Outdoor LED Striplights

Switching all the old incandescent bulbs in your garage (for instance) to LEDs may seem like a small task. However, they say all the little things count and this could apply to one of the most drastic challenges facing our planet: climate change. The UN recently issued a warning stating we only have 12 years to change our behavior to avert a ‘climate change catastrophe’. The world is currently 1 degree over its pre-industrial level, and devastating effects can already be seen with dramatic weather events: from hurricanes in the U.S. to record droughts in South Africa. If all this world-scale peril sounds daunting, don’t get overwhelmed. There are some easy steps that you can take to reduce your carbon footprint and contribute to lowering the global temperature to the 1.5% level agreed upon at the Paris Agreement in 2015. Helping the planet with LEDs: making a complete switch to LEDs You can contribute to helping save the environment right now - the first step is simply thinking about how many light bulbs are currently being used in your home. Next, try and guess how many of these are LEDs - and hopefully, the answer should be most of them.  For instance, have you made the switch to LED strip lights along your countertops, shelves, and cupboards? What about your exterior lighting? These often exert huge amounts of electricity, and LED Floodlights are shown to save up to 65% in energy savings.  At the top of most ‘how to help the environment’ lists is using energy-efficient light bulbs - LEDs. Studies have shown that making your home more energy-efficient has massively contributed to reducing emissions and helping the environment. Here are some additional reasons for making the switch to LEDs: On average, they are brighter than their older counterparts, producing 63 lumens compared to a paltry 12 lumens from traditional bulbs. They use 90% less energy than their equivalent incandescent or halogen light bulb. They have lower running costs, running approximately 20 times longer. They provide instant, bright lighting. Buy LED Floodlights at SparksThe benefits of a complete switch over to LEDs Have you ever thought how many light fittings in your home are LEDs? The truth is many people have slowly been making the switch following the EU’s ban on halogen light bulbs, which took effect in late 2018, and their phasing out of incandescent bulbs since 2009. However, it is likely that you are still losing energy and money with inefficient bulbs throughout your house. It is worth drawing inspiration from the laudable achievement of British couple Pete and Linda Powell, who estimate they are saving over £400 per year, having switched almost all their bulbs to LEDs in their grand Yorkshire home (see the source below). The energy bill for their five-bedroom house used to rack up to an average of £1,344 a year prior to their mini "lighting revolution". Now it is costing them just £700 (approximately). So what is putting people off from switching to LED lighting? One thing may be that many feel uncomfortable with the low-wattage levels given by LED lamps, having become accustomed to the standard 40W, 60W, 75W and even 100W ratings of traditional bulbs. However, the only reason LED lamp wattages are so much lower is their increased efficiency - they don't need to waste as much wattage. The general rule of thumb to keep in mind when buying LEDs is simply to multiply the LEDs wattage by 10 to find its equivalent traditional light in brightness. Saving money while you help save the planet - is there any downside? Some may point to the actual cost of buying LEDs to replace every single bulb in the average household and also install them. It cost Pete and Linda Powell around £500, meaning they made their money back in well under a year - and this was in a large 5-bedroom home. The couple has set a precedent that seems well worth following for the average consumer: make the switch now and see the benefits in the medium/long term. There is of course the added satisfaction of knowing you are doing your small bit to help global temperatures before it is too late. As one recent BBC article made clear, improving energy efficiency within our households has actually done more to help the environment than the switch to renewable energy. It has been estimated that by following EU-set guidelines on products such as light bulbs, fridges, and vacuum cleaners, energy demand has been reduced by a staggering 103TWh since 2005. Compare this to the estimated 95 TWh cut by substituting fossil fuels for renewables at the same time. While both solutions are needed to make the necessary changes to fight global warming, the switch over to LEDs is a practical step every single one of us can make.Buy LED Lights at Sparks Articles that helped inspire this article: The Greenage on the various reasons you should make the switch to LEDs. The Telegraph, with a piece on how a British couple successfully made the switch to a completely LED lit home. The Guardian on how we need to take action now, to stop the devastating effects of climate change. We found the top ranked way to save the planet Earth at 50waystohelp. Do you think making a complete switch over to LEDs in your home is practical? Tweet us  your thoughts @sparksdirect

This article explores whether public exterior lighting - and in particular LED lighting - is effective or not in tackling crime. There has been much research and investment into tackling crime and making sure neighbourhoods are safe, but the question is, can LED lighting improve the safety of your neighbourhood? Case no. 1: How an LED lighting display transformed an unsafe seaside promenade into a spectacular attraction in Hastings Bottle Alley is a 480 metre lower deck promenade that was built in the 1930's by the Borough engineer Sidney Little, in Hastings on the South coast of England. It received its name due to the multi-coloured glass bottles embedded in the concrete panels that run the length of the alley. The glass bottle display in the wall received plaudits for bringing a flourish of modernist / deco architecture to the area. However, by the turn of the 21st century Bottle Alley had earned a bad reputation, the typical occupants being notorious for their anti-social behaviour and street drinking. The people of Hastings were nervous to take the poorly lit, potentially dangerous route. Reclaiming Bottle Alley - how LED lighting improved safety in HastingsIn 2017, Hastings Borough Council decided to make Bottle Alley an attraction once again, and their tool of choice was an impressive LED lighting and sound display. The Council teamed up with LASER's LED team to replace the dilapidated lighting system and reclaim Bottle Alley. LASER supplied specialist colour-changing LED lighting that could be programmed to create different light displays and be synchronised to music to create light and sound extravaganzas. The existing fluorescent fittings were replaced with 500 metres of LED lighting. On the 25th October 2017, Bottle Alley was launched to the public with a 30-minute light spectacle attended by local councillors, businesses and residents. It was rapturously received and Bottle Alley now regularly hosts 10-minute light shows from Saturday to Thursday, with an extended 30-minute show on Fridays. LASER's Energy Director and LED Development Manager, Joseph Stewart, stated that, I'm proud that we have pulled together as a team to help support Hastings Borough Council deliver this part of their vision for the seafront regeneration. The Lead Councillor for regeneration and culture for Hastings thanked LASER for their work, and remarked that the project had transformed Bottle Alley: It is an absolutely magical walk along the beach that can be enjoyed all year round. The LED lighting project was successful on two fronts: improving the safety of the area and bringing in revenue from increased tourism. The impact of the lighting is such that it’s now being studied by other towns as a cost-effective ‘intervention’ in problem urban areas.  For example, Doncaster Council unveiled a 'Smartlight' system, replacing existing street lamps with new LED lamps to help reduce crime and improve public safety. The Smartlight system uses a computer management system to identify faults automatically, sometimes before the lights actually fail and arrange repairs accordingly. Additional benefits of the Smartlight system would be better quality lighting, a reduced carbon footprint and financial savings.Buy LED Lighting at SparksCase no. 2: LED Street Lighting Linked to combating crime and Improving Safety in New York CityThe New York City Police Department worked in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice to organise a study. Run by the Crime Lab they designed a six-month randomised controlled trial that involved nearly 80 public housing developments, all with high crime levels. Half of the developments received new, temporary street lights, whilst half did not. The study found that the developments who had received the new lights would experience significantly lower crime rates than those without the new lights. Overall, the study found that the increased levels of lighting led to a 7% overall reduction in so called ‘index crime’ (index crime being a subset of serious offences including murder, robbery, aggravated assault and property crimes). In particular at night there was a staggering 39% reduction in index crimes, demonstrating a drastic correlation.  Cost-benefit graphs showed the lighting upgrades will become cost-effective in six years. Over 20 years time the additional lighting was seen to reduce the cost of crime and victimisation by $14 million per development. Case no. 3: There may be no correlation between LED street lights and safety from crimeReports from both the BBC and the Guardian both suggested that reduced street lighting did not lead to an increase in crime or car collisions. Research published by the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, based on 14 years of data from 62 local authorities across England and Wales, found there was no correlation between reduced lighting and increased crime or collisions. The lead investigators from the reputable UCL actually advised for local authorities to spend less on street lighting, with spending cuts in mind. Mike Riggs called this argument over street lights and safety "a seemingly endless debate", pointing to evidence that street light only made members of the public feel safer and in fact enabled criminals to carry out crimes more easily (to see the contents of a parked car for instance). These are three major case studies which seem to be conflicting....so all in all, there seems to be no clear-cut conclusions as to whether increased LED street brings safety to communities. However, what is your opinion - does improved LED street lighting actually lead to increased safety from crime?Buy Energy Saving Lights at Sparks Can Street Lighting reduce the number of Crimes - more studies: The effect of reduced street lighting on crime and road traffic injuries at night in England and Wales: a controlled interrupted time series analysis - a study here. Street Lights and Crime: A Seemingly Endless Debate - a study by CityLab in 2014. Does street lighting reduce crime? Yes. The review showed that improved street lighting had a positive effect in reducing crimes such as burglary and theft. It did not, however, reduce the incidence of violent crimes. Released by College of Policing in 2013. Lighting for Streets and the Built Environment - via the Crime Prevention Website. Evidence regarding the impact of the street lighting on crime and antisocial behaviour - study in August 2015 by CRG. What actually happens to crime ‘when the lights are on,’ as Rick Perry suggests - article via Washington Post. The effect of reduced street lighting on road casualties and crime in England and Wales: controlled interrupted time series analysis - a study via BMJ Journals. A 2000 evaluation of a Chicago project to “boost lighting levels in alleys across the city as a tool for public safety and fighting crime” found that, in fact, criminal offenses increased in more well-lit areas, relative to controls. Read the study here. Preventing Crime: what works, what doesn't, and what's promising (a report prepared for the National Institute of Justice, USA) - read it here. The influence of street lighting improvements on crime, fear and pedestrian street use, after dark - study via ScienceDirect. Streetlights Don't Actually Prevent Crime - article via Gizmodo. 20% increase in crime after street light switch-offs - article via Better Retailing here. Switching off street lights at night does not increase car crashes and crime - a study in 2015 via UCL here. Improving Street Lighting to Reduce Crime in Residential Areas - study via, Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, here.

Teucer has long offered one of the most comprehensive ranges of LED strips, drivers profiles and accessories. Established in 2012, their initial aim was to propel the lighting industry forward into the LED revolution that was taking place at the time.Note: the SkyLUX system is not available at Sparks; however, you can see here the LED Striplights at Sparks. They have now pioneered the award-winning and highly acclaimed skyLUX, which is a smart artificial daylight solution for dim areas of buildings, utilised by people who lack exposure to natural sunlight. Buy LED Strip Lights at SparksSkyLUX mimics daylight and replicates not only the aesthetic of natural sunshine, but also the associated health benefits that come with natural daylight patterns.Why do we need skyLUX? Problems posed by modern lifestyles and lighting Changes in modern society in the late 20th and early 21st century have led to many issues concerning people’s sleep cycles and health.The appropriation of electronic light has led to a change in the ‘circadian’ rhythms of the human body, which controls key features such as sleep-wake behaviour and hormone secretion.This is all seen to disturb the 24-hour sleep cycle we should be operating on for optimum health and happiness. Recent studies have shown we now spend close to 90% of our lives indoors, meaning we are simply not getting enough natural sunlight.Human-Centric lighting The scientific evidence for the benefits of natural sunlight is overwhelming: it is proven to speed up patient recovery times in hospitals, improve student educational performances, and increase worker productivity. (These advantages will be discussed at greater length in an upcoming article from Sparks). The substitution of natural light for artificial light is detrimental to our health and happiness, so skyLUX seeks to remedy this with ‘Human-Centric’ lighting: lighting solutions that enable improved occupant satisfaction and productivity.  SkyLUX works its magic by replicating a natural 24-hour day cycle that adheres to our natural body clock. The panel depicts realistic scenes of sky, clouds and sunshine, all of which enhance the body’s functioning and feeling of well-being.  For these reasons, the skyLUX has to be considered an enormous improvement on any existing natural light substitute such as the various ranges of 'SAD lamps'. It's scope and ability to achieve 'Human-Centric' lighting is a genuinely significant achievement. The practicalities of using the skyLUX With skyLUX, Teucer are working with what they have always known best: LEDs. The skyLUX integrates the most modern LED technology, optical design and intelligent controls systems.  The main control will be the level of brightness intensity, which is scaled all the way from 0 (which gives the effect of a cloudy day) to 100 (which exudes the intense illumination of a sunny day).  The skyLUX can be controlled via a wall panel or even via a mobile app (compatible with Android and iOS), which will be capable of overseeing up to 64 multiple units simultaneously.   Emulating regular weather patterns with skyLUX SkyLUX utilises a varying degree of colour temperatures (measured in Kelvins) on the ‘Colour Temperature’ scale', which can vary from 2500K all the way to 10,000K. The four pre-programmed settings you will be likely using the most are: Morning, Noon, Evening and Cloudy. To efficiently mimic natural daylight, skyLUX begins the day at 6am, with a relatively weak 2500K (warm white light), right up until 12pm where it peaks at 10,000K, pouring in a radiant ambience akin to strong natural daylight. It will then steadily decrease back down to 2500K by 6pm.Buy LED Strips via Sparks Choosing your own tailored lighting with skyLUX You can transport yourself to any part of the world you wish to with the skyLUX’s handy and simple manual adjustment system. Pick and choose a geographical location, time of year, date, time and latitude, and the skyLUX will automatically synchronise its lighting ambience, transferring you to another time and place. This is particularly handy in those living in countries that don’t get enough natural sunlight for long parts of the year, such as the UK, Norway and Sweden. Are you feeling down during a miserable, rainy November night in London? You can welcome the ambience of a sunny, summer morning in Perth, Australia and feel your spirit rise alongside the light levels. Fighting unnatural day cycles intelligently with skyLux As mentioned previously, Teucer are experienced in intelligently utilising the latest in LED technology to help the environment and reduce energy costs and emissions. Continuing this tradition of forward-thinking design, the convenient skyLux are compliant with Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI) systems, a universal lighting control. When you combine that with easy-to-use wall panels and intuitive app controls, you are left with what is sure to be a colossal introduction to the lighting industry. With the skyLUX, Teucer are truly taking the next step in lighting, using high-calibre scientific research to help illuminate and elevate our lives! This is the first of a series of articles on the innovative skyLUX from Teucer LED; if you are interested in this system for your project, please contact us or leave us a comment below.

Christmas is a little over a month away, but many of us are already considering what present should we get for our friends, family, relatives, etc. We at Sparks do not sell Christmas lights anymore (they can create too many problems and hazardous situations, plus there's so many other Christmas lights you can get in other shops), but we have quite a few nice items that one could consider as a bright or warm Christmas present! Actually, we have even reduced some prices for some particular items just for Christmas so that you would get a nice LED lamp for example but not pay an outrageous sum while doing so. Prepare to be warmed up and brightened this Christmas with Sparks! Stay Warm this Christmas with Sparks! When we think of Christmas we're looking forward to the Christmas holidays, when we get to spend more time at home with family and friends. When the cooking and the eating takes place it's quite nice and warm, but what about when there's no cooking going on, when you wake up in the morning and want to take a shower and it's so cold in the bathroom.... There's a solution for that, and, believe it or not, it's not that expensive! You can make sure that your bathroom floor is nice and warm all year round, and you can have a warm kitchen floor no matter the season with the underfloor heating systems!Buy Underfloor Heating Mats In particular we would recommend the Danfoss DEVImats and the now-cheaper-and-on-SALE Dimplex RTS2M. The latter comes complete with a thermostat controller to maintain a warm floor at the desired temperature, and it covers 2 square metres (that's 4.0m x 0.5m). Just a few of these will cover your bathroom and make you the best dad in the world! So why not keep it warm this Christmas with these underfloor heating mats!?! Sparks helps you Keep it Bright this Christmas LED is the word; LED is the new technology that is in constant development and improvement, and we at Sparks can recommend you some really cool LED strip lights (instead of the Christmas lights), LED table lamps, and color-changing LED strips and lamps that will keep your home bright and cool without draining your bank account on electricity! For example, take a look at the Firstlight 8385CH color-changing LED table lamp with remote control: only 12W, nice for both the children and the master bedroom, offering red, green, and blue light as desired - and now available at a reduced price for a perfect Christmas present! If you prefer a more directional yet flexible LED table lamp, the Wing 11W LED table lamps (in black or white) offer you a flexible neck lamp for re-directing the light beam where you want it to be. What's more interesting and cool about these LED lamps (besides being available at a reduced price) is that they are simply "plug-and-play", no transformer needed! And if you're inexplicably drawn to the DIY and just want to have color-changing LED striplights in the house, you have to try the LEDK1RGB flexible LED strip light - a 5m adhesive LED tape for installing indoor or outdoor (it is IP65 rated).Buy LED Strips at Sparks You can install it on the countertop, in your car or motorhome, on the top shelf, in the cupboard, in the window frame, indoors or outdoor - and the best part is (besides its low price) is that everything comes in the package - it's a complete DIY RGB kit! These are just a few of the cool Christmas presents one can offer to your family for Christmas; for more information, prices, and offers, don't hesitate to contact us!

The LED lights are no longer merely a fancy light-emitting diodes solution for coloured lighting or indicators on electrical devices and appliances; the LED technology is evolving to the point that today you can safely have LED lights all around the house, and this even with a low budget! As seen above, we at Sparks we have a dedicated section that compiles most of the LED lights and LED fittings that we do at the moment, and even at a glance you will be amazed at the wide range of light fittings available that either use or can take LED light bulbs! LED Lighting All Around the House - even with a Low Budget! If you are like most of us, you would like to have LED lights (since they are both energy-saving and "the new thing") all around the house, and, if possible, these lights should also be dimmable. And we know this because MOST of our customers ask us via email, website, phone, chat, Twitter, and in-person something like this, I want a LED light that is dimmable - do you have any? Of course we do :) and we will continue to bring them in as long as the are high quality, serviceable, replaceable, and with excellent feedback. And the greatest thing about the LED lights is that their price is going lower and lower, even though they incorporate the latest LED technology! Here are some of the LED lights you could install all around the house without having to bleed money or have a heart attack when you see the price:Buy LED Lights at Sparks Indoor LED Lighting The wide range of LED Lights for interior lighting includes LED wall lights, ceiling lights, table lights, undershelf lights, bathroom lights, table lights, bedside lights, etc. For example, the ELAN-LED range of LED downlights is a great solution for dimmable downlights offering a neutral white or a warm white light and coming in white, chrome, or nickel finish. And if you want to change the bezel of this fitting, you can easily do so with the available brass, black, or chrome bezels available, both in a round and in a square version. Moving to the pendant lights, the Firstlight 8613 bar pendants and most of the high-quality pendants can use a LED light bulb, many of which are also dimmable. For a nice concealed lighting we would recommend the USLED range of LED undershelf strip lights - nice looking under-shelf strip lights for anywhere in the house (except the bathroom). In the bathroom you can either use some IP44 rated wall or ceiling lights which take LED, and above the mirror the OMLED10 will definitely save you both money and energy. Do you want to have a bedside table lamp or an LED spotlight with a flexible head mounted on the wall by the bed? There's a wide range of bedroom LED lights, from LED table lamps to children's lamps, bedside lamps, reading lamps, etc. You should definitely check out the NX326 Mento LED light.Buy ELAN-LED Downlights Outdoor LED Lighting Say "goodbye" to the high wattage and high energy consumption halogen flood lights and "Hello" to the energy-saving LED flood lights! Whether you want to light up the building facade or make sure unwanted visitors are surprised by the PIR-triggered light beam, the LED flood lights are now more affordable and useful than ever. For more concealed lighting and highlighting outdoors you can safely use the many LED strip lights for outdoor. They come in warm white, cool white, or even in RGB color changing if you prefer this, and some of them can be even remotely controlled. For a more fancy rectangular wall-mounted LED fitting you should take a look at the Astro Lighting Puzzle AX0931 LED light - it will puzzle both you and your guests as you can hardly see where the light source is! And if you are not convinced yet, we would like to invite you to visit the LED lighting section on our website where you can see more, read more, and choose the best LED light fitting that you need.Buy Outdoor LED Flood Lights If you're from around London and you would like to see how the LED downlights, wall lights, strip lights, etc look like, you can pay us a visit in Archway at our Lighting Showroom - we're open daily from 8.00am to 5.00pm, and on Saturday from 8.30am to 2.00pm.

We were recently speaking about the continual and rapid evolution of LED technology, and the LEDK1RGB LED tape kit is here to confirm it. The days in which you needed an electrician to quote you for an undershelf light or retail color-changing and eye-catching LED lights is over! Now you can install, stick, cut, and customize your LED strip lights, including the color sequence, the frequency, etc - with the possibility of changing this via the remote control! And all this for as low as... £40 + VAT! Truly a revolutionary product. What is this LED Tape / Strip Light? What we are introducing in this article is a do-it-yourself kit - a blister-packed RGB LED tape coming with everything you need to set up your own LED strip lighting. The LEDK1RGB comes complete with instructions and not only: Self-adhesive LED tape which can be cut at 10cm intervals. Total length: 5m LED roll. Multi-adaptor power supply, not only for UK but for the whole world. IR controller: remote control to allow you to change the frequency, the colors, the intensity, etc. Connectors: to connect the bits and pieces as you cut the LED tape. In other words, whether you're a DIY enthusiast who loves to customize his home (both indoors and outdoors), an electrician who needs a low-cost yet solid solution for undershelf/alcove/outdoor strip lighting, or a retail store that needs to draw people's attention to the display window, you do well to pay attention to this LED strip light kit. If you don't like it to change colors all the time that's not a problem - just change it via the remote control!Buy LED Tapes - LED Strips What Can We Use this LED Strip Light For? The "official recommendations" for this LED strip light are to be used for the underside of countertops, under-the-shelf lighting, cupboard lighting, around-the-window frame strip lights, ceiling alcoves, etc. These are only a few of the uses since you can also use this kit for commercial lighting like retail window display lighting, shop lighting, exhibition windows, restaurant and bar lighting, pub lights, etc. The IP65 rating for this LED strip light allows you to use it both indoors and outdoors, or, if needed - even in the bathroom!Where Can You Buy this LED Tape Kit? If you're in London and you want to see how this kit works, or if you're just passing through Archway, Highgate, Camden Town, King's Cross, Tuffnell Park, Kentish Town, Caledonian Road, or Holloway Road, why not pop into our showroom! We have this cool RGB color-changing LED strip light installed, and we will let you try the settings via the remote control! Otherwise, you can visit our website and you will find this LED strip light kit via the LED lighting section.