Do You Have The Right Aluminium Profile?

LED Flexi Strip has become a very popular product in the last few years. With a range of single colour and RGB colour change its applications for home and businesses are endless. Chances are the cove and contour lighting in your local pub or restaurant is flexi-strip.

When installed the flexi-strip can be fixed with its adhesive back and left. But what happens when you want to use it for stair edging or on a bar or indeed any situation where it is likely to come in contact with dust, liquids or the touch of curious little fingers.
The answer is to mount it inside Aluminium Profile.

At ilovebulbs.com we offer a variety of quality Aluminium Profile to cater for our extensive range of LED flexi-strip. Whether you want to sink it into a bar, mount it under cabinets or in awkward recesses, replicate neon, highlight stair edging or even illuminate a clothes rail we have something perfect for the job.
Manufactured to a high specification the profile not only protects but also acts as a heat sink, protecting the life of the individual LED. The flexi-strip can be easily slotted in and the clear or opaque cover slipped across. Each length can be screwed into place by drilling your own holes or glued depending on the application.

Aluminium profile really is the perfect way to present a professional finish to any flexi-strip install. Find the best profile for you.



Lumens! Watt?

At the end of our previous blog article we raised the subject of lumens as the best way to compare the output of your light bulbs. Electric light bulbs have always been marketed and purchased on the basis of the wattage. So we have always judged them on the amount of power used rather than the light given out.

Nowadays with the cost of energy rising we have become more conscious of the power these old lamps use. New technology like Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and LED allow us to light our homes and businesses for a fraction of the cost. But realistically there is no direct comparison of equivalent wattage between the technologies. All we really care about is whether it will give the same light as the bulb we currently have? This is where lumens come in.

Lumens are a measurement of light output telling you how bright your new bulb will be. The higher the lumens the brighter the bulb.

New products coming on to the market will now have their lumen output noted on the packaging enabling the consumer to compare products. Brand to brand the lumens may differ even when they may state the same wattage. So check those lumens.

As a guide incandescent 240v GLS lamps used to emit approximately the following lumens.

• 25w = 225lm
• 40w = 410lm
• 60w = 700lm
• 75w = 930lm
• 100w = 1330lm

These can be used as a guide when buying an LED or CFL replacement for incandescent lamps with either bayonet or screw caps.

I hope this will make buying the correct replacement lamp a little easier.
So as an example, if you’re looking to replace your 60w bayonet light bulb you’ll need :
MEGAMAN LED Classic 11w Dimming B22, Warm White 2800k



Why Should I Change My Lightbulbs?

Why Should I Change My Lightbulbs? Why should you? It’s a good question. Nobody likes to be forced in to things. So the obvious answer is don’t.

But the time is coming when the traditional light bulb that we all know and love will be gone. Legislation that has come out of the EU has seen the slow death of the incandescent bulb over the last few years. In fact last September saw the final end of incandescent lamp production in Europe.
There will still be stock in the supply chain but these will not last forever. So to answer the original question. You will have to.

There are several options. A range of ECO halogens that will still look like your old bulbs, will save a bit of energy and be dimmable. But these have a limited shelf life and will likely be banned in due course.

Your next best step is Compact Fluorescent lamps. Excellent energy saving compared to incandescent or halogen lighting. CFL lamps now come in a range of shapes and sizes for most lamps and fittings. Dimmable options are available and CFL generally offer a frosted finish.

The newest light source on the market is LED. Low power consumption and very long lamp life are the major advantages. As with CFL there are now replacements for most incandescent and halogen lamps in both clear and frosted options. Dimming options are growing and LED is instant light, no warm up as with CFL.

All of these options will save money on your energy spend and maintenance costs. With budgets at home and at work being squeezed money saving is a priority. We all need light so why not pay as little for it as possible.

LED is the future of lighting and with Philips, one of the largest manufacturers of lighting in the world, announcing recently their most efficient ever light bulb, we know where their money is.
At ilovebulbs.com our main focus is on the new technology so take a look at our site and start saving money today.

If you’re a little confused about how the wattages compare between incandescent and LED or CFL then look out for a further blog where we will talk about lumens. Lumens measures light output rather than power consumed and it’s the best way to compare.