Lighting Products
With potential energy savings of up to 90%, lighting is an obvious area to begin with when seeking to drive down costs. However, is also an area fraught with pitfalls if incorrectly specified.
At Crowley Carbon we are keenly aware that there is a lot more to a successful lighting retrofit programme than simply counting kilowatt hours used! Ensuring that the correct lux levels are achieved and the all-important aesthetic experience is in harmony with the clients needs is our obsession.
Apart from the energy savings, some of the other benefits of an effective lighting retrofit programme outlined by the Carbon Trust in the UK include:
Increased productivity
Modern, low-energy lamps, within luminaires specifically designed to provide optimum light output ratios for the illumination of the work task can raise productivity in factories and offices— an increase in output as little as 0.3% will pay for all the capital cost of new lighting on the average factory floor.
Reduced accidents, rejects and absenteeism
In factories and offices, appropriate lighting can reduce errors, which not only erode profitability but can be costly in terms of human discomfort. Lamps with good colour rendering can dramatically cut reject rates in factories engaged in colour-critical work. Offices with computers need special low-brightness lighting to avoid visually-disabling reflections on the screens, whilst maintaining a good ambiance of the working space.
Reduced maintenance costs
Modern lighting stays brighter longer than its predecessors and this can make savings in reducing maintenance costs. Compact fluorescents, for example, last a minimum of eight times as long as tungsten filament lamps, cutting maintenance costs by more than 80%. One local authority discovered that the labour cost for changing single filament lamps in sheltered accommodation was 40 times the cost of new lamps. The change to compact fluorescents has made a saving in maintenance costs far greater than, and in addition to, the 75% energy cost saving.
Improved security and safety
Modern, energy-effective lighting charges a very low premium for the insurance it provides against road accidents, falls and other domestic and residential accidents, break-ins and vandalism. On motorways, the installation of lighting has been shown to reduce the incidence of accidents by 50%.
Proper lighting in residential areas reduces mugging and fear. All-night interior lighting of landings and stairwells with presence detection offers improved health & safety, and exterior lighting of commercial and industrial premises is recommended as one of the most effective deterrents against break-ins and vandalism.
Enhanced visual environment
• High street stores use light for the visual merchandising that sells their wares more effectively, but also to create a design that dramatically influences the mood of shoppers. Good lighting makes their stores a pleasure to visit.
• Local Authorities use light to enhance town centres and historic buildings.
• Offices increasingly use light, not simply to enable people to perform their work but to create an environment in which staff will be happy and relaxed.
• Sports and leisure centres use high-technology light to increase visual amenity and even improve a player’s game.
