Illuminated Thinking

Published on Fri 30 Sep 2011

The increasingly urgent need to address major environmental issues on a global scale means that developments are coming so thick and fast that if you blink you’re likely to miss something very important indeed. Most of the focus continues to be on energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions which means in turn a strong focus on commercial buildings which account for as much half of the UK’s  total emissions according to the Building Research Establishment.

The UK has set ambitious targets for what it is looking to achieve and there are structural complexities at every level involved in meeting them. For example, when it comes to the UK’s building stock, CIBSE has recently highlighted the need to focus on refurbishment as an important element in meeting the demands of the  2008 Climate Change Act which has committed the UK to delivering more than a one third reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050.

According to CIBSE, construction of new buildings in the UK only accounts for around 1 per cent of the national building stock each year so that even assuming each new building replaces an existing one, two thirds of commercial buildings in 2050 will be those that exist today, but they will be expected to meet the demands of a very different world.

Most research shows that around 25 per cent of the total energy use of the average commercial office is consumed by lighting, although 40 per cent or more is not uncommon. A reduction in consumption can be an important factor in reducing emissions and improving the company’s bottom line. But this must also be balanced against the need to provide a well designed lighting scheme for the people who work in the building to maximize their productivity, comfort and wellbeing. Get the balance wrong and the results can be literally counter-productive.

Legislation provides a useful guide through this potential minefield. A range of British and European standards are useful in providing a framework for buyers looking to strike the right balance between creating a healthy working environment and reducing energy use. But legislation is not enough in itself for most organisations.

Each building and each organisation is likely to have its own characteristics that make it essential to develop an intelligent approach to energy management to provide an optimal lighting level for specific tasks while introducing lighting control strategies and systems. The result is ideally a system that strikes exactly the right balance between energy consumption, aesthetics, productivity and comfort.

We have recently carried out an energy comparison between a client’s existing lighting scheme and a new high efficiency lighting scheme. What we proved was there is a clear and unarguable business case for the intelligent lighting scheme which offers not only a quick return on investment but also provides an exceptional working environment that improves staff wellbeing and productivity and reduces absenteeism.

If you would like one of our expert lighting team to discuss with you how you can benefit from a new approach to energy saving lighting then please call  01925 284 000  or email info@claremontgi.com to arrange a visit.