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Introduction
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Accounting for up to 40% of a building’s electricity use and often the greatest single utility, lighting provides huge opportunities for you to improve efficiency and lower your energy bills.
Getting the lighting right is important
The quality of artificial lighting is one of the most important influences on our performance in the work place; some 80% of our sensory input at work comes through our eyes. You should look to implement energy saving lighting measures that will maintain or enhance the comfort of the visual environment.
It is vital to provide good quality lighting that is designed to match the tasks being undertaken, and to respect the needs of the occupants. The right levels, and the quality, of light has been shown to affect both alertness and accuracy at work.
Read more in the Lighting Technology Overview (CTV049).
Listen to our training webinar about lighting delivered by industry experts, Liz Peck and John Aston. The webinar provides you with the the latest advice and information on lighting technologies, controls, design, refurbishment and where you can save energy and money. The webinar will also cover the impact that lighting has on health and well-being.
Here are three top tips to reducing the energy costs of lighting:
1 - Install occupancy sensors
Occupancy sensors can dim or switch off lighting when there is no one there and they can reduce electricity use by 30%, or even more. View the video to see how they work.
2 - Install daylight sensors
Many rooms enjoy the benefit of natural light from windows and/or roof lights. Daylight sensors, or photocells, adjust the artificial lighting according to the amount of daylight, reducing energy use by as much as 40%. View the video to see how they work.
3 - Have a maintenance plan
Cleaning windows and skylights regularly allows the maximum amount of daylight to enter the building, significantly reducing the need for electric lighting. Cleaning of luminaires, especially reflectors and panel diffusers, improves their performance. More information on maintenance can be found in the Housekeeping section.