Time to Take Control for Savings Inside and Out
It costs millions of pounds each year to light our streets and buildings, but there are innovative solutions now available that can deliver significant reductions in energy consumption, saving money and cutting carbon
emissions, whilst giving the end-user unrivalled control. Andy Davies, Head of Specification and Development at Harvard Engineering, explains how these systems are already having an impact across the UK.
There are an estimated 7.5 million street lights in the UK, which cost the country over £500 million to run and maintain each year - approximately 30% of a local authority’s energy bill can be attributed to street lighting. In addition to their financial cost, they also have a significant environmental impact, annually emitting around 830,000 tonnes of CO2
, making street lights one
of the largest contributors to the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. As all large organisations, including local authorities, are required by the Climate Change Act to reduce 80% of their CO2
emissions by 2050,
street lights are an obvious target for the implementation of energy efficiency measures.
The situation is similar for indoor lighting, which contributes to over 40% of commercial electricity consumption in the UK and making it the single highest contributing item on energy bills. Many of the lighting systems operational in commercial buildings
24 | LIGHTING
are decades old, using inefficient traditional light sources that consume more energy through heat loss than in the provision of illumination, and most are not controlled by anything more sophisticated than an on/off switch. As with street lighting there are huge opportunities for substantial savings. The installation of lighting controls and LEDs can deliver savings of up to 50%, significantly reducing energy bills and helping organisations comply with stringent environmental legislation.
“Approximately 30% of a local authority’s energy bill can be attributed to street lighting.”
LEDs’ energy efficiency credentials have long been recognised. Fluorescent and high intensity discharge light sources lose up to 90% of their energy through heat and are difficult to control. In contrast LEDs offer cool operation and are inherently controllable, being easy-to-
dim and instantly switchable. Once installed LEDs require a minimum level of maintenance, performing for over 50,000 hours - approximately ten times longer than any other light sources. However, it is only through the installation of lighting controls that the full potential of LEDs can now be realised.
Early generation lighting controls, such as DALI and Analogue 1-10V, have been available for a number of years but they are restrictive and have a number of drawbacks. They are difficult to commission; often requiring specialist DALI engineers to configure the system. As this can take several days, with engineers commanding fees of between £600 and £1,000 per day, this expense alone can prove prohibitive for retrofit installation. When considering that approximately 80% of the buildings that will exist in the UK by 2050 are already here, finding a cost-effective method of retrofitting lighting control systems is crucial.
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