up to 30 times longer”

So says Simon Leggett, Managing Director of the consultancy.

“With the advances in LED technology that we are now seeing, it won’t be long before the majority of business and domestic lighting will be LED. We are now looking at replacements for 100w incandescent bulbs which only consume 10w of power, can be used in existing fittings, can be used with dimmer switches and last 50,000 hours. That’s a winning solution”.

LEDs may yet prove to be the cure that everyone is looking for.

Contact: info@kudos-bt.com

Telephone: +44 1761 463181]]> Wed, 7 Jan 2009 21:28:00 GMT http://www.kudos-bt.com/news/view/bulb-switch-need-not-be-a-headache