Enlightened for life

YOURE visiting your parents and have been asked to help find something in their cupboard. Off you go to their room, switch on the single fluorescent light and open the cupboard door. Its as though youre peering into an abyss because there isnt enough light to see whats inside the cupboard. You have two choices: You either close the cupboard door immediately or take everything out, find what they need and spend the next few hours putting everything back.

SENSOR LIGHTS

Now, we have a third option, says Lim Joo Yee, consumer marketing manager at Philips, a global market leader in lighting solutions. With those hard-to-see places, we have Philips Spot On sensor lights. They have motion sensors and are battery operated. With the double-sided tape at the back, you stick them on the inside wall of the cupboard. No necessity for screws and plug points, explains Lim during an event called Philips LED The Way to showcase some of the cutting-edge LED solutions that Philips offers.

With LED technology, Philips is focusing on enhancing peoples lives with the kind of light they use in their living spaces, says Adrine Ong, lighting division general manager. All the products on show came under holistic LED ecosystem and included lamps, indoor lighting and light fittings.

Ong shared some of the benefits of LED lighting. For one, the quality of light from LED bulbs is superior because it provides vivid lights with natural shades of white, which means less glare. Since LED bulbs tend to be smaller, they create an ambient atmosphere. With a typical lifetime of between 15,000 and 20,000 hours, it will be between 15 and 20 years before your LED bulbs need to be replaced.

Since our electricity tariff is going up, LED bulbs will reduce maintenance costs, keep electricity bills from skyrocketing and use up to 85 per cent less energy without compromising on lighting performance. More important for environmentalists is the fact that LED bulbs dont contain lead or mercury, which are harmful, says Ong.

While all this may sound technical, Ong adds that research shows more consumers are no longer simply saying they need more lights. In fact, what theyre saying is, I need more energy efficient lights.

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS

Lim cites the kitchen as an example. Previously, kitchens had one light. Now, as kitchens become smaller, so are work spaces like countertops. Often, when people are doing something like washing or cutting, there is a shadow and they cant see clearly what theyre doing, she says. For this, we have something called Philips myLiving Linear lights. They are motion sensor lights so you just pass your hand underneath the light and it will come on. Also, these lights produce little or no forward-facing heat.

She adds: Today, in many houses, there are three generations living together. Each generation has different lighting requirements. Childrens eyes are more sensitive and they dont need such bright lights. As people age, however, their needs change so grandparents may need bright lights.

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Enlightened for life