10 mistakes when upgrading lighting

Thinking of upgrading your shop lighting? Do nothing until you have checked this list of 10 mistakes that beginners make:

1. Using light sources with the wrong beam angle

This is probably the most common problem when upgrading lighting. Lamp-based fittings tend to have a wide beam. So if, for example, you replace lamp fittings with LED track spotlights, you will get a much narrower beam. A wide spread of light is useful, for example, for lighting a hotel corridor and walls. Likewise, when you replace a lamp fitting, you may leave the top third of a wall underlit.

The best way to avoid this: talk to professionals first and get a sample.

2. Buying luminaires that are too bright or too weak

For example, if you have high ceilings and install luminaires with a low luminous flux, you will probably get much less light than you expect. And if the retail luminaires are too powerful, the room will be uncomfortable.

The best way to avoid this: ask our managers for advice and a professional lighting design.

3. The wrong colour temperature

Colour temperature is measured in kelvin. Warm white LED luminaires have a colour temperature of 3000 K. If you decide to replace a few luminaires, make sure they match the others in colour temperature. Luminaires of 3000, 4000 and 5000 K in one room create an uncomfortable atmosphere.

The best way to avoid this: check the required colour temperature before you buy.

4. Buying retail lighting with poor colour rendering

The ability of light to show colours is measured by the colour rendering index, CRI. LED chips usually come with a CRI of 80 or 93. The weak point of LEDs is red (R9), as the spectrum of a typical white LED contains very little red. When buying professional lighting for a shop where red dominates, make sure the colour rendering is above 80 Ra, otherwise red items will look dull.

The best way to avoid this: check the luminaire specification, and be careful if the CRI is not stated.

5. Buying luminaires that are not compatible with dimmers

LED spotlights do not always dim smoothly on dimmers designed for incandescent or halogen lamps. In fact, at low levels they often flicker and blink. This is because incandescent lamps and LED sources present a different resistive load to the dimmer, and the equipment may fail as a result.

Talk to specialists in the field: they will tell you which luminaires you need.

6. Choosing an unreliable supplier

Over the last few years a whole range of new LED lighting suppliers has entered the market. If you need lighting for a large shop, check who you are buying from and what. Ask who the company works with, whether it gives a warranty on its products and whether the luminaires come with documents.

The best way to avoid problems: look for information online and ask the right questions directly to the company's representatives.

7. Not paying attention to warranty terms

Will the supplier give you a warranty? Will they honour it? Is the warranty longer than the supplier has been on the market? Check the small print. There may be limits on burning hours, and sometimes you have to register online separately within 90 days to activate the warranty.

Use the services of a reputable manufacturer, read the warranty and clarify its terms.

8. Buying low-quality equipment

The generally accepted rated life of an LED is the point at which light output falls to 70% of the initial output, called L70. For example, you may see a rated life of 50,000 hours to L70. But there is also the phenomenon of an unexpected failure shortly after installation.

Play it safe: buy shop lighting with a warranty.

9. Unchecked after-sales service

Say one of your luminaires stops working after 18 months. You call your supplier for a replacement or repair, and they say: "We no longer make this model and we have no spare parts. We can offer our latest model instead." Be careful: the latest model may be very different from the one you were sold.

The best way to avoid this: buy from suppliers with a good service centre, or buy extra luminaires as spares.

10. Installing light sources incorrectly

Incompetent companies often install lighting so that it dazzles. This is wrong: with a proper lighting design the light sources should go unnoticed.

To avoid glare, turn to professional companies that will prepare a lighting design for you and show clearly how the light will be distributed in your room before installation starts.