Saving Energy on Lighting – Watch this video first.
Saving Energy on Lighting.
Saving energy on lighting has become a tricky and confusing subject, so this is designed to make it easier.
Before we begin , let’s say this- if you want to save 50% energy on lighting – switch off half your lights! Laugh or not, when it comes to lighting , this is a simple truth. The goal of this page is to clarify the issue of what energy saving around lighting REALLY is and the best way for you to save money by investing wisely in products that will achieve this.
The measure here is LUMENS PER WATT- the output of light against the power used. So , a light bub that puts out 100 Lumens per watt, is more efficient that one that puts out 20 Lumens per watt. Saving energy on lighting is all about getting the same light for less power. Saving energy on lighting is also all about the watts – you see that stays the same , so if a lamp is rated at 60 watts, regardless of the light output (lumens) it still uses 60 watts to deliver that light.
The efficiency is simple – Higher lumen output at lowest wattage = MOST EFFICIENT.
Now , here is the kicker- many people believe that ‘saving energy’ is putting in a lower wattage bulb – and this will reduce your power cosumption. However , is the so called “energy saving lamp” Still giving you the SAME AMOUNT OF LIGHT?
This is the key question around saving energy on lighting. Let’s do a simple example. I have 100 watt incandescent ( the normal filament lamp you’ll find anywhere) and it produces 15-20 lumens per watt.
If I replace that with a 27 Watt Compact Flourescent Lamp putting out 70 lumens per watt , I am getting more light for the SAME energy used and I have reduced the amout of energy used to achieve that light by 73 Watts – so the lamp is more efficient, and uses 73% less electricity to operate.
So for ten hour’s use of the 100 Watt bulb – I use 1 Kwh of electricity – but for the compact flourescent , to use the same amount (1 kWh) it would need to run for 37 hours. Are you saving energy – YES and Are you using a MORE EFFICIENT LAMP – YES. So there, CFL lamps are energy savers. To save energy on lighting – use CFL’s wherever you can.
Choosing the right CFL for your home- watch the brief video clip below to find the best CFL for you.
Saving Energy on lighting- Be Careful.
Now , the catch comes in when you replace one lamp with one that runs at a lower wattage, but puts out less light. So , while you are saving the cost of energy, you are getting less light output and may then have to add additional lights to achieve the same light level. This is particularly important in industrial and commercial applications where the level of light is regulated.
This light level (or lux) is required to be measured at floor level and CANNOT be below a certain level in terms of the Government regulated requirements (OSH Act) . Failure to adhere to this level becomes a safety hazard for employees.
So , while you may be saving energy on lighting, you may be compromising the safety of employees. Be careful about changing lamps, especially to those that deliver less light (lumens) and then claim to be saving energy, as the light output must remain the same or better, while using less energy. Saving Energy on lighting – Aura Lamps
This is why we use and recommend AURA lamps for most industrial and commercial applications. These handmade , high quality lamps are designed to deliver the same amount of light output at an 11% less use of energy – the 58W (5ft) lamp uses only 51W to achieve the SAME light levels as a standard 58W fluorescent lamp. This does then save energyon lighting and even provides a massive cost saving in terms of operational life , with a 60 000 hour life span on a standard ballast , or 80 000 hours on quality electronic ballast.
This means that for businesses that incur huge costs (mines, tunnels,airports , manufacturing plants etc) to change those lamps – not only the cost of thousands of lamps, but also the cost of hiring special equipment (scaffolding and cherry pickers to reach them ) as well as the man hours to change them – not mention shutting down areas of the business to do this – AURA provides the very best of both worlds.
Not only would you save the 11% on energy use immediately , but the cost of changing these lamps would be extended by 5 or 6 times. So , another aspect to saving energy on lighting would also be to save costs on maintenance. As an example, A business that changes lamps once a year using normal lamps now, would only change lamps once every 8-10 years using AURA lamps. And get an 11% energy saving on top of that.
In a model proposal done to a well know South Africa (And Global) Fitness Chain, the final saving estimated over a period of 10 years would amount to R2,4 million just by changing their current lamps to the AURA range. This figure did not include the saving on labour to change them as well as the fact that they would significantly reduce the number of fluorescent lamps they would be discarding into the environment.
Saving energy on lighting has one more aspect to consider – LED’s.
Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lamps have become the buzz word when it comes to saving energy on lighting. So, here are the basics : LED vs Incandescent lamp – LED Wins – higher lumens /watt.
LED vs Flourescent – LED Wins , but not by much PLUS the price of the LED’s is anywhere from 3-10 TIMES the price of a normal flurorescent lamp, and while the LED will last longer, for the price , its cheaper to replace with fluorescent. LED vs HID Lamps – HID Lamps WIN! Saving energy on lighting by taking out HID Lamps (High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide) is a no-no at this time.
The reason – Lumens per watt. The average LED now puts out between 65 -80 Lumens per watt, while the HID Lamps put out 115 Lumens Per watt- and to replace a 400W Sodium lamp with LED will firstly cost you around 15 Times the price, and the fact that you will need 125% more LED to get the same light output. So , if you want to save energy on lighting , make informed decisions about what will really work for you and if you’re not sure…call or email…we can help. Something to think about when saving energy on lighting. Saving energy on lighting is a key element in an overall energy saving strategy.