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don't like the new LED street lights

  • 19-11-2019 1:31am
    #1
    ttrreeww
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8 ✭


    The sodium lights in my residential area are all being replaced by blue white LED lights and they look very unpleasant. I'm going to contact the guy who runs the estate to ask if they can choose a different color temperature in the future, but I want to get more information first. Was wondering if anyone has any information on the specific LEDs they use. E.g. do you know the specific LED technology so I can look it up myself? If not, in general is cool white cheaper than warm white and that's why they're chosen? Or another reason?

    Personally I'd prefer 1800k-2200k, to be closer to the old sodium they are replacing, but even warm white (3000k-4000k) would go a long way compared to these cheap-looking blue ones. In Austria for instance they rolled out 3000k for the highly-congested areas (for visibility purposes) and 2000k everywhere else, each option looks far more familiar and aesthetically-pleasing. And generally I've only heard negative opinions on the LEDs we're getting in Ireland.


Comments

  • #2
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 14,344 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    They are very white, and I agree a warmer white would be nice, but from my uninformed viewpoint, it seems to be a generic light fitting being used across the board (by Airtricity, who seem to be the primary installers of them), so I don't think you'd have a whole heap of luck with regards to getting the temperature changed, even if you did have a good argument to make.


  • #3
    brightspark
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,637 ✭✭✭brightspark


    Generally speaking the "bluer" the LED light the cheaper it is to both manufacturer and the more efficient it is to run.

    I guess "he who pays the piper" calls the tune, so cost will always be the primary factor when it comes to deciding what streetlights are fitted.


  • #4
    cletus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,190 ✭✭✭cletus


    I'd also imagine that these were bulk bought through some form of contract, so they're unlikely to go back through a procurement process for the couple of street lights outside your house


  • #5
    Steve
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,584 ✭✭✭✭Steve


    brightspark wrote: »
    Generally speaking the "bluer" the LED light the cheaper it is to both manufacturer and the more efficient it is to run.

    I guess "he who pays the piper" calls the tune, so cost will always be the primary factor when it comes to deciding what streetlights are fitted.

    Actually not true. Red LED tech is the cheapest. It took decades after RED was invented to come up with blue LEDs and they are still the most expensive to produce - but necessary to produce white LED light. Blue mainly happened due to UV LED research in the print industry.


  • #6
    astrofool
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,166 ✭✭✭✭astrofool


    Steve wrote: »
    Actually not true. Red LED tech is the cheapest. It took decades after RED was invented to come up with blue LEDs and they are still the most expensive to produce - but necessary to produce white LED light. Blue mainly happened due to UV LED research in the print industry.

    It just means that less coating is required to make the blue LED white, and that the lumen output is higher at a given wattage the closer it gets to blue.


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  • #7
    Stoner
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,952 ✭✭✭✭Stoner


    My understanding is that phosphorus coating is an issue.

    It warms up the colour but drops the lumen output per Watt.

    It's also expensive

    In some cases they may have to use the more efficient lamp as the distance between the existing lights is fixed and they can't use a warmer lamp as they can't move the lamps closer together.

    I could be wrong though, that was from a CPD delivered by a lighting supplier.


  • #8
    stoneill
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,609 ✭✭✭stoneill


    Steve wrote: »
    Actually not true. Red LED tech is the cheapest. It took decades after RED was invented to come up with blue LEDs and they are still the most expensive to produce - but necessary to produce white LED light. Blue mainly happened due to UV LED research in the print industry.

    Yep - that's why it took a long time to develop LED displays, Red and Green LED's existed, but Blue took a long time to develop.


  • #9
    jmBuildExt
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 692 ✭✭✭jmBuildExt


    stoneill wrote: »
    Yep - that's why it took a long time to develop LED displays, Red and Green LED's existed, but Blue took a long time to develop.

    And funnily enough... I heard The Chase on in the background yesterday and the question was <some guy> won a nobel prize for physics for inventing which coloured LED?
    Answer was of cource blue :)
    https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29518521 (turns out there was 3 of them)


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