Getting it right can pay huge dividends, so businesses investing in industrial and commercial lighting systems can benefit from significant environmental and financial cost savings if they pay greater attention to what lighting is being installed for them rather than accept anything that “works”.

This is the view of lighting specialist David Stone, Operations Manager for ENER-G Efficiency, who believes durable management technology will enable organisations to maximise value in a market increasingly driven by legislative requirements rather than immediate costs of installation.

“People often look at changing lighting systems based on installation costs, and forget that the cheapest short term option is not always the best long term solution,” said Stone.

“What we are driving is a defined evaluation process based on the quality of the lighting; the efficiency for the light source; the influence of environmental management on running costs; and the control or management of a lighting system.”

He continued: “Investment in lighting systems should be about identifying the correct solution for a particular commercial or industrial application. A major factor in all of this is achieving appropriate light quality for employees, who will be more productive and motivated if their working conditions are optimised.

“If we had a building with a large amount of day lighting, traditionally a dimmable fluorescent system would be recommended, but recent developments in electronic HID (high intensity discharge) lighting mean that this high-wattage “white” source can now do the same tricks.”

Stone emphasises the difference between lighting controls and management technology, which produces ongoing, long-term data on the performance of the overall system, including the control element.

“If you are looking at management or control, management may cause the luminaire to be more expensive initially, but it will give you an ongoing ability to match the lighting operation with changing working practices In the long term. This may well reduce your operating costs over the life-time of the system,” explained Stone.

“This is because of the volatility of the energy procurement market and the increasing regulatory liability as we move further and further into a low-carbon economy through government measures such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and CRC Energy Efficiency scheme.”

“With the CRC, accurate management tools will become increasingly important to manage and report on energy consumption and therefore mitigate liabilities and penalties,” commented Stone.

He is keen to point out that ENER-G is not backing a particular lighting product, but instead supports ‘open’ technologies such as the Dali and KNX protocol standards, both of which are supported by manufacturers that make products across the entire market range.

“The essence is about impartial selection based on light quality through the life of a system, where flexibility allows you to adapt to changing operational and economic factors,” he said.

“For example, in three years’ time someone who didn’t take a longer term view may find that they have to replace a whole system part way through its operational life due to further changes in legislative and economic cost structures. Taking time to make an informed and comprehensive decision on the right system for your organisation over the long term is crucial. Getting it wrong can be very costly indeed – both in terms of financial and environmental performance.”

ENER-G provides a complete end-to-end solution for all commercial and industrial energy requirements. The company’s engineering and service solutions cover every aspect of energy management, including procurement; metering; control; lighting and building management; combined heat & power (CHP) manufacture and operation, together with gas absorption heat pumps, renewable ground source heat pump technologies.

For a free assessment of your lighting needs or further information contact David Stone, david.stone@energ.co.uk 

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