With the introduction of LED technology in the lighting market, new theoretical concepts have emerged that went a little more unnoticed with old lighting technologies. Next, we are going to explain the basic concepts about LED lighting so that each user knows the parameters they have to evaluate when choosing the one. light bulb that best suits your needs.

Safety Very Low Voltage Installations (MBTS)

Safety Very Low Voltage installations include those whose nominal voltage does not exceed 50 VAC. or 75 VDC, powered by a source with protective isolation, such as a transformer that meets current UNE safety standards.
Within this type of facilities we can find:
- Toilet Automation
- Pool Spotlights
- Automatic floats in pumping tanks
- Irrigation of green spaces
- Hydromassages
- Exterior Lighting
 If we work in dry, humid or partially humid outdoor environments, such as outdoor spotlights, the recommended voltage is 24 Volts. On the contrary, for elements that are going to be submerged, such as pool lights, the recommended working voltage is 12 Volts. For both purposes, a safety transformer with appropriate protections must always be used.

Table of Equivalences between Led and traditional products

Most people are not familiar with the equivalence of the various existing technologies with LED technology. This table is intended to guide all those people, both individuals and professionals, to help and carry out a correct replacement of old products with LEDs.
The equivalence tables shown below are indicative of the equivalences of older LED lighting technologies. They are indicative because depending on the type of chip and driver used by the luminaire, it will provide more or less lighting.

INTERIOR LIGHTING

LED HALIDES ENERGY SAVING T8 FLUORESCENT SODIUM VAPOR
HIGH PRESSURE		 SODIUM VAPOR
NO REACTANCE		 LUMEN (LM)
1W 10W - - - - 80 - 90
3W 20W - - - - 240 - 270
5W 35W - - - - 400 - 450
7W 50W - - - - 560 - 630
10W 80W 20W 20W - - 800 - 900
12W 100W 24W 24W - - 960 - 1080
15W 120W 30W 30W - - 1200 - 1350
20W 150W 40W 40W - - 1600 - 1800
60W 400W 120W 120W 100W 300W 4800 - 5400
80W 450W 160W 160W 120W 380W 6400 - 7200
90W 550W 180W 180W 150W 450W 7200 - 8100
120W 750W 240W 240W 200W 600W 9600 - 10080
150W 900W 300W 300W 250W 750W 12000 - 13500
160W 950W 320W 320W 250W 750W 12800 - 1440

OUTDOOR LIGHTING

LED HALIDES ENERGY SAVING T8 FLUORESCENT SODIUM VAPOR
HIGH PRESSURE		 SODIUM VAPOR
NO REACTANCE		 LUMEN (LM)
60W 400W 120W 120W 100W 300W 4800 - 5400
80W 450W 160W 160W 120W 380W 6400 - 7200
90W 550W 180W 180W 150W 450W 7200 - 8100
120W 750W 240W 240W 200W 600W 9600 - 10080
150W 900W 300W 300W 250W 750W 12000 - 13500
160W 950W 320W 320W 250W 750W 12800 - 1440

Importance of opening angle What is it?

If we considered that we already had enough concepts to handle when choosing a light bulb, now we are going to add another one that, although a priori it may seem to be less important, is decisive when it comes to making a room well or poorly lit. A poorly chosen opening angle of a bulb can produce shadows, giving rise to empty spaces that are not illuminated. On the contrary, if we have a very open opening angle we will cover all the gaps but we will lose lighting that in many cases will not be able to reach the ground.
The opening angle tells us how much the light beam will open when leaving the lamp, that is, an illuminated area will be created under the lamp whose area is proportional to the opening angle. To select the appropriate lamp, this value is of vital importance because it would directly affect the uniformity of the light, and the number of luminaires to be used.
Therefore, there must be a balance between adequate average lighting and light uniformity, always ensuring that the entire place is illuminated and without shadows.
To choose one opening angle or another, we must take into account the height where the luminaire will be placed. If we have a very high height and have a large or very wide opening angle, we will lose light intensity, but it will be more uniform. On the contrary, for rooms with low ceilings, if we use a luminaire with a small angle there will be places where the lighting will be very fixed but in others there will be shadow areas.
Therefore, for a correct choice of the most appropriate opening angle for each case, we can follow these small recommendations:
- Very small opening angles (<10º): It is used to highlight specific objects. Very useful for illuminating sculptures, paintings, etc.
- Average opening angles (between 24 and 60º): They are the most commonly used. They are usually used in restaurants, homes, stores, etc.
- Large opening angles (>60º): They are usually used in large areas such as warehouses, industrial warehouses, offices, etc.

Advantages of LED Technology

If you have not yet switched to LED lighting and you have incandescent or halogen bulbs in your home, GreenIce gives you the reasons to make the transition to the lighting of the future.
Energy Savings
Today, energy saving is one of the basic pillars of any person, since in this way it contributes to making a transition towards greener and more efficient technologies. LED technology is the most efficient form of lighting, (80% less compared to traditional lighting). This means that around 80% of electrical energy is converted into light, consuming very little power and therefore emitting very little heat. Traditional incandescent bulbs only convert 20% of energy into light, losing 80% as heat.
Durability
LED lighting is characterized by its long lifespan. Its half-life is around 50,000 hours. The duration of these is not calculated based on the moment in which they are turned off, but rather based on a percentage of the initial luminous flux (lumens). This means that the LED luminaires continue to function once the specified hours of useful life have been consumed, although at a lower intensity. Furthermore, due to its long useful life, maintenance costs are lower than for traditional technologies.
Environment
LED devices do not contain mercury, do not produce infrared irradiation, do not produce light pollution and are 100% recyclable. All bulbs and luminaires in the GreenIce catalog have the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) certificate, which prohibits the use of six materials in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment.
The long operational life period mentioned above means that one LED light bulb can save material and production of 20 incandescent bulbs.
In addition, the use of LED technology for lighting reduces the carbon footprint and CO2 and sulfur emissions into the atmosphere.
Quick response capability
Unlike traditional technologies, LED lighting has a very quick start-up so it does not require prior preheating (like fluorescent tubes, for example).
Mechanical resistance
Unlike traditional bulbs and luminaires, LED lighting has high mechanical resistance so it can withstand vibrations and shocks, which means that during transport it can withstand shocks better without causing any damage to them.
Chromatic Variety
LED lighting offers a wide range of chromatic variety with which one can choose different light intensities, effects and atmospheres depending on the bulb or luminaire chosen. In addition, there is the option of RGB (Red, Green and Blue, in its acronym in English) in which one can choose between the three base shades and the shades obtained by mixing the three (yellow, purple, pink, white, etc.). In addition, LED lighting has a CRI (Color Rendering Index) greater than or equal to 80. This parameter tells us how faithfully LED lighting reproduces colors, so the closer it is to 100, the greater the fidelity of color reproduction.

How important is luminous flux?What is luminous flux?

With the introduction of LED technology in the field of lighting, very important new concepts have been introduced when choosing the right bulb for our purpose. With traditional light bulbs, the factor to consider when choosing a light bulb was the Power (W). Nowadays, this factor is no longer so important, other factors such as Lumen (Lm) and Luxes (Lx) come into play.
Below, we will explain the difference between the two, as well as some examples that will help us better understand these new concepts.
Lumen: It is the unit of the International System to measure the luminous flux of a source, that is, the luminous power provided by that source.
To give an example, a 60W incandescent bulb with an E27 socket has between 600 Lumens, the LED replacement being an 8W bulb, with the same number of lumens and therefore the same level of illumination.
Example of light intensity.
Luxes: It is the unit derived from the International System for illuminance or illumination level. Its unit is Lumen/m2. With this parameter you can know how far the beam reaches from the light source and how good or bad the lighting is in each place.
The UNE 12464-1 standard is the European Standard on interior lighting. In this standard, the average illuminance levels (E) are tabulated.m), the UGR unified glare indices (UGRl) and color rendering indexes or color rendering index.
Therefore, when choosing a luminaire we must look at the number of lumens it provides us. The number of lumens is proportional to the number of watts, so a luminaire of, for example, 10 W should have a minimum of 850 Lm. If we look, for example, at a 15W bulb, it should have around 1200 Lm. Lux is a parameter that is used more for legislation and regulation but for practical purposes it is not as important when choosing a bulb or luminaire; it is not as important as lumens or power.

How to select the right color temperature?What is color temperature (K)?

When we talk about color temperature, many people are unaware of this concept or tend to confuse it with colors themselves, a concept with which it is not directly related. Color temperature can be defined as the predominance of some colors of the spectrum over the others so that bluish or reddish tones predominate depending on how we move in the spectrum. A more technical definition of color temperature may be as follows: “The color temperature of a light source is defined by comparing the color obtained within the light spectrum with the light that a black body would emit if we heated it to a certain temperature. For this reason this color temperature is expressed in kelvin, even though it is not indicative of a temperature."
Therefore, the color temperature of a product simply tells us the color of the light that we will obtain from a spotlight or luminaire. It should be noted that the color temperature, measured in degrees Kelvin (K), usually varies from 1,000 K, which can be compared to the flame of a candle or oil lamp, to 10,000 K, which can be compared to the color of the sky on a sunny day.
The most used shades in the lighting sector are:
Warm White (3000 – 3500 K): Yellowish Color. Warm white shades are usually chosen in rooms where tranquility and relaxation are required. These rooms are bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, hallways, etc.
Natural White (4000 – 4500K): Pure white color. Natural white shades are usually installed in places where optimal color appreciation is required. These rooms are bathrooms and dressing rooms.
Cool White (6000 – 6500K): Bluish White. Cool white shades are usually installed in places where lighting is a very important factor and manual and precision work is carried out. The rooms range from kitchens to workbenches.
In conclusion, we can indicate that the choice of a bulb with one color temperature or another can be based on technical recommendations but in the end it is a subjective choice since each person likes one color tone more than another. As a curious note, we see the different color temperatures day by day in the sky. In the mornings/afternoons we can see warmer tones and in the middle of the morning we can see more natural and cold tones. It should be noted that these shades will vary depending on the pollution levels and the amount of clouds that day. This way when they talk to us about color temperature we will have a practical and visual example that we see every day.

Importance of opening angles in lighting

One of the most important factors when choosing an LED bulb is the opening angle. The smaller the opening angle, the more focused the light will be, while, if we choose a very open opening angle, the light provided by this product will be more dispersed, although it will cover a greater lighting distance. Thanks to the constant development of LED technology, we can find products with different opening angles, some of them being capable of illuminating an entire room.
The most commonly used opening angle is 120º, since it is the one usually found in most places in a home. When we want to focus on a specific point, the angle we must choose will be 40º.
It must be taken into account that the higher the height at which the luminaire is placed, the smaller the opening angle must be so that the lighting is correct and 100% of the light power provided by the product can be used.

Differences between single-phase, two-phase and three-phase track lights

Within the facilities of lane spotlights, there are three types of configurations depending on the ignition points or phases that we have or want to put within our installation. The types that exist are the following.
- Single phase: Single-phase rails and spotlights are used when within our installation we want a single on/off point. This type of installation is the most common and the most used.
- Biphasic: Spotlights and two-phase rails are used when within our installation we want two well-differentiated on/off points. For example, if it is along a hallway, you can put a switch at the beginning of the hallway to turn it on and another switch at the end of it to turn it on.
- Three-phase: Three-phase rails and spotlights are used when within our installation we want three on/off points. This type of configuration can be used in installations where specific and/or parceled installations are to be carried out.

Differences between motion sensor and presence sensor

Motion sensors have gained great prominence in recent years because they help us manage lighting more efficiently than with old keys or switches. This is because the sensors manage the on/off of the light through a sensor, responsible for detecting people or moving objects. Next, we will discuss the advantages of using this type of device and the different models that we can find on the market.
Is a presence sensor the same as a motion sensor? The answer is NO. Presence sensors are more sensitive than motion sensors because they constantly scan the area in search of “disturbances”, in addition to constantly measuring light. Motion sensors respond to a “disturbance” when it is of significant magnitude (when there is significant movement). Also, they are not capable of active light measurement like motion sensors.
The most used in the lighting market are motion sensors due to their ease of installation and price on the market. Below we are going to briefly explain the different types that we can find:
Passive motion sensors (PIR): It is probably the most used sensor on the market due to its ease of configuration and use. It bases its operation on the detection of variations in infrared radiation in the environment in which it is placed. The name passive is because it does not emit radiation but rather receives it. These capture presence by detecting the difference between the heat emitted by the human body and the space around it. Detection is carried out using a lens responsible for detecting this type of disturbances. Its main component is pyroelectric sensors designed to detect changes in the received infrared radiation, which are in turn encapsulated in a Fresnell lens.
Microwave active motion sensors: This type of sensors base their operation on the emission/reception of microwave waves regardless of temperature. If something interferes with the waves, the sensor will detect a variation in the return time, causing the lighting to activate. These types of sensors are more sensitive, being able to pass through thin doors and windows. This makes its detection capacity greater than that of passive motion sensors.
Twilight sensors: This sensor bases its operation on the detection of excess or deficiency of lighting within the environment in which it is installed (we will have to have previously tested the sensor to place the regulation at the point where
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