How to choose your LED Panel
MORE LIGHT, BIG SAVINGS
Replacing your existing fluorescent modular ceiling lights with Integral retro-fit LED panels is a fast and easy way to enjoy significant savings on energy. You also benefit from the best of both worlds with reduced maintenance and electricity costs and a brighter environment.
There are very compelling reasons to switch; with a payback of around 1-2 years or less depending on installation, cleaning, tube replacement and disposal costs. Integral LED panels have been designed to be highly cost effective and with energy prices only going up in the long term - now is a good time to make the investment and switch.
SIZE AND POSITION
The size of the LED panel you will need will be largely governed by your existing ceiling grid. Once the old fitting is removed it takes a matter of minutes to install an Integral LED panel. Integral LED panels have an integrated LED driver with a plug-and-socket connector for rapid installation. If you are refurbishing a space – you can use the opportunity to switch to LED and optimise your lighting in terms of light output and cost. Costs can be reduced further by the use of control systems for occupancy detection. Work can be carried out in phases if required to minimise disruption. Please contact a qualified electrician for the installation of panels.
Currently, Integral LED produce panels to fit the following ceiling grids:
600 X 600 1200 X 600 1200 x 300
You will need to make sure that there is enough depth and adequate ventilation for the new panel to be fitted. If replacing traditional panels, Integral LED back-lit panels provide a perfect drop-in solution.
If you have a narrow ceiling void or want to suspend panels; Integral edge-lit LED panels are ideal. Integral LED panels have been designed to be installed in most common (24mm and 15mm) exposed ceiling grids.
Spec' sheets (see product page) have detailed information and cone diagrams for each panel. Files required by designers to complete a lighting plan are also available (click the download bar on the product page).
Integral LED panels can be surface mounted on to a suitable substrate or recessed fitted into a plaster ceiling using our fixing kits - find out more here
POWER
With traditional fluorescent fittings up to 40% of the light is "lost" in the fitting itself. Integral LED panels deliver a wider beam angle with more usable light with less power when compared to fluorescent fittings, which means you can;
· Upgrade - Enjoy higher light levels by replacing existing panels one-for-one with no changes to the ceiling grid.
· Optimise -Achieve similar or brighter light levels by using less LED fittings than existing. E.g. in a room that has 4 light fittings across, you may be able to reduce to 3 across using LED panels – making even more savings.
HOW MUCH CAN I SAVE BY REPLACING MY FLUORESCENT TUBE FITTINGS ?
Use our online calculator using a typical example. Click on a panel size below and enter the quantity of panels to be replaced
*Energy savings based on 12 hrs. per day, per panel, per year (14p/20c kWh) compared to equivalent light fitting using fluorescent tubes (including ballast losses of 20%).
Traditional fluorescent 600 X 600 fittings (using 4 T8 tubes) deliver around 3,200 lumens with an energy usage of around 88W will ballast losses. This can be replaced with a LED panel using less one-third of the power, at around 25W with a similar light output.
Please contact Integral LED or a lightning designer for further guidance and to help you find the best LED panel solution.
EFFICACY - NOT ALL LED PANELS ARE THE SAME
With LED panels more light doesn’t always mean more power. Just like cars - you can have highly efficient, high tech models that will save massively on fuel compared to inefficient petrol guzzling models. This is true for LED panels - many manufacturers are still using older technology to drive their “cheap” panels. While initially you may save a few pounds per panel, over the lifetime of the panel and taking into account only energy costs, a considerable financial saving can be made by choosing the more efficient LED panels from Integral.
Integral LED panels use the latest technology to deliver ultra-efficiency and high light output. They use less power to produce comparable light output than less efficient panels, providing financial savings year-after-year of up to 44%. LED products are designed to last many years. Both the long term financial and environmental benefits of installing Integral LED panels are significant in terms of cost savings and energy efficiency. For larger projects the savings are very substantial, however no matter what size the installation, savings will quickly exceed the difference in panel unit cost.
Lumens-per-Watt - Choose Integral LED and save even more
Lumens are a measure of the total light output. The higher the lumens, the higher the light output. Lumens divided by power (Watts) gives a measure of the efficiency of an LED panel. The higher the lumens per watt, the more efficient an LED panel is. This is comparable to miles- per-gallon (MPG) or litres-per-100km for fuel efficiency. Make sure you check the lumens-per-watt rating. For example, an LED panel with a 3600 lumen output and a power rating of 45 Watts would have an 80 lumens-per-watt rating (80 lm/W). In comparison, Integral LED panels have a lumens-per-watt rating of 100-140 lm/W, up to a massive 75% efficiency improvement.
The table below compares Integral LED panels with a readily available less efficient LED Panel. Our Performance+ LED panel cost £15.33 per year to run when compared to £27.59 giving a saving of £61.30 per panel over five years. This shows how important it is to select the right panel.
COLOUR TEMPERATURE
This is a matter of preference and use. The colour temperature describes how the light from an LED panel will look and is denoted is Kelvin (K)
· Cool White – 4000 to 5000K for clean modern look ideal for offices, schools, retail and commercial areas. This is the most popular choice for LED panels
· Warm White - 2700 to 3000K for a more traditional golden colour associated with filament lamps for areas like nursing homes.
find out more about colour temperature
DIMMING
Integral LED panels are delivered complete with a non-dimmable LED driver. If you require a dimming function you will need to replace the current driver with a suitable dimmable driver and controller.
EMERGENCY VERSIONS
In most installations you will have to consider emergency lighting for a number of panels. In the event of a power failure, the emergency LED panel will continue to provide some light in define areas such as escape routes for at least three hours. Local and national building regulations should be followed. Since LED panels use less power they are very suitable as emergency panels. Integral LED panels have ready to fit emergency versions available.
START SAVING
For more information or to request an evaluation LED panel to see how easy they are to fit and the increased brightness that is delivered. Contact your electrical supplier or Integral LED.