Get Your Illumination Back On Track With LED Lights
Posted by Amit Soni on 20th Aug 2012
How about LED track lighting for a wonderfully bright idea?
Track lighting has steadily grown in popularity over the years. It was first introduced by Lightolier in the 1960s, the same decade as LED technology no less! Today, it’s one of the leading alternatives to traditional lighting fixtures, not just in museums, galleries and shops, but in homes as well.
So What Is Track Lighting?
In a normal lighting set up, electrical wire is routed to individual light positions, however, in track lighting, several fixtures are attached to a continuous length of track, containing electrical conductors.
Tracks can be mounted directly to ceilings and walls, or suspended from rods, making them a viable option for ceilings in which recessing isn’t a possibility. They aren't just straight either; tracks can be bent slightly, to fit the shape of the room they are being used to light.
Traditionally, track lights are operated from a single switch, but many modern systems are available with digital control interfaces, such as DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface), allowing each fitting to be controlled independently.
The Advantages Of LED Lighting
There are clear practical and aesthetic advantages to using track lighting over traditional lighting fixtures. Adjustable spots make it easy to reposition and direct the light to where it’s needed most. This makes it perfect for the kitchen, bathroom or for a home office, which, as well as general illumination, benefit from functional, task-centred lighting.
Similar aesthetically to track lights, and utilising the super energy-efficient, retrofittable GU10 LED Bulb, are the wide range of LED Ceiling Spotlight Fittings that are on offer.
Indeed, you’ll be able to emulate and improve upon the great look of traditional track lighting in your home or business premises, with fittings such as the Eyeball GU10 Spotlight Fitting.
This fitting, which has an incredibly modern and stylish ‘Flexi-Z’ design, will enable you to not only reposition the light heads to give you the optimum light placement, the fitting itself is also fully adjustable, allowing it to adopt many great light-enhancing attitudes.
In a choice of chrome, black chrome and white, this fitting will complement your decor perfectly, enabling you to highlight any aspect of your room. The GU10 bulbs will be excellent, for example, to highlight artwork and photographs. Bulbs such as the Dimmable 4W GU10 LED Bulb make perfect spotlights, as their beam angle at just 45° is relatively narrow and focused.
For more widely-dispersed light, you’ll go for one from the range of GU10 LEDs which boast a 120° beam angle, like the 3.3W GU10 LED, 80 SMD.
LED bulbs make so much better spotlights than the halogens you’ve been used to for years. For one thing, unlike traditional spotlight bulbs, they don’t emit any of the harmful UV or IR rays that can cause damage to art pieces and photos, potentially fading them beyond repair.
LEDs also have a much higher CRI-rating than traditional bulbs, meaning the light they emit is a better representation of natural daylight. The closer to natural light, the better the human eye perceives an object so, in relation to spotlights, this is an important factor to consider.
Long-Life Energy-Savers
Another benefit of using LED bulbs lies in their incredible longevity. Let’s face it, the fewer times you have to climb a ladder to replace a burned-out light bulb the better! LED bulbs such as the aforementioned GU10s enjoy an exceptionally long 50,000 hour working life, which means you can leave those steps in the garage for the next 17 years!
They’re also great for energy-conscious consumers and businesses alike. The amount they cost initially is dropping rapidly; quite the opposite of their fast-increasing efficiency. In comparison with a traditional halogen spotlight bulb, the 3.3W GU10 mentioned earlier requires less than 10% of the electricity to produce the exact same number of lumens of brightness.
As a result, art galleries, museums and their expansive gift shops the world over are beginning to save an unbelievable amount of money by installing LED lights to replace their former halogen spots.
In fact, the world’s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa was recently treated to an LED lighting make-over, so if it’s good enough for her, it’s good enough for everyone, right?
If you’d like to learn more about LED lights and the ways in which they can be of benefit to you, why not call the experts at Wholesale LED Lights today? The number to call is 0116 321 4120.
You can also send an e-mail enquiry to cs@wled.co.uk if you’d prefer.