September 5, 2005—The tallest buildings in the world couldnt do without elevators. Soon, elevators may find that they cant do without LEDs.
A recent field study from the Lighting Research Center demonstrated that LEDs can be effective, energy-saving alternatives for incandescent downlights in elevators. The field installation using prototype LED fixtures showed an energy savings of 45 percent compared with the original incandescent lights. LED fixtures may also change the way elevator cabins are built, resulting in further energy savings.
The study, titled LED Low-profile Fixtures, was sponsored by the California Energy Commissions Public Interest Energy Research Program and the Architectural Energy Corporation. The major aim was to develop and demonstrate an LED-based fixture that could replace incandescent fixtures in low-profile applications, where small size is important.
A survey conducted inside the original and LED-modified elevators showed that passengers ranked the low-profile LED installation as consistently better in terms of visibility, comfort, color and attractiveness of the light. LED downlight fixtures could have an even greater impact on the elevator industry than just energy savings from lighting. The low-profile design of the LED fixture means that elevator manufacturers could shorten the height of the elevator cabin by as much as four to six inches, the current clearance needed for traditional incandescent and fluorescent fixtures. In turn, this means less materials would be needed to build the cabin, reducing the cabins total weight, according to the study.
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) is part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is the leading university-based research center devoted to lighting. For more information, visit the Lighting Research Center Web site.
