While choice can be empowering, it can also be confusing – and this is definitely the case when it comes to choosing light sources, says Ian Fursland of The Lamp Company.
“In the last few years, most developments in lighting have been led by innovations in light sources, with more and more new lamps being brought to market,” he explains.
“On the upside, this gives designers and specifiers much more choice and enables them to tailor their designs more precisely to each project. Which is great for those specifiers that specialise in lighting and have the market knowledge to understand what’s available. “On the downside, however, there are many projects where the lighting is specified by people who have a broader electrical responsibility and can’t be expected to keep track of all the new light sources entering the market. As a result, there are times when the end client gets a good solution, but not the perfect solution they ought to expect.”
Criteria that need to be taken into account when choosing light sources include energy efficiency, colour temperature and colour rendering, lamp life and maintenance implications. So not only are there many lamps to choose from, there is also a wide range of criteria pertaining to each.
For this reason, The Lamp Company is encouraging lighting specifiers and installers to take advantage of its free advice service. “We provide lamps from all the main manufacturers so we can offer completely impartial advice,” says Ian. “All they have to do is call us and explain their requirements and we’ll tell them which lamps to order from their preferred supplier.”
