‘Leaner’ lighting’s dramatic impact

As the economic climate continues to be challenging, most public sector organisations in the UK are seeking ways of saving money and the health sector is no exception. One of the most effective methods of achieving this is to reduce energy consumption, which will not only cut operating costs, but will also keep carbon emissions down. A good way to manage energy spend is to examine the efficiency of lighting. Simple measures can make significant savings in terms of energy wasted, and many technologies are easily retrofitted. During the past 10-15 years, there has been a significant level of investment in the NHS, and an important part of this has included initiatives to save money on energy efficiency, and, in particular, lighting. The NHS has a huge amount of space that utilises, or can utilise, low energy lighting; here we are talking not solely about medically-related space, but also about offices, canteens, reception and waiting areas, as well as storage facilities and car parks. Of course clinical areas including wards, examination rooms, scanning facilities, and operating theatres, also need to be efficiently and cost-effectively lit.

Lighting and energy efficiency

 Lighting technology is changing all the time, with new developments continuing to offer increased benefits for those responsible for reducing energy wastage in buildings. Health sector energy and estates and facilities managers can turn to the lighting manufacturers and distributors for help and advice on what is best for their particular application. One of the methods of saving energy on lighting is to simply change to the latest generation of T5 fluorescent tubes that run on electronic ballast, rather than the older T8 conventional electromagnetically ballasted products. Until quite recently, this would have meant replacing the luminaires, as well as the lamps. A relatively simple solution to this problem can now be found through the use of retrofit technologies, such as the ‘SaveItEasy’ plug-in ballasts. Such units can be fitted directly into the ends of standard T5 tubes, and can simultaneously provide the appropriate ballast and increased tube length to work with existing fittings. In addition to avoiding the inconvenience and disruption caused by installing new luminaires, their use can provide energy savings of between 25 and 56 per cent.