LED solution delivers savings for fencing specialist

The new premises featured 700 old-style T12 batten fittings which delivered poor output throughout the building.

Complete renewal of the lighting was essential before the facility could become operational. Expectations of the system were considerable not only because of the need to guarantee robust illumination 24h/day, five days per week, but to satisfy the company’s focus on sustainability and minimal environmental impact – something that is perhaps manifested most obviously in its ISO 14001 certification.

“The lighting needed to be reliable over extended periods of operation, as well as offering a standard of illumination that was complementary to activity levels and the good health of our employees,” says Andy Hutchings, buyer at Hampton Steel. “Minimising the environmental impact and expense of our lighting installation was also crucial, and so after a period of market research we were led to Tamlite solutions, which it quickly became clear were able to tick all of the boxes.”

Tamlite based the design around its MICRO LED battens. A relatively new addition to the Tamlite range, the MICRO LED was developed with the specific objective of bringing the traditional batten into the modern age. A variety of capabilities recommended its specification for the Hampton Steel project, including efficiency of greater than 90 lm/W, a 50,000h lifespan, a cool-white light (400K) without glare, and an extruded aluminium body for efficient thermal control. The product also benefits from Tamlite’s work on bespoke optics in both narrow (35º) and wide (80º) beams – ensuring the light is directed precisely where it is needed.

The cost and energy saving calculations generated by Tamlite added further weight to the case. Based around a deployment of 350 fixtures, giving 400lux and 200lux light levels across the factory and warehouse areas respectively, the firm predicted that Hampton Steel could benefit from a 52% annual saving over the existing installation – effectively meaning that the new system would pay for itself in about two years. Meanwhile, with the wire fencing specialist’s environmental priorities in mind, the use of MICRO LEDs was predicted to result in a reduction in yearly carbon emissions of 108425.9 kg.

Although Hutchings had nursed long-running concerns about LED technology still being fairly new in terms of the overall history of industrial lighting, these forecasts made for compelling reading. But what really made the difference in nudging him towards the Tamlite LED solution was the inclusion of a five-year warranty and guaranteed annual ‘health check’ visit for the first five years.

“Those elements certainly provided a welcome level of reassurance,” he confirms. “In addition, I also realised that the long lifespan of LEDs could benefit the way in which we operate as a factory. Any light-failure inevitably leads to the disruptive and time-consuming business of getting a cherry-picker into position, as well as downtime in the affected area. So that was another consideration that encouraged me to move ahead with an LED-based set-up.”