Page 19 - LONDON EDIT 2008-2009 pj

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Enlightened Management

Today’s wide choice of office lighting options can be bewildering to the uninitiated. Faced with a choice of halogen, tungsten, metal halide, LED, crown reflectors, uplighters, downlighters, gullwings, fluorescents, sensor controls, daylight controls and even the sun itself, many buyers take the easy route and opt for a standard specification. Four hundred lux levels throughout an office will provide a good basic level of light at low cost, but taking this approach may be counter-productive in a number of ways, not least in terms of its environmental impact.

The problem can be systemic. Often, decisions about lighting design are left too late in the design process so that designers are forced to accept what the diminishing budget allows rather than what’s right for the space or the environment. Cost is often the most significant factor, which explains the enduring popularity of the fluorescent tube.

One of the most important developments in this area in recent years is the much publicised 2006 Building Regulations, which set certain duties and standards for energy efficiency. However, there is scope to develop schemes that easily exceed these requirements, and the DFES

has already issued guidance for new and refurbished schools that goes beyond the regulations. Office lighting (lamp, luminaire and control gear) will determine results so it is worthwhile getting professional advice for individual schemes. A good first port of call for extended guidance is CIBSE, although it is also wise to consider relevant Standards such as EN15193-1 Energy performance of buildings - Energy requirements for lighting - Part 1: Lighting energy estimation; or EN 15251: Indoor environmental criteria for design and calculation of energy performance of buildings.

When it comes to making decisions about lighting, the good news is that a well designed and managed lighting scheme will not only be good for the environment but also for an organisation’s balance sheet. Simple decisions about light fittings and building controls can have an enormous impact. For example, by specifying eco-tubes instead of standard fluorescent tubes, you can expect to save around 10% of your energy costs. Reflex eco-tubes direct more light downwards to give around 50% more useful light per tube, saving both installation and running costs. Similarly, never assume that all areas within an office require the same

specification. The provision of natural light should influence decisions, but so, too, will the type of work being performed. Many modern offices have different areas for computer work, meetings, break-out space and relaxation, all of which will require different types and levels of light. Intelligent decisions taken on this basis can have a significant bearing on energy costs.

The management of light fittings is equally important. At the most basic level, we should all use as much natural light as possible and remember to turn lights off when they’re not needed. Certain products do this for us: motion sensors turn off lights in unoccupied areas and daylight compensation controllers can vary light levels automatically depending on the availability of daylight in different parts of the office.

Cost, cleaning, maintenance and asset management are other big factors.

You should also look at issues such as whole life costing and performance, as lamp performance can deteriorate over time, and take care that specifications are not so complex that you need to stock 35 types of lamp.

There is a strong business case to be made for effective lighting schemes. Enlightened management will look at the financial and environmental cost of different lighting choices throughout their lifecycle and not just at installation.

General guidance on lighting in a number of types of buildings is available from the Society of Light and Lighting, a part of CIBSE. www.cibse.org/

Mike Lear of RS Components argues that businesses should consider the total lifecycle costs of lighting technologies when specifying office lighting schemes

COMMENT

Different areas of the office benefit from different types of lighting

Left: United Utilities’ new offices at Lingley Mere in Cheshire, designed by Claremont Group. Right: Kaupthing Bank offices in the City, designed by Modus Group

RS Components is Europe’s leading industrial distributor. It provides a single source of supply for parts as diverse as power tools, process control equipment, transistors, lighting equipment, plumbing supplies and protective clothing, via a choice of purchasing channels. The RS range includes 135,000 products from over 1300 suppliers, with a further 100,000 electronic & electromechanical products available online.

www.rswww.com