Articles

GALLERY ROUGE INSTALL LED LIGHTS WITH SERA

The choice and type of light bulbs to be installed may not be high on the priority list when creating a retail space, but achieving the correct lighting will impact an area as much as the interior design. The cost of switching on the lights is a significant cost for any retail business.

Gallery Rouge has recently installed the latest generation of LED light bulbs within their gallery in St Albans. Achieving the correct levels of lighting within the gallery is critical as it not only impacts on the overall aesthetics of the gallery but, more importantly, also affects how visitors view the artwork on the walls.

In a retail space that has 130 lamps, lighting plays not only a huge part in the look of the gallery but also affects the annual electricity bill.

Kuldip Chohan, Director of Gallery Rouge said, “Lighting the gallery correctly is of paramount importance and finding bulbs that offer energy savings while at the same time retaining the same brightness as traditional lamps, has been a real challenge. Thankfully, Stephen Bignell of SERA has supplied the answer. We have replaced our traditional halogen bulbs with SERA bulbs which have been installed throughout the gallery. These stylish lamps deliver a crisp light which is more aesthetically pleasing than our previous bulbs.”

From a commercial point of view the bulbs offer huge savings on the business’ electricity costs. Kuldip estimates that he will see a return on his investment within 12 months. At present he estimates a saving of 60% on the annual electricity bill.

There are further benefits of installing the new SERA lamps. With the power consumption greatly reduced, they were able to install a door air curtain which stops cold or warm air escaping from the shop. Previously this was not possible as the gallery’s electrical supply was running at maximum capacity. For more on energy efficient lights in shops, take a look at our downlights.

The heat generated by traditional halogen bulbs can cause scorch marks close to the bulb fitting which in turn leads to the need for frequent redecoration. As the SERA bulbs generate less heat they do not cause scorch marks so there is also a saving on re-decoration.

In the summer months the heat from the traditional bulbs was sufficient to raise the temperature within the St Albans Gallery so that air conditioning was required, even on milder days. Kuldip is therefore also expecting to make savings on the cost of running the air conditioning. Kuldip added, “The installation of the new SERA bulbs has enhanced our retail space, enabling us to better showcase the range of artworks whilst at the same time seeing a fall in use of electricity.”

Gallery Rouge now also has a second gallery in Harpenden, Hertfordshire which is also using SERA Technologies LED light bulbs.