No more environment hazardous in lighting solutions. This should be the hallmark for construction development. Now, through innovative solutions provided by international manufacturers it is possible to forecast and control accurately the energy consumption, measure it constantly, and plan future development.
The cost of lighting solution should be based on the energy consumption rather than on the initial cost of light fixtures. Businesses, municipalities and other government institutions can easily realise they're not buying lights, but energy bill. In most commercial buildings and schools, the cost of the electricity used for lighting over the years is many times the cost of light fixtures.
It just a matter of equipment choice: energy efficient lighting products can save 40 per cent on electricity, and for some products the cost saving can be up to 80 per cent, without compromising on quality. It's a matter of energy efficiency and service life (hours). And it is also a matter of choosing products that reduce their impact on the environment such as low usage of mercury. Mercury is the most effective substance to generate light with the highest efficacy in lumens per watt. But because of the effects of mercury on the environment, the share of mercury in lighting products must be minimised. Choosing equipment with the lowest share of mercury can make a difference. Or going for a technology like LED that is changing the fundamentals of lighting, improving energy efficiency with low impact on environment. As LED produce more lumens x watt than standard halogen lamps not producing any UV or IR rays.
Approximately two thirds of Europe's lighting is based on old lighting technology. By switching this to the latest technology Europe could reduce its Co2 emission by 28 MT per year. This is the equivalent of more than 50 million barrels of oil or the equivalent Co2 consumption of one billion trees. A fast paced developing country like Qatar can maximise the initial investments looking at the experience of other countries and prevent the future costs. And capitalise on the latest lighting solutions developed by international manufactures like Lutron or Philips Lighting, both in indoor and outdoor environments.
Outdoor lighting has a major impact on energy consumption and lighting pollution. How to provide the precise level of light output for safety and security reducing the light pollution? Telemanagement system (developed by Philips) controls each light-point individually, enabling to programme different scenarios, depending on time, weather sensors, traffic density detection devices. Each lighting section can be switched off or dimmed in a flexible way. A remote controlling technology allows accurate electrical consumption calculations and individually monitoring and evaluation of failures.
In the indoor facilities EcoSystem -- with digital electronic dimming ballasts, controls and environments sensors -- save energy (often 50 per cent of the lighting electricity), increase comfort and productivity, improve space flexibility, and reduce maintenance costs. Think about the waste of energy when we leave the lights of our offices on at the end of the day, or the lights in unused meeting rooms. And consider the heat generated by lighting, which is larger in warm locations such as the Middle East. In Houston, Texas, each watt of lighting power generates heat that requires 1/3 of a watt of air conditioning (33 per cent) to remove.
When EcoSystem is installed in a Houston building, it reduces the lights cost by $50,000, the reduced cooling load saves an additional $16,000 in air-conditioning electricity. Electric utilities generate greenhouse gas emissions that raise concerns about global warming. Lights release heat that air-conditioning must remove. Because dimming reduces light power levels, dimming reduces the cooling load. A lighting control system cuts CO2 emissions by cutting the electricity load.
© The Peninsula 2007
