vosla: Light-emitting diodes in a historical setting

The first restaurant using 100 percent LED lighting.

vosla: Light-emitting diodes in a historical setting

Mounted in the wall lamps, the vosLEDs are visible from all sides. (Source: Karsten Uhlmann)

Despite his initial doubts, a restaurant owner in Plauen, Germany, changed the lighting in his historical restaurant completely to vosLEDs. The typical atmosphere has not changed, the lighting costs have decreased by 90 percent and, due to the long lifetime of the vosLEDs, the effort of exchanging defective bulbs has been reduced to zero.

The restaurant „Altes Handelshaus“ in Plauen in the German federal state of Saxony, used to be a merchant house for several centuries. In 2006, after a thorough refurbishment, it was reopened as a historical restaurant with a distinctive atmosphere, which it owes, last but not least, to its internal lighting. The wall lamps with their visible bulbs give the dining area its typical „Gemütlichkeit“.

Although the owners of the guesthouse, the Wunderlich family, had for a long time been coping with the high energy prices and the frequent need to exchange the illuminants, they never got to like energy-saving lamps due to their cold light, nor had LED bulbs convinced them: „The LED products you get in do-it-yourself stores or even in specialist shops emit cold light. And we thought that the futuristically designed heat sinks would not match the style of our restaurant.“

Martin Enenkel, Marketing Manager of vosla GmbH, which is also based in Plauen, is a regular guest at the restaurant. He had often tried to convince the restaurant owner to change to light-emitting diodes. But all the arguments, like excellent colour rendering, long lifetime or the Red Dot Design Award, which he put forward, failed. Thomas Wunderlich: „We invested a lot of money in creating the right atmosphere. We simply did not want to put this at risk by a newfangled technology.“

But one day in summer 2014, Enenkel arrived with a package of vosLED bulbs and persuaded Wunderlich to replace some of the old bulbs. The restaurant owners immediately revised their opinion: „We were really enthused. The new light created the same cozy atmosphere as traditional lamps. You can hardly see a difference from the classical „candle bulb“. We like both the design and the lighting effect. Therefore, we decided to have all bulbs exchanged.“

A few days later, Wunderlich ordered 200 vosLED bulbs. He is now the owner of the first restaurant in Germany entirely equipped with filament LED bulbs.

All doubts have meanwhile gone: „The vosLED bulbs do not change the atmosphere in our restaurant, which is very important for us. At the same time, they help us save money.“

The lower costs are a further important aspect, in addition to the overall visual effect. Several hundred lamps consuming 90 percent less electricity – this definitely shows in the yearly budget.

Also the frequently necessary replacement of the traditional bulbs was very time-consuming. Thomas Wunderlich: „Since we have had the vosLEDs, we have not exchanged a single bulb. In the past, this was always a bit of a nuisance: You had to go and get a ladder, push the table aside, take out the old bulb, put in the new one, push the table back in place and take the ladder back. All this takes only a few minutes to accomplish, but it adds up.“

„Altes Handelshaus“
The „Old Merchant House“ (Altes Handelshaus) was built in 1789 on Straßberger Street No. 17 in Plauen, Germany. The outer ward is a reinforcement of the fortifications and was first mentioned in a document in 1214 as the „Pomerium“.

The old mercantile room had never been altered. It was a kind of „forgotten world“. The three massive central pillars and the original tile floor make the dining area a homely place despite its large size. During the cold season, the grand fireplace give the room a distinctive character. What used to be a trading venue for all kinds of goods, today is one of the top restaurants in Plauen, known for its excellent food served under a baroque-vaulted ceiling. This blend of romance and history makes it a perfect venue for functions and meetings.

Background: The technology in detail
The distinctive feature of the vosLED bulb is an innovative LED string consisting of hundreds of low-power micro LEDs, arranged along the „filament“ like pearls on a string. The colour temperature of 2,700 K corresponds exactly to the colour temperature of conventional bulbs, in other words: they create a warm light. With a colour rendering index Ra of more than 90, the vosLED comes very close to the maximum value of 100 achieved by conventional lamps with clear glass bulbs.

According to the EU Directive 2005/32/EG, the 5.5 W version of the vosLED is formally considered as a replacement for a 46 W light bulb. However, due to its radiation characteristics, it should rather be considered as the equivalent to a conventional 60 W bulb. It remains cold during operation and may achieve a lifetime of up to 25,000 hours of operation.

The illuminant comes in ten versions for an operating voltage of 230 V: with the bulb bases E14 and E27, with clear or frosted glass and with power ratings between 1 and 5.5 watts.

In summer 2014, vosla received the „Red Dot Design Award“ in the category „Best of the Best“ for its vosLED with a transparent base ring as well as the „Bundespreis Ecodesign“ in the category „Product“.

Bildquelle: Karsten Uhlmann

About vosla

vosla GmbH develops and manufactures innovative lighting solutions „Made in Germany“, which meet the exacting demands of the international automotive industry, the shipbuilding, railway and aviation industries and the medical technology sector. The company builds on more than 65 years of experience in the development and production of halogen lamps. The company“s technological competence and professional service guarantee that the customer will always receive high-end quality products. The product range comprises more than 500 different special lamps sold under the trademark NARVA and more than 100 different automobile bulbs sold under the trademark vosla to customers throughout the world.

Under the recently introduced trademark vosLED, the company offers innovative solutions on the basis of LED technology.

The company has concentrated all its departments – R&D, constructive mechanical engineering, glass working, coil production, mixed gas production and coating – at its facilities in Plauen. Its comprehensive manufacturing expertise and the short distance to its suppliers (80 percent of the suppliers are located within a radius of 150 kilometers) allow vosla to act flexibly and be a reliable partner for its customers.

vosla GmbH has approximately 350 employees, including 35 apprentices and students. The production capacity amounts to more than 100 million illuminants per year.

Firmenkontakt
vosla GmbH
Robert Bredereck
L.-F.-Schönherr-Straße 15
08523 Plauen/Germany
+49.3741.396-392
robert.bredereck@vosla.com
http://www.vosla.com

Pressekontakt
VIP-Kommunikation
Regina Reinhardt
Süsterfeldstraße 83
52072 Aachen/Germany
+49.241.89468-24
reinhardt@vip-kommunikation.de
http://www.vip-kommunikation.de