Lighting in Design Q4 2022

Lighting and sustainability

Over the past couple of years, sustainability has become a key topic, touching every aspect of our lives, lighting included. This article describes the major touch points between lighting and sustainability, including examples of what some of the leading local lighting companies are doing with regards sustainability. C limate change is a major driver behind the growing importance of sustainability. The need to reduce CO 2 emissions calls for a

Indoor projects are often realised with edge lit panels with a 100 lm/W efficacy while recessed LED luminaires offering 140 lm/W are available. One of the major reasons behind all this is the fact that part of the lighting industry still talks in ‘Watt’ when it comes to expressing the light output instead of using the correct parameter ‘lumen’. This hampers the uptake of the more efficient LED solutions. An additional energy saving technology – the use of sensors/lighting controls – is not always considered and hence the full energy saving potential is not always grasped. Lighting and the use of hazardous materials That fluorescent lamps contain a tiny amount of the hazardous material mercury is a well-known fact. A lesser-known fact is that due to the reduction in energy use when changing from incandescent lamps to compact fluorescent lamps less mercury is emitted in coal fired power plants, given the fact that coal contains trace amounts of mercury. The conversion to LEDs means that when it comes to mercury, two birds are being killed with one stone as LEDs do not contain mercury and the further reduction in energy-use when changing to LEDs means less mercury is emitted by coal-based

transition from fossil fuels to renewables. Energy efficiency plays a key role in this transition as it reduces the need for fossil fuels on one hand and at the same time reduces the investment needed for the change-over to renewables. Driven by the conversion to Solid State (LED), lighting has made huge progress when it comes to energy-efficiency as can be seen in table below:

INSERT TABLE FROM WORD DOCUMENT Years Lighting share as % of global electricity consumption

2006 2018 2030

19% 13%

8% target

There is, however, still a huge potential for further energy reduction in lighting. There is a perception in the market that ‘as long as it is LED, it is energy efficient’. While this is true, LED efficacy is also a clear example of ‘good, better, best’. A strong focus on price means that the average LED bulb on offer in South Africa has an efficacy of roughly 80 lm/W, while one of the leading suppliers has announced a bulb with an efficacy of over 200 lm/W.

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LiD Q4 - 2022