All ‘gas discharge’ types of lighting installations – including standard fluorescent strip lights – by their nature generate high levels of voltage distortion. This voltage distortion causes a range of problems – frequent failure of light fittings, disturbance of other nearby electrical equipment and increased power consumption. There have been various methods of increasing lighting efficiency available, but these have tended to reduce both power quality and reliability of the lighting installation. At Environmental, we set out to find a better way of saving energy costs and carbon dioxide emissions, while avoiding high capital costs and deterioration in power quality.

 

Environmental discovered that there have for some time been techniques for reducing power consumption in effective use in other countries, such as Germany and Japan. These techniques involve linear voltage reduction. Controlled current reduction offers significant savings in terms of power losses. In addition, the efficiency of the lamp rises as the voltage is reduced.

 

These two principles together combine to give substantial energy savings with imperceptible reduction in light output.

 

  Environmental then rose to the challenge of designing reliable and effective equipment for UK voltages and installations – which led to the -Lite product range. -Lite offers savings of up to 35% (fluorescent lighting), up to 25% (HID lighting) or up to 15% (high frequency and electronic lighting) – without any penalty in power quality.