Thursday, January 17, 2013
Guest Blog : David Kennedy : Light Rabbit LEDsAs an experiment, Ban The Bulb has invited David Kennedy of Light Rabbit (www.lightrabbit.co.uk) to write the following guest blog about the energy and money savings that LED lighting can offer homes, offices and shops.
"Lighting goes clean, green and lean"
By David Kennedy
Most people know that they can make savings with energy efficient lighting - but do business owners?
LED lighting = 70% energy savings
Here are the fast facts - LED lighting typically uses 70% less energy than like for like traditional commercial lighting - so why is business so slow to make the switch?
Well it could be that business owners are just not aware of the savings that can be made. Fluorescent tubes have long been considered energy efficient but times have moved on and when compared to the advantages of LED lighting it is quite surprising to discover how much energy business owners could save - vital in this time of austerity.
Keep it simple : Retro-fitting
Depending on the sector, lighting accounts for at least 30% of all energy consumption. You just need to drive around a city in the middle of the night to see offices and shops with lights left on 24/7. As most energy consuming devices don't have a lower energy alternative such as computers, fridges or air conditioning - the installation of retrofit LED lighting can facilitate this leading to atypical energy saving of at least 20%. With such great saving most retro fit installations will see a return on investment of under 12 months with the benefit of those saving lasting well into the future.
Stay cool, for longer
LED lights don't get hot which also reduce the energy required to cool office buildings - A major issue in warmer countries but also the UK.
LED lighting lasts longer, much longer. LED chips being manufactured today will lat 50,000 hours. To put that into perspective that is 11 years of 12 hours per day use of maintenance free lamps. This eliminates re lamping and associated labour costs. The old joke of how many people it take to change a light bulb seems to be less funny with modern health and safety regulations requiring training, supervision and equipment to access lights in rooms with high ceilings. The joke is now on those who don't start to think of sustainable alternatives to the traditional lamp.
Quick and simple
The reduced carbon footprint is instant, but that’s not all... Modern lighting control systems can further reduce energy consumption. As you probably know, florescent tubes take a while to start up and will flicker when switched on. There is a lot of energy consumed during this process and it has been argued that leaving these type of lights on all the time uses less energy than switching them on and off. LED tube lights turn on instantly without the need of a starter or ballast, which present the opportunity for movement/occupancy sensors to save further energy.
A perfect example of this is car parking where the lights are left on 24/7 - The lights will only come on when there is somebody in the car park. In a job recently undertaken by my company Light Rabbit Ltd, we managed to save the management company 95% on their energy consumption for a residential underground car park with the use of LED lighting and PIR sensors.
Make a difference... to the bottom line and the environment
Find out more at www.lightrabbit.co.uk
Posted 2:26 PM by Matt Prescott