Low energy lighting specialist Aurora has, since 1999, provided innovative lighting solutions under the Aurora, LUNA, SOLA and A2 brands. The company’s two core ranges today are LUNA energy saving lamps and SOLA fire-rated downlights.
These products are available in the UK, ROI, USA, Europe, the Middle East and Asia and on a worldwide basis through an expanding network of approved distributors.
The Aurora group, which employs over 550 people at its offices in the UK, Taiwan, USA and its sales & manufacturing facilities in mainland China, also continues to develop and manufacture lighting products on an OEM basis for customers in more than 35 countries.
Aurora doubles number of low-energy products at a stroke
As a low-energy lighting specialist, Aurora recently launched its 2010 range at Frankfurt Light and Build, nearly doubling its number of low-energy products in the process. The company has invested in a concentrated period of R&D to give the lighting designer and installer maximum flexibility with low-energy options; one result is that the LUNA range now comprises over 400 products, half of which have not been available previously to lighting designers, installers and contractors.
Eighteen months ago, Aurora set up a dedicated team to design and manufacture low energy products that would outperform existing low energy options: matching and, in many cases, outperforming lamps currently in the market. Shaun Mc Sherry said: “The team has absolutely triumphed. The LUNA range is bigger and better than anything we’ve seen before.
“We’ve had a clear focus on three key elements from the start: light output, power consumption and aesthetics. We wanted to deliver a range that would go beyond the demands of energy efficiency, that looked great and that would produce a quality of light for many applications. That’s exactly what the team has achieved.”
The new, expanded LUNA range includes dimmable compact fluorescent lamps, dimmable cold-cathode fluorescents, LEDs and T8 LED tubes.
One of the major breakthroughs from the R&D team is a dimmable compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), where the dimming is linear and does not ramp down in steps. The lamp dims down to 15% and is ideal for domestic applications. It is thought that no other manufacturer has so far been able to achieve this feat. Currently available as a 64mm lamp (PAR 20), this dimmable CFL will be available in 50mm, 95mm and 121mm diameter (PAR 16, 30 and 38) by the end of the summer.
Commented Shaun Mc Sherry: “It’s better than anything we’ve had before – the lamp, the fitting, the light output and the dimmer performance and, in addition, it is lower energy than the alternatives.”
Aurora Lighting’s LUNA R&D team has also been working on ‘better-looking’ low-energy lamps to provide an alternative to the sticks and spirals currently available. The company now has a range of low-energy lamps, which emulate the look of traditional lamps – GLS and candle-shaped.
LUNA dimmable ranges are compatible with many conventional switches and control systems. The LED and CFL ranges are available in three colour temperatures and are liquid mercury free. The lamps can be fitted into many existing fixtures; complete fittings can be replaced with the fire-rated SOLA range.
No more flicker with Aurora’s low-energy dimmable lamps
Aurora claims to have broken new ground in the industry with a fully dimmable low-energy lamp; the lamp dims smoothly and not in steps. The lamp is suitable for use in Aurora’s SOLA range of fire-rated downlights and the special SGU10 lampholder prevents insertion of halogen lamps in compatible luminaires. With a life of 10,000 hours, the LUNA AU-DGUF4011 is available in three colour temperatures: 3,000k, 4,000k and 6,400k.
Fire-rated SOLA downlighter won’t compromise Building Regs
New to Aurora Lighting’s fire-rated SOLA range is the AU-DLM643, a low-energy CFL SGU10 40 Lm/W downlight made for wet rooms and bathrooms. This allows installers to comply not only with Part B of the Building Regulations (Fire), but it also allows compliance with Part C for heat/moisture losses through the ceiling, and Part E for transmission of sound. This new generation of fixture can also be insulation covered. It is believed that no other manufacturer offers this degree of flexibility
Building Regulations require that if recessed features are installed, the fire resistance of the ceiling is not compromised, helping to control the spread of fire. The entire SOLA range uses an integrated intumescent material to seal the downlight and cut-out in the event of a fire. The system has been tested in 30, 60 and 90 minute fire-rated ceilings.
The intumescent material is a carbon polymer matrix, which – when subjected to high temperatures – will soften and release gases that are trapped within it. This will cause it to expand and maintain the integrity of the fire barrier. Also, an integrated heat sink allows the downlights to be covered with thermal insulation, removing the need for downlight insulation guards.
The AU-DLM643 can be fitted with Aurora’s 64mm LUNA 40 Lm/W lamp, which comes in three colour temperatures, has a life of 10,000hrs and is available as a dimmable and non-dimmable lamp. It has been tested to acoustic standards BS EN ISO 140-3 1995 and BS EN ISO 140-6 1998, confirming that it maintains the ability for an internal or separating floor to provide sound insulation.
Insulation-covered transformer completes fire-protection downlights
One of the latest products to be added to SOLA, Aurora’s fire-protection range, is the AU-IC60, a 60W insulation-covered electronic transformer. Designed for use with insulation covered fire-rated downlights, this transformer carries a five-year guarantee, has 1.0kV surge protection and is pre-wired with 30cm primary and secondary leads.
