- Energy Efficiency
- Renewable Energy
- Voices Of The Customer
Energy Efficiency - Lighting
The most common types of energy efficient lighting are compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and LED lights. CFLs are a must use – if you are not already using them and still using incandescent lights. Compared to general-service incandescent lamps giving the same amount of visible light, CFLs use one-fifth to one-third the electric power, and last eight to fifteen times longer.
In this website, we will talk a lot about LED lights in comparison to CFLs.
A common term associated with CFL lamps is a T5 light. The T stands for the tubular shape of the lamp and the 5 stands for the diameter in eighths of an inch so the T5 light has a diameter of five-eighths of an inch. A T-8 lamp has a diameter of an inch or a T-12 lamp has a diameter of one and a half inches. The narrower design allows more design flexibility.
An LED light bulb uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as the source of light. LED lamps offer long service life and high energy efficiency, but initial costs are higher than those of fluorescent and incandescent lamps.
In comparison to CFL lights, the higher efficiency means that the wattage required for the same level of luminance is lower. The longer service life leads to additional savings.
An Induction Lamp is also similar to a fluorescent lamp in that mercury in a gas filled inside the bulb is excited, emitting UV radiation that in turn is converted into visible white light by the phosphor coating on the bulb. Induction Lamps differ in that they do not use internal electrodes, but use a high-frequency generator with a power coupler. The generator produces a radio frequency magnetic field to excite the gas fill.
Induction lamps have a very high life as there is no heating. It is an effective option for high wattages (upwards of 100 Watts). In these applications it is a good replacement of metal halide lamps.
The cold-cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) is a newer form of CFL. CCFLs use electrodes without a filament. CCFLs were initially used for document scanners and also for back-lighting LCD displays, and later manufactured for use as lamps. The efficacy (lumens per watt) is lower than normal CFLs. Their advantages are that they are instant-on, like incandescents, and they have a long life of approximately 50,000 hours. CCFLs are an effective and efficient replacement for lighting that is turned on and off frequently with little extended use (for example, in a bathroom or closet).
LED lighting can be used in most lighting applications in industrial and commercial uses. Various lights are used for various lighting purposes. They can be used in commercial buildings like hotels, hospitals, malls and offices. They can also be used in industries.
LED lighting can be used in common areas, corridors, canteens and outdoor areas very easily. However, designers and architects have also used LED lights where aesthetic and luminance levels are important (such as in hotels and offices).
In all our cost benefit examples, the data shown is collected from vendor sources or customer case studies. The results are indicative and will depend on specific equipment and operating conditions.
You should have detailed discussions with your suppliers and consultants to assess expected cost benefits for your operating conditions and also to analyse the actual cost benefit post implementation carefully. You should also ask your solution providers for customer references and ask your peers about their experience.
In general, the higher efficiency of LED leads to lower energy costs immediately. Paybacks vary from months to almost always less than 2 years. A related advantage (that is not captured in the analysis below) is that air conditioning loads come down.
| Retail | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Retail Showroom | ||
| Area (sq. feet) | 400 | ||
| People (nos.) | 30 | ||
| Office Building | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Retail Showroom | ||
| Area (sq. feet) | 400 | ||
| People (nos.) | 30 | ||
As a potential customer, what are some of the questions that I should be asking?
Generally Yes. However, this should be evaluated by your solution provider on a case by case basis. Even when the fixtures have to be changed, the overall costs and the payback period may not change much. In one specific office building project that we studied the extra costs of LED fixtures was about 4% of the total project cost and was insignificant when compared to the savings.
Aesthetics depends on specific factors: lux level, spread and LED colour. The solution provider will have to design the solution to meet your needs.
The required amount of lighting (the lux level) can be maintained by the design. Key design parameters are number of lights and its spacing. The solution provider should be able to design for the optimum/recommended lux levels for the type of work.
Your solution provider should be able to make your LED system work with industry standard dimming systems such as Lutron, Hunt, Philips Dynalite, Chrestron and Schneider.
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