Digital Lumens has announced its first non-networked LED-based luminaire with the release of the Xpress high-bay product. The company says the new solid-state lighting (SSL) offering provides a lower-priced entry point for customers looking for energy savings in lighting while also supporting control through occupancy sensors.
Until now, Digital Lumens has focused solely on networked lighting systems where installations combine occupancy and daylight sensing with wirelessly connected fixtures and a software-based control platform. The Xpress product lacks the network connection but still allows for adaptive control via integrated occupancy sensors and three light bars that can be independently aimed.
Indeed, many lighting designers and buyers are more accustomed to using relatively simple sensor-based controls as opposed to full lighting networks and LEDs are still more amenable to control and dimming than are other light sources. "Xpress is a rugged LED alternative for less complex installations that value sensor-driven operations, LED longevity and Digital Lumens quality," said Digital Lumen's reseller, Charles Occhino, president of Aetna Corp. "Many customers prefer replacing inefficient high bay lights with LEDs, because they are able to instantly turn on/off. This maximizes energy savings, and LEDs long life practically eliminates maintenance costs."
The new Xpress product outputs 10,000 lm. The occupancy sensor is integrated. Customers set the desired operation such as dimming level, and time before the light level changes after sensor activation, using simple switches in the luminaire. The product carries the same five-year warranty and 54,000-hr rated life that applies to the company's networked lighting products.
Of course the Xpress product places Digital Lumens squarely in competition with products from lighting incumbents such as Osram Sylvania, Philips Lighting, GE Lighting, Acuity, and Cooper that all have high-bay products with occupancy sensors. Those established companies also have some networked lighting products, although perhaps not products designed expressly for networked lighting the way Digital Lumen's Intelligent Lighting System has been optimized for that specific application.
Now more than ever, Digital Lumens will have to compete with more reliance on price. The company said that the Xpress fixtures will sell in the range of $550 to $650 installed. That is fairly aggressive pricing.
Digital Lumens has had significant experience in networked lighting that it also believes it can utilize to maximize savings in the non-networked environments. The company said that Xpress will deliver 75-90% savings over legacy products.
"Digital Lumens is the only lighting technology company to offer a complete suite of industrial-grade high-bay LED products that meets the diverse spectrum of customers’ needs," said Michael Feinstein, vice president of sales and marketing. "With the addition of Xpress, customers who want simple wattage reductions and basic, occupancy-driven savings have a high-quality, efficient option – all from a single vendor."
