LRC elevator LED lighting

The LRC at NY (also the oldest technical collage in the US) has been testing LED based elevator lighting. The high intensity fixtures used now have a life span of 40,000 hours and consume 45 % less power than the existing lights. LRC hopes to commercialize the design soon.

Jean Paul Freyssinier, an LRC research assistant professor says “LEDs are an ideal light source for elevators because their rugged design can withstand the vibrations and motions of the cabin,” The six LED downlights required a total of 165 watts of electricity, compared with 300 watts for the original incandescent downlights, for an energy savings of 45 percent. The illuminance levels inside the elevator cabin were similar between each type of downlight. As an added benefit, the LED fixtures are expected to last 40,000 hours, or more than four years being on all day, every day. Compared with traditional incandescent fixtures in elevators, which operate between 1,500 and 2,500 hours, LEDs can provide cost savings for replacement and maintenance, says Freyssinier. And because LEDs typically do not fail outright (their light output slowly decreases instead), maintenance crews can plan for relamping, rather than having to respond to lamp failures as they occur.

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.