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sustainabletimes 31 www.binfo.co.uk
Replacing energy ineffcient lighting
with green alternatives improves
light quality, has an immediate
impact on energy use, CO2
emissions and the environment.
While much can be done in the home
to save energy from lighting, even
more opportunities are available in
the commercial environment.
Legislation is a major driving force.
Part L(2) of the Building Regulations for
non-domestic premises in England and
Wales and the new Scottish Building
Standards both demand action to
reduce the wattage output for lighting
per square metre of building.
The Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change for non-residential
buildings found that energy effcient
lighting is one of the measures with
the largest potential and the cheapest
mitigation options. The Enhanced
Capital Allowance scheme (ECA) allows
businesses to claim 100% of their
capital tax allowances on selected
energy effciency products in the frst
year. In addition, the Action Energy
Programme provides interest free
loans of up to £100,000 for small and
medium-sized businesses.
The green light
Seeing the light
With the lighting industry bringing out
more effcient lamps, better fttings to
focus the light where it is most needed,
and more effective control gear and
control systems to better manage light
switching and/or dimming: it’s little
wonder that many businesses fnd the
issue of lighting confusing.
Ken Bundy of Claremont Group
Interiors says that lighting design needs
to be taken more seriously. “Lighting
can often be left too late in the design
process. So when and if budget becomes
increasingly tight, this can lead you to
focus on accepting the norm.
“Cost is obviously an important
factor – the fuorescent tube is cheap
and reasonably effective for a number
of tasks. But the fact remains that you
should use different types of light and
different light levels to create a feeling
of well being and as a way of structuring
interior space,” says Bundy.
Morgan Lovell, which designs and
builds sustainable offce interiors, says
frst and foremost it’s important to
meet appropriate maintained luminance
levels (in lux), as per building regulations.
Sustainability expert Sophie Hutchinson
says that being smart with your lighting
can make a huge difference. “You can
reduce the need for energy-hungry
artifcial lighting by making the most of
the available natural daylight. This can
be achieved through the use of light
colours for walls and other surfaces and
by installing light fttings with built-in
daylight sensors and infra-red motion
detectors for automatic lighting control.
“Other energy saving measures
include installing zoned lighting with
separate controls or timers to shut
off lighting on weekends and at night;
ftting high effciency fuorescent
lights; incorporating task lighting which
provides better light for detail work
and offers more control to individuals;
or considering LED lighting (a standard
40W incandescent bulb has an expected
lifespan of 1,000 hours while an LED
can continue to operate for more than
50,000 hours – 50 times longer). These
can all have a signifcant impact on
a company’s bottom line and carbon
footprint.”
www.carbontrust.co.uk
www.ipcc.ch
www.claremontgi.com
www.morganlovell.co.uk
On average, 25% of an organisation’s
electricity costs come from lighting. It’s not
surprising therefore, that in the drive to reduce
energy consumption, this area has attracted
a great deal of attention. According to The
Carbon Trust, energy effcient lighting can cut
energy costs by up to a third and improve the
working environment for staff.
Legal Ombudsman
in Birmingham
by Claremont,
showing a balance
of natural light
and with different
types of lighting for
different working
environments.
Stylish low energy light bulb
British designer Samuel Wilkinson and product design
company Hulger have won the Brit Insurance Design of
the Year 2011 award for their stunning redesign of the
low energy light bulb.
Low energy light bulbs have never been regarded as a
stylish product; the Plumen addresses this by creating an
aesthetic bulb which works just like any low energy bulb.
By bending the glass tubes of a light bulb, Plumen have
designed a product that uses 80% less energy and lasts
eight times longer than an incandescent bulb.
The Plumen was lauded by chairman of judges Stephen
Bayley, as ‘a good example of the ordinary thing done
extraordinarily well, bringing a small measure of delight to
an everyday product’.
www.hulger.com