In the UK we love halogen downlights. Favoured by many electricians and developers, they are responsible for ceiling acne in bathrooms, kitchens and bedrooms up and down the country.
Here we take a look at Energy and Lighting:
They have a lovely quality of light, they dim down well, and they’re cheap, so it’s no wonder they’re so popular. Unfortunately, as with all incandescent light sources, with majority of energy being emitted in infra-red (heat), they’re massively inefficient.
Global warming is happening at an alarming rate and it’s widely accepted it’s being accelerated by human activity. A large part of the human generated CO2 emissions is from electricity production, and in Europe 14% of all electricity consumption is lighting.
Moving away from inefficient incandescent light sources in our homes, and embracing energy efficient technologies has the potential to make a huge energy savings. And of course saving energy saves money in reduced electricity bills.
We often run energy payback calculations to show our clients how quickly they can get a return on their investment in new lighting. It’s not uncommon to see payback periods of 7 months or less.
The government has recognised the role energy efficient lighting can play in reducing the UK’s CO2 emissions and have implemented the ‘light bulb ban’ (phase out of incandescent light sources) and Part L of building regulations (Conservation of fuel and power), to force us as consumers to adopt these new technologies.
At lighting design studio this is something we’re really passionate about. It’s one of the first and most important things we consider when putting together a lighting design. We create beautiful yet energy-efficient lighting schemes for our clients.
Through intelligent lighting controls, highly efficient lamps, and luminaires, and using light when and where it’s needed, we can show you how to reduce your energy consumption. The little things start at home – how efficient is your lighting?
If you’re not sure and you want some help then please do get in touch.
