To have your lights stay on when loadshedding hits, is absolutely liberating. There has never been a better time to switch to DC Lighting and liberate yourself from loadshedding darkness.
Like stripes on a Zebra
An everchanging loadshedding schedule has your lights going on and off like stripes on a Zebra. Nowadays, it is nearly impossible not to get caught in instantaneous darkness. Your house lighting operates on Alternating Current (AC) power. Generating your own AC power is either a loud or a very expensive option. This makes you totally reliant and dependent on the municipal AC supply to keep your lights on (with off periods). Or is it off with on periods?
How do I keep my lights on?
Changing your AC Lighting to DC Lighting could be the first step in taking control of your lighting needs. In its simplest form, DC Lighting is basically powering your DC lights from a battery and keeping your battery charged.
In a standard installation, DC Lighting does not require any inverters, which makes it a very cost effective and efficient solution to keep your lights on.
Uninterruptable DC Lighting
Your new DC Lighting system would restore full and uninterrupted functionality to all your home lights, especially during periods of loadshedding. This is simply achieved by the DC Lighting Driver having multiple DC power options, including a battery, a built-in AC-DC source and/or a solar panel (where this is possible).
The DC Lighting Driver can operate with or without a solar panel, making it suitable for both stand-alone houses and multistorey apartments.
What will DC Lighting cost me?
A standard Zebra UPS-6 Home DC Lighting Installation Package can cost around R750 over a 12 months terms via an Approved Credit Provider. Terms and conditions apply.
A standard installation involves replacing your AC LED bulbs with DC LED bulbs. Your existing lights wiring will be tested for compliance. A qualified electrician will disconnected your lights wiring from the mains AC distribution box. The lights wiring will be connected the DC Lighting Driver Uninterruptable Power Source (UPS). The DC Lighting Driver has multiple input power sources including a battery, a built-in AC-DC source and solar panel input (optional and where applicable).
Get DC Lighting with full installation here Zebra UPS-6
The future is DC Lighting
There has already been a strong shift in the lighting industry market towards direct current (DC). LEDs are Light Emitting Diodes powered by DC. These LEDs are the electronic devices inside the bulb that produce the visible light.
Various local sectors of industry are converting to LED technology like AC LED bulbs (which has a DC core). Over the past years, we have seen local municipalities driving initiatives to replace the power hungry, old-school filament bulbs with energy efficient AC LED bulbs.
Read more about the international shift towards DC Lighting and it’s advantages:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-reasons-future-lighting-dc-david-mandell/
The Effiency of DC Lighting
Your current AC LED bulbs are actually DC LED bulbs, but with a front-end AC conversion to create the DC required to drive the LEDs. Obviously, this additional front-end conversion will introduce some power loss. In an ideal application, DC Lighting would take DC battery power directly into DC LED bulbs through efficient DC distribution. This is the Ultimate Efficiency. The future is here and the drive towards alternative energy sources has never been stronger. There has never been a better time to switch to DC Lighting and liberate yourself from loadshedding darkness. The result is a more dependable, constant circuit that operates with much greater efficiency than the traditional AC system.
In fact, studies have shown that DC LED Lighting can be up to 15% more efficient than AC LED Lighting.
https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/downloads/direct-current-dc-buildings-and-smart-grid