One year on from the implementation of the new British Standard EN 61549 for fragment retention lamps, the impact it has had on the industrial sector is clear for all to see. Stewart Damonsing, marketing manager at GlassGuard explains
Using BS EN 61549 standard fragment retention lamps in any industrial setting will result in improved longevity and full protection from broken glass. However, savings on energy and maintenance costs are equally important in the current economic climate. Fragment retention lamps are a sensible option for any business, factory or production facility, offering protection from broken glass at critical times of maintenance or at end of life. However, it is the efficiency that many of these compliant lamps can provide that is making a difference to businesses in all sectors.
Why so cost efficient?
GlassGuard’s compliant shatter-proof lamps can be recognised due to their BlackBand marking which indicates that the products meet the required 2010 standards. Cost savings from these products can be seen in the elimination of accidental breakage, necessitating the replacement of the lamp as well as a complete shut down and clean up of the facility. As the lamps have a special FEP coating, they can also remove the need for diffusers as protection in some situations, reducing costs further.
However, even more importantly, GlassGuard BlackBand lamps in diffuserless IP65 fixtures can provide a 24W energy reduction over their life and with a full service life of 20,000 hours, the energy saving from just one lamp is significant. In real terms this means that an installation of just 22 diffuserless IP65 fixtures with compliant T5 lamps in a business will save 1kW of energy per hour, which equates to a cash saving of £182 per year. This is a significant sum for any business and paves the way for major energy saving opportunities for larger installations. For example, a typical building with 500 T8 fluorescent fixtures could save up to £4,000 per year by switching to higher standard diffuserless IP65 T5 fixtures.
Case study
Dalehead Foods, the Waitrose supplier for lamb, last year completed a new fluorescent lighting installation using GlassGuard IP65 luminaires. The new fittings provide maintenance savings in addition to energy savings as diffuser covers and clips are no longer necessary. The new industry compliant fixtures incorporate GlassGuard BlackBand long life shatter-proof lamps manufactured to the BS EN 61549 Fragment Retention Lamp Standard providing a totally ‘glass-free environment’.
Engineering manager, Shaun Thorp, explained why he chose new fittings over traditional standard fittings with diffusers, “Like a lot of engineering managers I have never been a great lover of diffuser covers as they always degrade and need replacing when they get old. The plastic clips break as well or get lost and you end up spending extra money, which you can do without.
“We came to realise that the real risk of glass contamination from possible lamp breakage was during periods of maintenance when the old diffuser covers were removed and unprotected glass lamps were being fitted. What we liked about GlassGuard was the five year shatter-proof lamp option with a 24W energy reduction, no more diffusers to replace and an improvement in light distribution – fit and forget trouble-free shatter-proof lighting which meets the requirements of all safety and hygiene audits.”
