Lighting
the tunnel with the level of lighting it required. HPS lights have been found to be energy- inefficient and emit heat that adds to carbon emissions, making them unsustainable. They also do not have a long lifespan, which adds to maintenance costs, closures, lamp replacement costs and cleaning regimes when compared to the LED alternatives that are now available. LED offers an extremely long lifespan relative to every other lighting technology, and is more energy efficient relative to every other commercially available lighting technology. On maintenance, too, transitioning to LED makes sense.
While the tunnel still needs to be regularly cleaned because of the emissions from heavy goods vehicles, the light units now simply need to be wiped clean on the glass exterior to allow for a maintained light source. This has reduced staffing costs and the carbon footprint of movement of staff to conduct works on site.
Circularity first
In the current energy crisis, bringing down energy expenditure is an appealing incentive for public projects. More of these schemes would get off the ground if we can overcome the barrier of high capital investment, which is even more of a challenge when budgets are squeezed. In the case of Dublin Port Tunnel, the project offered TII a huge advantage – a circular economy-inspired retrofit that would reimagine the materials that were already in place and put them to work in a new way. The Signify team took the existing set-up as a starting point to design a custom LED tray that would fit seamlessly into the Philips WRTL lantern bodies
that had been installed 17 years ago and which were still in great shape.
There are multiple benefits of an approach like this. Firstly, it’s a much more economical approach: making use of materials already there means retrofit costs can be drastically reduced compared to a new installation. With custom inserts, the original, high-quality housing can be reused while retesting and CE marking all of the units to current standards.
Just as importantly, this approach is also economical in how we use our natural resources, a factor that’s becoming increasingly important in this age of overconsumption. The past few years have shown us what happens when our supply chains become disrupted. As a society, we need to do a much better job of managing materials for the road ahead.
Conclusion
The energy savings on this project have been impressive. The lighting is now using 60% less electricity, saving enough each year to power 300 Irish households.
When we think about sustainable projects, we’re often drawn to the new and shiny. But to reach our climate goals and create a liveable future, it can’t always be about new – we also have to think about what we can achieve with what we already have.
Projects like the Dublin Port Tunnel, this approach can help to deliver massive energy savings at a greatly reduced cost, with a fraction of the waste, and with minimal downtime - ensuring results that are all about real, tangible change.
ewnews.co.uk
September 2023 electrical wholesaler | 19
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