Talking Tech: Shining the Spotlight on the Future of Outdoor Lighting
Neil Wareham, Head of Southern Lighting Design Services and Solutions at YESSS Electrical, discusses the latest outdoor lighting developments, and how new products and trends will shape energy performance.
Over the past decade, the biggest development in external lighting has undoubtedly been LED. With LED products now representing nearly
50% of new sales, this technology is fast-becoming the first choice for specifiers and installers alike. In the last decade innovation has accelerated sharply, driven by an increased focus on energy efficiency. Prices have fallen, capabilities are expanding, and manufacturing is becoming increasingly efficient. As a result, the technology is far more accessible.
In the US market, 2014 proved to be the tipping point for lighting, with U.S. Department of Energy statistics showing that approximately 49 million LEDs were installed in the U.S. — saving $675 million in annual energy costs. The UK market looks set to follow suit, with the costs of energy a key driving force. Lighting accounts for 20% of the world’s energy usage and, of that, commercial usage accounts for more than 50%.
New LED lighting can have a huge impact on efficiency calculations, particularly when used as a replacement for commercial fluorescent lights. Although fluorescent is still an inexpensive option for retrofitting, fluorescent lamps operate best around room temperature. At much lower temperatures, such as in external spaces, efficiency dramatically decreases. Where fluorescent lighting has largely been a more affordable option, LED lighting can provide greater savings in the long term; both
22 | LIGHTING
in terms of cost, environmental impact, energy consumption and durability.
Switching external lighting to LED alternatives can help to unlock huge savings. It is becomingly increasingly common for external lighting, such as grounds and car pack lighting, to be turned off completely by building or facilities managers in an effort to save energy and therefore money. This is a drastic move and can mean that safety and security is adversely affected in certain locations, especially when there are so many alternative ways to reduce costs.
It is specifically in the commercial sector where LED lighting is experiencing the most growth, with high output luminaries, which use the least possible energy, proving to be extremely popular. The early stages of LED saw low output lamps gradually develop into a technology suitable for all domestic and commercial use. We can now see examples of LED being used in a variety of different settings, from bathroom lighting right through to full stadium lighting.
The cost-effectiveness and long life span of LED, coupled with the growing availability across different categories and the improved aesthetic possibilities, makes LED highly desirable and with further improvements – such as the development of LED chips to produce more lumens per watt – this is likely to continue.
“Wireless control of external lighting will see lighting being adjusted via mobile devices and tablets.”
For instance, LED also keeps costs low when looking at maintenance spend. With most high quality LED external lighting options, a lifetime usage of 100,000 hours is predicted. To put this in perspective, this is five times longer than the expected life span of a standard discharge lamp. From a practical point of view, this represents a huge reduction in maintenance and cost – as changing a lamp fitted ten metres in the air is neither easy nor cheap.
Looking forward, wireless control of external lighting should be the next step on the development process. This will see lighting being altered and adjusted via mobile devices and tablets – ensuring that lights can be turned on and off remotely, further saving energy. However, the biggest trend looks set to continue to be the replacement of existing older style fittings with new LED lighting, or an energy saving solution that delivers strong return on investment. Many commercial users would like to change to LED in order to save energy, but are understandably concerned by the cost and how quickly the products will pay for themselves and deliver a return on investment (ROI).
www.yesss.co.uk www.tomorrowsem.com
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