“LED strip lights are beautiful and practical. They can be used to illuminate virtually any surface or features in and around the home and they are definitely one of the most versatile lighting products on the market today – for backlighting, ambient or task lighting, or lighting in those hard-to-reach places,” says Melissa Davidson from The Lighting Warehouse.
They are cost-effective, estimated to use about 20% of the energy consumed by the traditional, incandescent linear strip light.
They offer a greener lighting option. Along with their low energy consumption, LED strip lights are designed to last up to 60 times longer than incandescent strip lights and 10 times longer than fluorescent strip lights. Furthermore, Davidson notes that unlike traditional strip lights, LED strip lights do not contain lead or mercury and most of the components are recyclable.
They also have a low heat output. Unlike incandescent strip lights, LED strip lights do not have a filament that will burn out and they burn at a much lower temperature.
LED strip lights are flexible, very thin and narrow, creating low profile solutions that are flexible enough to take a shallow bend or curve. “This makes them an ideal solution for curved or corner applications, or to illuminate narrow areas where there is little space for traditional lighting, such as on balustrades, bulkheads or stairs,” says Davidson.
With their self-adhesive backing, LED strip lights are very easy to install and can be fixed to almost any smooth, non-conductive surface. “The placement area must be clean and dry,” Davidson advises, “then the backing adhesive is simply peeled away and the strip light mounted in place.”
LED light strips are available in various lengths or can be made to order at The Lighting Warehouse. It’s important to note that different lengths need different sizes of power supply.
LED strip lights are available in cool white or warm white, in fixed colours or as colour-changing LEDs. “Some LED strips available from The Lighting Warehouse can be operated via remote control to change between various modes, providing constant colour-changing illumination, or fixed on one chosen colour,” Davidson explains.
She says that LED strip lights are most commonly applied in kitchens – above worktops, under cabinets or in cupboards – but they can be used virtually anywhere. Special dimmer switches are also available so the light intensity can be controlled.
Copyright © 2013 Infixion Media (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved.
Specifier: The online update for architectural, engineering & construction industry professionals.
