LED fixtures: what sets the price

LED fixtures now cover practically every application, and the price range within a single fixture type is wide. This piece explains where the price comes from and what to choose on.

The advantages, briefly

LED modules have a long service life, low power draw and good colour rendering. They contain no mercury, and the light colour is produced in the module rather than by a coating that fades. Anyone re-fitting a building normally works out the cost over the service life, not the purchase price.

The fixture types

• Flat panels — general lighting over large floor areas, mostly offices and retail.
• Spots — directed light on a limited area, as recessed, surface-mounted or track versions.
• Linear profiles — continuous lines of light, made to the measure of the room.
• Floodlights — large outdoor areas and facades.

With panels the size sets the price first: a 30 × 30 cm panel costs less than a 60 × 60 cm one, which in turn covers more floor. Which is the cheaper option is decided by how many fixtures the area needs, not by the unit price.

What sets the price

• Light output and efficacy — how much light leaves the fixture per watt drawn. This is the largest item, and the reason the wattage on its own says nothing.
• Driver — Osram, Tridonic, Meanwell or Eaglerise, dimmable or not. In practice the driver is the component that fails first.
• Colour rendering — a higher index costs more and is essential wherever material and colour are judged.
• Housing and cooling — an aluminium housing with an adequate heatsink holds its output for years; an under-cooled LED loses it early.
• Finish — powder coating in a special RAL code costs more than a standard colour.
• Quantity — unit prices fall at project volumes.

What to choose on

• The lighting requirement. First decide what illuminance each area needs. That gives the number of fixtures — and only then can anything be costed.
• The design. The fixture type has to suit the room; dimensions, finish and colour are made to order here.
• The budget. Compare the total of purchase price and running cost over the service life, not the unit price.

Installation and maintenance

Installation belongs in trained hands. A correctly connected fixture with properly terminated supply cable runs for years; installation faults often only show up months later.

Cleaning is part of that: dust on the diffuser measurably reduces usable output. And if a driver or module fails, replace it promptly — a faulty component puts stress on the rest.

We have been manufacturing project lighting in our own workshop since 1974, with no middleman. Send us the plan or the lighting schedule; you will get the dimensions, colour temperature, lead time and price within two working days. Or call +90 212 220 93 95.