Security Lighting joins the digital age

Securing your home or business property should be paramount at this time of year. It will not be long before the night starts in the late afternoon, and the long dark nights may also bring unwanted intruders. It is not very nice to have all you have worked hard and honestly for to be stolen by people who think they can take what is rightfully and legally yours.

A key factor in bringing to justice the people involved in the recent English riots was CCTV. This was used to identify the criminals for arrest and then have them swiftly dealt with in court. CCTV is no longer the big cameras that require professional installation; nor is it poor quality DIY cameras that just show a blurry image. The digital age has brought with it an affordable and viable solution – the digital camera security light. These require no more than a 230 volt mains connection which is already there if you have a normal security light.

SCL Direct and our sister sites, Security Lights Direct and Onlights, have two types of digital camera security lights available, starting from only £102.75 including U.K. Mainland delivery and VAT. The E.S.P Guardcam is the more popular of the two we have, and looks like an ordinary PIR Security floodlight until someone triggers its 160 degree detection range of up to 10 metres. An audible warning is sounded and either a series of digital images is taken or a 20 second video clip of the event. These are stored on a secure memory card within the floodlight for later viewing on a P.C.

The latest digital camera floodlight to be added to our websites is from the Nightwatcher range. The NW700BL features the latest in cutting-edge technology, not only by using high power, long life LED’s as a light source but by also having a motorised tracking floodlight head and camera. Once activated the light and camera will track the movement of the person within the detection range and either record video or take 3 digital images per second. An audio alert can be recorded to deter intruders and inform them they are being recorded.

SCL Direct, Onlights, Security Lights Direct and Emergency Lighting Direct are owned and operated by E.L Limited, a respected and trusted online retailer for more than a few years now.

It is not everyday E.L. Limited can compare itself with the mighty Apple Inc. but now we have something in common: people wanting to imitate us and trying to cash in on our hard work and success. It has come to our attention that their are number of copycat online stores. They may look similar, they will certainly have the same written product descriptions, but if it does not say E.L. Limited on the bottom of each page, you may be looking at websites operated by thieves, who have stolen our website content, and nobody likes or trusts a thief.

floodlight · Floodlights · onlights · security lighting · security lights

SCL Direct now in stock ready for next working day delivery, when ordered before 2pm, a huge range of floodlights,due to an exceptionally early high demand. Metal Halide and Sodium floodlights in 70 Watt, 150 Watt, 250 Watt and 400 Watts, all of which are IP65 rated to withstand the harsh winter weather.
The 70 Watt and 150 Watt Metal Halide floodlights are now supplied as standard with a BLV HIT-Ultralife lamp, this has an expected lamp life of 15,000 hours, a point to remember when comparing SCL Direct floodlights with other online retailers who offer unbranded 10,000 hour lamps with their floodlights for a few pence less.
We have also made lamp changes to our 70 Watt, 250 Watt and 400 Watt Sodium floodlights, the 70 Watt is now supplied with a 28,000 hour Venture branded lamp,this should last up to 4 years of normal use. The 250 Watt and 400 Watt Sodium floodlights, now benefit from a BLV branded lamp which has an expected lamp of 20,000 hours.
We have chosen to provide a longer life lamp with the smaller wattage floodlights, as our own research has proven that these are usually fitted to domestic or smaller commercial installations, without scheduled relamping maintenance.
All our Sodium and Metal Halide floodlights are now available with an internal photocell for dusk to dawn switching. This is after customer consultation, where a easy and uncomplicated installation was a high priority, rather than fitting a separate NEMA style photocell. A photocell will help comply with Part L of the building regulations for energy efficient lighting.
SCL Direct can usually help you with all your floodlighting requirements, as we have been doing for a few years now. Feel free to give us a call on 0114 321 8630 to speak to our experienced and knowledgeable sales and technical staff.

150 watt metal halide floodlights · 250 watt metal halide floodlights · 400 watt sodium floodlights · 70w metal halide floodlights · Floodlights

SCL Direct are pleased to be the first online retailer to announce the Nightsearcher Maxi Solaris, a new addition to the rechargeable portable  floodlights range from Nightsearcher.

The Maxi Solaris has an 18 Cree LED light head  producing 1,500 lumens on full power with a 30 degree wide beam, this can be effective up to 100 metres. A full charge from the standard 24A/h power pack of 7 hours will enable the floodlight to run for 9 hours on full power or 20 hours on low power (900 lumens).The power pack has green, amber and red LED battery status indicators and will flash red when the battery is low and requires recharging.  An optional 38A/h power pack is also available for longer running times.

The LED’s are 6,000 kelvin colour temperature and as such produce near natural daylight, ideal for correct colour identification. As with most LED light sources the head runs very cool and is even safe to touch, unlike halogen or even fluorescent light sources.

The adjustable height pole has a minimum height of 850mm(2ft 9 inches)  to a full height of 2.2 metres (6ft 6 inches). An overall weight of  11.6kg makes this unit easily carried by one person.

All this for a very attractive price of £450 ex VAT, making this the most affordable way to have a Nightsearcher Solaris head powered portable rechargeable floodlight.

Maxi Solaris · nightsearcher · Portable Floodlights · Rechargeable Portable Floodlights

South Yorkshire police are advising local people to invest in external floodlights if they are seeking to bulk up their current home security systems this winter.

“The prospect of longer winter nights can make us worry more about crime and personal safety. Many people will be returning home from work, school, shopping etc to find homes in darkness and we can feel more vulnerable in the dark especially those who live alone.”

Experts are advising that floodlights, when installed correctly can add an attractive feature to your property and will illuminate dark spots and shadows around your home allowing you to see anyone approaching your home.

Good lighting is an excellent way to deter a thief, this is because it makes offenders feel vulnerable and observed. There are many types of external security lights available and range in price significantly. From a Crime Prevention Officers point of view I recommend fitting exterior lights with dusk to dawn sensors. These are light sensitive and come on when it gets dark and turn themselves off when it gets light.

As the winter months draw in, it is tempting to purchase the brightest lights you can find from leading DIY stores that are up to 500 Watts, but we advise people that many energy saving alternatives can be purchased and will reduce the risk you run of upsetting your neighbours, or even worse recreating Blackpool illuminations!”

Energy saving alternatives are a much more environmentally friendly way of approaching home security and sodium and metal halide floodlights are a much better option for home use as they only omit between 70 and 150 Watts of power. For business premises, floodlights with motion sensors are a great solution, as they are much more cost effective than having lights that are left on all night, as this can cost businesses up to £10 a night in electricity bills.

Despite these products being of a much lower wattage, they can be up to three times brighter than their traditional 500 Watt counterparts. At SCL Direct we understand that security floodlights are an excellent way of deterring criminals, but we offer ways of adding security to your home without adding to your electric bills!

For business use, energy saving floodlights and these two are available in outputs of just 26 watts, and are inexpensive at around £20 per unit.”

There is no doubt that security lighting products can deter would-be burglars and it is also an effective means of reducing the fear of crime especially amongst vulnerable groups. Just the peace of mind generated by fitting external security lighting to the outside of your home can make it a worthwhile investment.

It is important to remember that selecting the appropriate position for your lighting is crucial, they should be positioned out of arms reach so that they cannot be disabled or destroyed by intruders.

deter burglary · deter thieves · Floodlights · security lighting · south yorkshire police

The brightness of a lamp is measured in lumens, a unit of measure for light energy. The total light output from a lamp is expressed in lumens. The higher the lumens output, the brighter the light. All lamps used in SCL Direct floodlights are listed below with the lumens output stated.

As a point of reference a 500 Watt Tungsten Halogen lamp has a lumens output of 10,000

If you would like free help and advice on which lamp to choose for your Metal Halide Floodlight or Sodium Floodlights contact SCL Direct at info@scldirect.co.uk, SCL Direct are one of the UK’s leading online suppliers of high quality Floodlights and Lighting Products

floodlighting · Floodlights · light energy · lumens · metal halide · sodium

Here at SCL Direct we are always looking for ways to provide better products at no extra cost to the customer. A way we have managed to do this recently is to provide a quality Venture branded 28,000 hour expected life lamp with all our ever popular 70 watt SON floodlights and wallpacks. Whilst a lot of other online lighting stores supply cheap unbranded 10,000 or at the most 12,000 hour life lamps with their products. We thought we would give the customer more, nearly three times much more in some cases.

This lamp still has the same light output as other SON lamps, 5,300 lumens which is the equivalent to a over a 300 watt tungsten halogen lamp. Sodium lighting often referred to as SON or HPS (high pressure sodium) is one of the most economical ways of all night lighting for running and maintenance costs. The 70 watt SON lamp now supplied with all SCL Direct floodlights and wallpacks has a 83 lumens per watt output, this exceeds the requirements of the Building regulations Part L1 which states 40 lumens per watt is energy efficient by over double the guidelines.

SCL Direct – A little extra goes a long way
Contact SCL Direct for all the latest offers on Floodlights, Security Lighting and Emergency Lighting.

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With the increase in sales on our Metal Halide Floodlights range we have now created a category specially for this range of Floodlighting.

You can find the new category here: http://www.scldirect.co.uk/metal-halide-floodlights.html

Over the coming weeks SCL Direct will be bringing you a range of product reviews and updates to our blog, keep checking back.

In the mean time if you have any questions or lighting requirements SCL Direct can help with Floodlighting, Emergency Lighting, Security lighting and much more, you could also visit our Home and Garden Lighting website at www.onlights.co.uk

Floodlights · garden lighting · metal halide · security lighting

The most commonly found domestic floodlight is the standard 500 Watt PIR tungsten halogen floodlight. This floodlight, whilst being bright, is far from perfect for normal domestic use. When using a 500 Watt lamp this fitting is costly in consumption cost and lamp cost. This is because the lamp gets too hot in most enclosed fittings and shortens the lamp life; most halogen lamps have an expected lamp life of between 1500-2000 hours but in reality this can be reduced to as little as just 500 hours. Furthermore, running costs for this floodlight are high at around 7.5 pence an hour. Considering most halogen lamps only produce around 18 lumens per Watt this falls well below the 40 lumens per Watt required for energy efficient lighting standards.

Low Energy Floodlighting

Over the last few years, due to spiralling energy costs and more concern for environmental issues, a demand for low energy floodlights with a long life lamp has emerged. A number of solutions meet this requirement, with the best suited to domestic use being compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) models. Whilst not being as bright as the 500 Watt tungsten halogen lamp versions these are far more suited to domestic use.

CFL Lighting

One of the easiest ways to change to CFL lighting is a retro fit lamp for standard 118mm tungsten halogen lamps. This lamp is a 24 Watt model about the equivalent of 120-150 Watt halogen lamp which is adequate to light up a patio area for general illumination. The running costs for this lamp is 95% lower compared to a 500w halogen lamp, in some cases as low as 0.005p per hour. Furthermore it produces an environmentally friendly 52 lumens per Watt. Another popular CFL floodlights is a 2 x 26W PLC version which has a light output comparable to 300 Watts of halogen.

The Advantages

The main advantages of CFLs are the lower running costs and an extended lamp life which can be anything from 8,000 hours to 20,000 hours depending on lamp and ballast combination. Another advantage is the range of lamp colours. These include soft warm white (2700K) which is ideal for summer evening barbecues, standard white (3500K) which is suited to general illumination, and cool white (4000K) or daylight (6400K), which are best suited for use with CCTV security equipment (more about this can be found in the commercial industrial section).

LED Floodlighting

A recent development in floodlighting is LED technology. These floodlights are now appearing on the domestic market, and while they have a higher initial cost this is offset by running costs and lamp life. For example, a floodlight with a 160 LED cluster only uses approximately 8.5 Watts of power to produce the equivalent light of an 80 Watt incandescent lamp, and will have an expected lamp life of approximately 50,000 hours, making this extremely economical to run. LED lighting is certainly the one to watch in for the future as it is improving rapidly.

If you would like to know more about security floodlights please contact us to find out more.

Security Floodlights · security lighting