SANlight upgrade service, how and why...

The SANlight Upgrade Service was launched with the market introduction of the Q-Series Generation 1. An upgrade from Q-Series Gen1 to Q-Series Gen2 was already ruled out at that time. In the meantime, the upgrade service is available, but it looks different from what we promised 4 years ago. We would like to comment on this in this article and explain our thinking.

What did we offer?

We offered that the Q-Series Gen1 or Q-Series Gen2 modules could be exchanged. According to our promise, the costs incurred should be 30% to 40% of the new price (RRP) of the corresponding luminaire. In the case of a module exchange, this would have led to an increase in the efficiency and light output of the luminaire. The output of the luminaire would of course have remained the same. Features such as dimming could not have been retrofitted into the Gen1.

What is now being offered in concrete terms?

Since August 2021, the upgrade service is now officially available, but in a different form than planned. Currently, all models of the Q-Series, except the Q1W, can be exchanged for a luminaire of the current EVO version. Depending on the individual exchange, the discounts vary. As a rule, the highest discounts apply if the luminaire is exchanged within the same performance class.

Why do we not offer the exchange of modules as promised?

As we continued to develop the Q-Series Gen2, we have found that major changes to the luminaire are needed to make the best even better. A significant stretch of the luminaire combined with a change in beam pattern and the use of the highest quality Mid Power LEDs was needed to improve the Q-Series. This has resulted in the EVO-Series. The calculations showed that the upgrade service could be implemented at the promised cost. However, the resulting added value for you as the end customer was only slight. In addition, we have managed to reduce the production costs so that the EVO-Series can be offered more than 30% cheaper than the Q-Series Gen2. An upgrade to the promised 30% – 40% of the new price of the old luminaire would therefore have been feasible. However, the added value for you as a customer would not have been in any relation to your investment. That is why we have decided to make you a better offer, even if it does not correspond 100% to our promise.

When does an upgrade make sense?

An upgrade always makes sense when the new luminaire, currently the EVO-Series, offers a clear added value to the existing setup. The advantages can lie in new features such as dimming or significantly better efficiency. The SANlight brand stands for the latest and most efficient technology in all our products. This means that we are constantly making small improvements to our products. However, this also means that no quantum leaps between two successive luminaire generations are to be expected. We recommend skipping at least one generation for an upgrade.

Currently, this means that from our point of view, an upgrade from Q-Series Gen1 to our latest EVO-Series makes perfect sense. An upgrade from Q-Series Gen2 to our EVO-Series certainly also has advantages. However, we clearly recommend that you wait and upgrade later.

With the upgrade service, we have created something unique on the market, which no other electronics manufacturer has yet offered. However, it is your personal decision whether you use this service.

Just because a new luminaire appears on the market does not mean that your old SANlight is bad.

With the Upgrade Service, we would like to offer you the possibility of upgrading to the latest state of the art at a reasonable price. As a rule, this makes sense for luminaires that are more than 3 years old. We would like to emphasise that, in our view, it makes little sense to exchange luminaires that are almost as good as new.

Upgrade Q-Series Gen1 vs. EVO-Series

Q6W Gen1 vs. EVO 4

Upgrading from the Q6W Gen1 to one of our EVO 4 models gives you the following advantages:

Up to 40% more homogeneous light distribution, depending on model and application
27% increase in light output PPF
Increase of usable PPFD by up to 40%.
35W more power than the Q6W Gen1
Dimming interface
Dimm to off

Cost Upgrade Q6W Gen1 vs. EVO 4

The RRP of a SANlight Q6W Gen1 with 215W was € 680,- in 2017 and 2018.
When you return your old Q6W Gen1, you pay an additional € 314,-* and receive a new EVO 4 luminaire.
This is 46% of the new price of the Q6W Gen1 at the time.

*Depending on the tax rate in your country

Q4W Gen1 vs. EVO 3

Upgrading from the Q4W Gen1 to one of our EVO 3 models gives you the following advantages:

up to 40% more homogeneous light distribution, depending on model and application
30% increase in light output PPF
Increase of usable PPFD by up to 43%
40 Watt more power than the Q4W Gen1
Dimming interface
Dim to off

Cost Upgrade Q4W Gen1 vs. EVO 3

The RRP of a SANlight Q4W Gen1 with 215W was € 515,- in 2017 and 2018.
When you return your old Q4W Gen1, you pay an additional € 276,-* and receive a new EVO 3 luminaire.
This is 53% of the new price of the Q4W Gen1 at the time.

*Depending on the tax rate in your country

Cost-Benefit Comparison Upgrade Service Q-Series Gen1

As you can see from the calculation above, you can upgrade to the latest generation of SANlight luminaires, the EVO-Series, for an average of 49% of the new price of your Q-Series Gen1.

With the help of an example, we would like to explain why we have decided not to carry out the module exchange. The first generation Q6W cost € 680,- in 2017/2018. With the exchange of the modules, you as the end customer would have incurred costs of approx. € 204 to € 272 of the new price, as communicated by us. By replacing the modules, the light output would have increased by approx. 8%. No improvements in light distribution could be expected. This small increase is mainly due to the fact that the EVO modules on the Q-series platform are only supplied with a low current. During this time, many customers have also asked for dimming to be retrofitted. This cannot be achieved by replacing the module. In this case, the driver would have had to be replaced, which would have led to a lot of additional work. With our revised upgrade service, you get a completely new luminaire with full warranty and all the improvements listed below for € 314, i.e. an average of € 76 more.

Depending on the application, up to 40% more homogeneous light distribution
27% increase in light output PPF
Increase of usable PPFD by up to 40%.
up to 35 Watt more power
Dimming interface
Dim to off

We are aware that with the current upgrade model we are not exactly keeping our promises in terms of cost. However, we see the current upgrade service as being significantly more attractive to you as a customer, and hope that you feel the same way.

Upgrade Q-Series Gen2 vs. EVO-Series

In the example below we show you the possibilities you get by upgrading from Q-Series Gen2 to our EVO-Series. Not only do you have the option to stay within the same performance class. With our service we also offer you the possibility to change to a larger model. This would not have been possible via a module exchange! However, you also realise that it is less attractive to upgrade a Gen2 than a Q-Series Gen1. Since these are direct successive model series, the improvements are not that big. However, you can assume that the EVO-Series is also constantly being developed further, and that an upgrade at a later point in time will then become much more attractive.

Q6W Gen2 vs. EVO 4

Upgrading from the Q6W Gen2 to one of our EVO4 models gives you the following advantages:

Up to 40% more homogeneous light distribution, depending on model and application
12% increase in light output PPF
Increase in usable PPFD by up to 16%
5 Watt more power
Dim to off

Costs Upgrade Q6W Gen2 vs. EVO 4

The RRP of a SANlight Q6W Gen2 with 245W was € 680,- in 2019 and 2020.
When you return your old Q6W Gen2, you pay an additional € 314,-* and receive a new EVO 4 luminaire of your choice.
This corresponds to 46% of the new price of the Q6W Gen2 at that time.

*Depending on the tax rate in your country>

Q6W Gen2 vs. EVO 5

Upgrading from the Q6W Gen2 to one of our EVO 5 models gives you the following advantages:

up to 40% more homogeneous light distribution, depending on model and application
39% increase in light output PPF
very high increase in usable PPFD*
75 watts more output
Upgrade to another power class at a reduced price
Dim to off

*A direct comparison is not possible as the EVO 5 is a much more powerful luminaire as the Q6W Gen2

Costs Upgrade Q6W Gen2 vs. EVO 5

The RRP of a SANlight Q6W Gen2 with 245W was € 680,- in 2019 and 2020.
When you return your old Q6W Gen2, you pay an additional € 345,-* and receive a new EVO 5 luminaire.
This corresponds to 72% of the original price. But you get a lamp with 75W more power and 246µmol/s more output.

*Depending on the tax rate in your country

Finally

Some customers have complained to us, that an upgrade service from Q-Series Gen1 to Q-Series Gen2 is not possible. We deliberately decided against this at the time. The added value for you as a customer would not have been in any relation to the costs. With the new upgrade option, we are offering you, from our point of view, a very fair offer. We would like to apologise officially for any errors in the communication on the subject of the upgrade service and hope for your understanding.