LED lighting: “The devil” is in the details.

Properly selected LED lighting fixtures minimize the negative impact of heat emission on the environment. Thanks to this, they bring further economic benefits in the form of energy savings, e.g. in the interior sector, where, due to their functions, cooling systems must be used, e.g. in the food industry, in air-conditioned interiors, etc. No wonder that LED technology quickly aroused so much interest among investors, architects, contractors and installers.

In lighting technology, energy that is not emitted as light is usually converted into heat, which means it is lost. The ratio of the light emission to the losses due to the heat generated by the light source is “efficiency”. Incandescent light has a very low efficiency since 95% of the energy used to generate it is lost as heat. In the case of LED light, it is almost the opposite. However, in order to take full advantage of this beneficial feature of LED technology, it is worth getting acquainted with a few basic principles of the lighting fixture structure and the relationships between its elements.

LED technology offers ever higher brightness levels and more precise color rendering indexes (CRI). The lifetime of LED light sources ensures long, trouble-free operation.
For example, in commercial real estate maintenance budgets, service work for LED lighting fixtures is a marginal part of expenses, which means they contribute to savings.

The lifetime of a LED tape largely depends on the temperature of the operating environment, which, apart from the operating LED, also includes the ambient temperature. Most KLUŚ LED tapes have an operating temperature of up to 60°C, which ensures the declared durability of the product. Exceeding the above-mentioned value will not cause a failure, but a prolonged excessive temperature will significantly shorten the service life and cause the loss of most important parameters, e.g. the color temperature or overall performance.

The key role is played by the use of KLUŚ aluminum extrusions, appropriately selected for their intended use and exposure.
The flexible LED tape is mounted inside the extrusion, creating a thermally conductive connection between the LED tape and the aluminum surface, as a result of which the heat is dissipated from the tape onto the lighting fixture and then transferred to the environment. Of great importance for the optimization of the LED lighting fixture operation is matching the LED tape power to the thermal characteristics of the lighting fixture.

When designing lighting fixtures, it is necessary to select features appropriate for the intended place of use:

• one of them is the IP rating (tightness) of the LED tape itself and the entire lighting fixture.
• for lighting fixtures exposed to sunlight, it is important to select an appropriate UV-certified cover that will ensure lossless light transmission over the years. Imagine the adjustable plastic mounting brackets of the lighting fixture, but with no UV resistance. If exposed to the sun, they would certainly not fulfill their function.
• step lighting fixtures exposed to pedestrian traffic have increased cross-sections of both the lighting fixture aluminum walls and light diffusing covers.
• elements of lighting fixtures exposed to vibrations are assembled with screws.
• LED lighting fixtures mudded into drywall as well as ones installed in ceilings or walls during construction work, have removable protective inserts that effectively protect them, facilitating and accelerating the work of installers at the same time.

The temperature of the lighting fixture together with the accessories used to assemble it may slightly increase, which is normal. However, if the temperature rises to the point where it becomes uncomfortable or even exceeds the suggested LED operating temperature, it usually means that the power of the LED tape is incorrectly selected for the particular type of lighting fixture or vice versa. It is always worth consulting the selection of lighting or its elements with specialized companies.