Technical Support

Watts (W) are a measurement of how much energy a lamp/luminaire uses. Traditionally watts have been used to describe how much light output you would get from a lamp, however this is becoming more and more unreliable with newer energy efficient technology. For example, with incandescent lighting a certain wattage bulb would indicate a fairly accurate light output range, however with LED Lighting, due to differences in technology used, a wattage does not necessarily guarantee a set light output. For this reason, moving forwards lamps will start to be described using Lumens instead of Watts.

New energy labelling regulations now require the packaging to state the accurate Energy Consumption (EC) of the lamp, measured in kWh/1000h, if it differs from an already stated wattage. In the vast majority of cases the EC will match the Wattage value, however for any lamps with external ballasts or control gears (e.g. fluorescent tubes, 2D's etc) the EC will be a little higher than the wattage. This regulation is important moving forwards as lamps become being described in lumens, it is still important to know the energy consumption of the lamp.

Voltage (V, Volts) is the term used to describe the 'force' of electricity within the electric circuit. The most common analogy for voltage is the electronic-hydraulic analogy, or drain pipe theory, which likens the voltage to water pressure inside pipes.

The voltage of mains electricity supply varies around the world, with the UK, Europe, and the Far East being 220 - 240V, whereas the Unites States currently measures as 120V. In terms of Lighting, the voltage of the lamp simply indicates the voltage at which the lamp is calibrated to function.

In simple terms, the lumens (lm) can be thought of as the 'total amount' of visible light emitted from a source. For lighting the higher the lumens value of the lamp, the more light it emits.

Lumens are also used to determine the Luminous Efficacy of a light source (how efficient it is a producing light), by calculating the Lumens per Watt (lm/W) for the lamp. The more Lumens the lamp produces per Watt of energy used, the more efficient it is at producing light.

The LIA position is that it is not illegal to sell a panel that is neither TP(a) nor TP(b) rated as long as it is clearly stated in the installation instructions that it cannot be used if it forms part of a ceiling. Panels that form part of a ceiling (recessed panels) must be either TP(a) or TP(b) rated and this should be installed in accordance with the Part B regulations relating to that rating.

TP(a) rating:

Thermoplastic materials undergo specific tests to certify their ability to withstand the application of heat and fire. The requirements are established by Building Regulations Approved Document B, which sets out the fire safety of buildings. Section B2 covers internal fire spread.

TP(a) usually relates to polycarbonate diffusers with a thickness of at least 3mm. The testing procedure requires that the material self-extinguishes and any flaming and afterglow must not exceed five seconds once the source of flame is removed. There is no restriction on the use of TP(a)-rated diffuser material.

TP(b) rating:

TP(b) materials tend to be acrylic or polystyrene. It is a more problematic material because its use is limited by the extent of the installation. The testing for TP(b) requires a flame to be presented to the material. If the material combusts, the spread of flame must be no more than 50mm per minute – that’s 12 minutes to completely blanket a 600mm wide panel.

How the restrictions work in practice is as follows. In circulation spaces, the total area of diffuser panels must not exceed 15 per cent of the total floor area. The maximum area of one diffuser, or group of diffusers, must not exceed 5m x 5m. There must be a 3m spacing between each 5m x 5m diffuser grouping.

Maximum and minimum spacings of TP(b) diffuser panels in circulation areas:

In offices and other rooms, the total area of diffuser panels must not exceed 50 per cent of the total floor space. The maximum permissible area of a single diffuser panel must not exceed 5m2. Where a conventional arrangement of luminaires is used, then either the arrangement for circulation spaces should be employed or else spacing between all luminaires should be no less than twice the diagonal distance (or diameter) of the luminaires in use.
 
Maximum and minimum spacings of TP(b) diffuser panels in spaces other than circulation areas:
 
TP(b) is a problematic material because it does catch fire, albeit in a ‘controlled’ manner. The total area of 5m2, for example, could be used to apply to a linear light channel measuring 100mm wide x 50m long. The material has the potential of spreading flame along its entire length over a period of only 20 minutes per metre. In a few hours, the lighting diffuser could spread its flame the length of an office corridor. This is a worrying prospect.

An IP Rating refers to the Ingress Protection standard which a product meets. The rating relates to the degree of protection which a luminaire provides against the entry of solid foreign bodies and moisture. An IP65 rated product is protected against dust and offers protection against water jets. Further information is shown below:
 

UGR<19 relates to a unified glare rating which is deemed at 19 or under. UGR is an objective measure of glare that is used by lighting designers to help control the risk that occupants of a building will experience glare from the artificial lighting. Generally speaking UGR relates to the design figure which is present upon completion for a room or space, it is not a figure which relates to a product specifically.

UGR values range from 40 (extremely high glare) to 5 (very low glare). In most situations, the less glare the better, so a low UGR is better than a high UGR.

International standards such as EN12464 recommend maximum UGRs for different situations. UGR<19 is recommended for many office and classroom settings.

If you are looking for certainty on a space/project meeting UGR<19 standards, you require a lighting design.

The direct price of a light fitting or lamp is important; just like with any product, price matters. With that said, the warranty offer, along with the efficiency and quality of a light fitting or lamp, is also vitally important when it comes to long-term costs for the end user. An ROI can be produced by our Sales Support Team at BELL Lighting, or in a less detailed way through our Energy Saving Calculator via our website; this details the amount of energy which would be saved as a result of installing our products, and shows a monetary figure along with a time frame for return on investment as a result of the new installation. Oftentimes, and particularly when converting to LED, a return on investment can take place extremely quickly, and the long-term benefits of switching to BELL Lighting are considerable. Contact your local Area Sales Representative, or email sales@belllighting.co.uk for more information.

In a circular economy, things are made and consumed in a way which reduces our use of the world’s resources, cuts waste and reduces carbon emissions. Products are kept in use for as long as possible, through repairing, recycling and redesign – so they can be used again and again.

We are pushing towards becoming a more sustainable company, with circular economy at the forefront of our long-term thinking when it comes to product releases. We recently employed a Head of Sustainable Product Innovation with the goal of bringing high quality circular economy products into our range, and the first product in this family, our Firestay Geo LED Sustainable Modular Downlight, has received an exceptional amount of attention. The product won three awards in 2023, including 'Lighting Product of the Year' and 'Smart Buildings/Sustainability Product of the Year' at the Electrical Contracting News Awards, and this is just the start of our journey towards what we believe will be the future of the lighting industry.

In order to become Net Zero, companies will have to begin looking into circular economy as part of their common business practices. We have started this process early, and we want to show leadership in the space. As part of this drive towards sustainability we also achieved Carbon Neutral in 2023.

Colour temperature is a standard method for describing colours for use in a range of situations. Colour temperatures are normally expressed in units called Kelvins (K). Note that the term “degrees Kelvin” is often used but is not technically correct. The colour temperature is for descriptive purposes only and does not relate to the actual temperature of the lamp.

A PIR sensor is a passive infrared device that detects motion by sensing changes in heat radiation. A PIR-based motion detector is used to sense movement of people, animals, or other objects. They are commonly used in burglar alarms and automatically activated lighting systems.

A Microwave sensor detects motion and operates by emitting continuous microwave signals that bounce off objects and return to the sensor. When there is no motion, the reflected signals have the same frequency as the emitted signals. However, when an object moves within the sensor's detection range, the frequency of the reflected signals changes. Through this process, Microwave sensors are able to ensure that lighting turns on and off based on motion within a space.

We offer both of these sensor types across a variety of products within our range, and they are generally quick and easy to install.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps are a low energy alternative to incandescent type lamps. These lamps consist of a glass tube filled with mercury vapour and gas, with an electrode at either end of the tube. When an electrical current passes through the gas, it excites the mercury vapour, which releases ultra-voilet light. Because ultra-violet light is invisible to the human eye, a phosphor powder coating is apllied to the inside of the glass tube, the ultra-violet photons interact with this phosphor coating, causing it to fluoresce. The colour temperature of the lamp can be varied by using different types of phosphor coating.

An electronic ballast is also required to limit the current in the circuit to prevent damage to the lamp. In the case of fluorescent tubes and most commercial type fluorescent lamps, the ballast is added external to the lamp, in the circuit or built into the fitting. For most compact fluorescent lamps the ballast is built directly into the lamp in its base, allowing them to be used as direct replacements for classic incandescent lamps in the same fitting.

Halogen lamps are a type of incandescent lamp (see above) using a tungsten filament, which are also filled with a small amount of halogen gas (e.g. iodine or bromine) in a capsule.

This combination of a tungsten filament and halogen case causes a reversible chemical reaction known as a Halogen Cycle to take place, this reaction causes the evaporated tungsten to form a halide with the halogen gas. Once at a high enough temperature, the halide disassociates (breaks apart), which deposits tungsten back into the filament, thus extending the life of the lamp. This reaction also keeps the lamp clear (in an ordinary incandescent lamp the filament is deposited on the inside of the glass bulb, reducing clarity).

Incandescent lamps have been around over a hundred years, and are what people think of as the traditional or classic lamp. This type of lamp produces light when an electric current passes through a filament wire, heating it to a high temperature until it glows.

The term Incandescence refers to an object emitting light due to its high temperature, and it differs from luminescence, which refers to the emission of light by an object which is below the temperature required for incandescence.

Due to this method of light emission, incandescent light bulbs are highly inefficient, with only ~10% of the energy used being turned into visible light, and the rest being converted to heat. The luminous efficacy of an incandescent bulb is around 16 lm/W, compared to an LED lamp which is up to 70lm/W.

LED Lighting is based on Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology, which results in lamps with significantly reduced energy consumption, but with lifespan and luminous efficacy several times better than that of both incandescent and CFL lamp types.

The Basics

LEDs use what is known as a semiconductor to produce light when an electric current is applied to it. It produces light because the electric current causes electrons within the semiconductor to move around, which releases energy in the form of photons (light). The colour of the light released is dependent on the material used as the semiconductor.

Because most semicondutors produce coloured light, to produce 'white' light that we can use for domestic lighting, a mixture of colours or a phosphor coating (similar to CFLs) is used to create light that appears white.

The Science

The main component of an LED is a 'chip' of semiconducting material, a semiconductor has the electrical conductivity between that of a conductor (e.g. copper wiring) and that of an insulator (e.g. rubber). This semiconductor is doped (intentionally introduced) with impurities, which modify the electrical properties of the semiconductor, in this case creating what is knows as a p-n junction. This p-n junction consists of a p-type (positively charged) side, and an n-type (negatively charged) side, with the negative side having a high concentration of free electrons, and the positive side having a high concentration of electron holes (the conceptual opposite to an electron, or the lack of an electron where one could exist).

When an electronic current is introduced, electrons and holes flow into the junction, and when an electron meets a hole it releases energy in the form of a photon. The wavelength of the light emitted is reliant on the band gap of the semiconductor used. The band gap is equivalent to the energy required to free an outer shell electron from its orbit about its current atom nucleus, to become a mobile charge carrier, and hence join with an electron hole.

Yes! We offer next day delivery on all orders placed before 4pm, including orders placed over email and online (there is an exception to this rule on the 1st of every month, and for clarity on this, you can contact your local ASE). There may be a cost involved in terms of delivery to certain areas, and if you have any queries or require further information on our delivery offer, contact your local Area Sales Executive, or get in touch with our internal Sales team using the following email address sales@belllighting.co.uk.

You can find details on all Area Sales Executives at BELL Lighting through the 'Contact Us' section of our website, found here: https://www.belllighting.co.uk/contact-us/

Yes! The Lighting Industry Association has been representing the lighting industry for many years and has an established reputation for representing and assisting lighting related companies.

Being a member of the LIA as a manufacturer is a clear sign that a company is focussed on quality and meeting regulations within the industry. It is also a clear sign that a manufacturer is committed to their products being tested in the correct manner, and products can be sent into the LIA for accredited testing.

Alongside being one of the leading bodies in the industry, the LIA also provides training in a number of areas. One of the key training areas for the organisation is in the Lighting Design space, with several accredited courses available; all of our Lighting Design Team have completed LIA Certificate Courses in Lighting Design, with the majority of the team having completed all advanced versions of the interior and exterior programme. Those who are yet to complete all areas are booked in for their final courses. We also have members of other teams with these qualifications from their previous experiences, with members of our Sales and Marketing Teams being trained to LIA standards. 

Choose Apex Dura where durability and environmental protection are priorities, Apex Ultra for general commercial lighting, or Apex Mentor where visual comfort and low-glare performance are particularly important.

Yes. Dura, Ultra and Mentor each provide four selectable wattage settings and 3000K, 4000K and 6000K colour temperatures, allowing contractors to configure the fitting for different requirements.

Yes. Universal Apex Quick Fix emergency, microwave and PIR accessories are compatible with Dura, Ultra and Mentor. Suspension accessories are also available, although the appropriate system depends on the model.

Yes. The universal 2.5W emergency pack adds emergency functionality to compatible standard Apex battens. It includes a manual test button and can also be configured for self-test operation.

Apex Mentor offers UGR<19 and UGR<22 options. The appropriate fitting and lighting design should be selected according to the project's requirements.

Apex provides a modern LED alternative for traditional single and twin T5 and T8 fluorescent batten applications. Select the appropriate fitting and wattage setting according to the required light output and installation conditions.

Yes. Compatible adjustable suspension systems are available. The correct accessory should be selected for the particular Apex model.