24 minute read
The Warren Report
Andrew Warren is chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation
How far are you prepared to go?
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Every recent opinion survey endorses acknowledgement of the threat. To take just one recent opinion poll (far from an outlier) was published in the i, the fastest growing newspaper.
This poll revealed overwhelming support for radical change to end the UK’s net carbon emissions by the end of this decade. Some 70 per cent of those questioned by pollsters BMG said they supported the target of net-zero emissions by 2030, with only 7 per cent opposing it. The UK is currently legally committed to reach net-zero emissions, but by 2050.
Support for swift action over the next 10 years was high across all age ranges, social groups and parts of the country, countering any perceptions of a generational or urban/rural split on the climate emergency.
The survey found high levels of concern over the threat which unchecked climate change poses to everyday life for people in the UK, with 67 per cent saying they expected it to have a negative impact, against just 12 per cent who still hoped it might be positive. Plus 21 per cent who thought it might not make any great difference There’s overwhelming public acknowledgement that action has to be taken on climate change. But only a minority want to make changes to our lifestyle
(or who frankly didn’t know).
Given that response, we might logically assume the vast majority should be prepared to take all the steps we can in our own lives to ameliorate this threat. But are they?
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) is the nation’s official watchdog. It warns what needs to be done to minimise the problem. It has becoming increasingly agitated at the failure of so many of us to address what we are doing about the place where we are most likely to be making the greatest contribution to emitting the greenhouse gases that cause climate change: specifically, our homes. Residential sector insulation down 90 per cent Firstly, we certainly should be doing more to insulate the fabric of our homes; the Committee has revealed that installations of residential sector insulation have fallen by 90 per cent within the past five years. The numbers of homes having energy-efficient glazing installed has fallen back too. Even though we continue to occupy some of the draughtiest homes in western Europe.
The average home could certainly cut consumption by half with ease - and end up a lot more comfortable.
But our heating itself remains very fossil-fuel dependent. The UK is one of only three European countries where the majority of homes rely upon natural gas as the main heating source. The CCC has long argued for transferring heating away from gas to electric.
Right now gas boilers are to be found in 72 per cent of British homes. In contrast, 11 per cent use district or communal heating, just 8 per cent have an electric heat pump.
The trade body Eurogas, transparently an interested party, has also carried out extensive opinion polling (by Savanta ComRes) across Europe. Helpfully, they have broken down responses received country by country. UK opinions are in many cases very similar to other Europeans, certainly regarding the severity of the threat of climate change. We are among the highest in acknowledging the responsibility that falls upon individuals to “do their bit” - 69 per cent think we should all be doing so. N o argument. The overwhelming majority of UK citizens are convinced that radical steps need to be taken to combat the threat of climate change. Certainly by Government. And, just as much, by individuals. The question remains: just how ready is each of us to undertake radical steps in our own lives?
But we Brits put changing our heating system very low down on the list of actions we are willing to consider. Whereas 46 per cent reckon they could be using less energy (still lower than most other Europeans), only 14 per cent of us would ever consider changing boilers – although 34 per cent did concede that heating systems needed to alter.
While this reaction could be ascribed to inertia, there is overt resistance to doing anything that would increase monthly fuel bills. Some 60 per cent say they would refuse to co-operate with any changes unless their overall bills actually went down considerably (by far the highest percentage in western Europe). And we evince the greatest hostility to change if any upfront capital expense was required.
What should we read into these two sets of opinion polls? The lessons I would draw are salutary.
Yes, there is an unequivocal acknowledgment of warnings expressed by climatologists. Yes, climate change is a major and serious threat, which must require significant lifestyle changes to combat.
Some - possibly 1 in 5 – are prepared to embrace such changes, even to make personal sacrifices to assist. But the vast majority of us have yet to do more than respond intellectually.
We might well be prepared (prompted by some judicious incentives and/or regulatory requirements) to reduce the amount of energy we burn, particularly if we can be more comfortable in consequence. But we are simply not yet prepared to endure any disruption to our present heating arrangements, particularly if we end up out of pocket even a bit.
All of which might argue for making rather more of a push into greening the gas network, probably via hydrogen, than hitherto. As well as ensuring that there are some effective incentives and regulations introduced to ensure that we reduce the overall amount of fuel that running the network requires.
Otherwise in the words of St Augustine, it is “Lord, make me chaste. But not yet.”
Lighting Technology
For further information on TÜV SÜD visitwww.eibi.co.uk/enquiriesand enter ENQUIRY No. 125
Neal Paley is specialist lighting designer at TÜV SÜD
Through the lighting maze
Neal Paley looks at the bewildering array of regulations and energy labelling requirements that energy managers now have to confront schemes must meet the latest criteria. However, there are many other important reasons for implementing energy efficient lighting innovations, ranging from the more obvious reduction of power consumption, to benefitting from incredibly low-maintenance requirements and associated costs.
However, while there are similarities in the regulatory framework of each country, there are differences and subtle variations in the conformity assessment process. That process is further complicated by the lack of international harmonised standards for energyefficient lighting products.
Directive 2009/125/EC, also known as the EcoDesign Directive, is the primary regulatory instrument in the EU regarding all energy-using products, including lighting. It establishes a broad framework for product-specific design requirements, with the goal of reducing overall energy consumption. The Energy Label Directive (2010/30/EU) complements this by providing a framework for requirements regarding labelling and other means of providing endusers with product-specific energy consumption information. The EU Ecolabel is a voluntary product certification established in 1992 by the European Commission to assist consumers in identifying products that achieve the highest levels of energy efficiency.
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive 2012/19/EU sets collection, recycling and recovery targets for electronic equipment placed on the market. Such waste can no longer simply be placed in landfill as targets have been set by the European Parliament for member states to recover certain percentages of their waste via recycling facilities. Lighting plays a key role here, as some manufactures charge a WEEE levy at the time of purchasing lighting products, which then goes into the recycling scheme.
In the UK, the Energy Saving Trust operates a voluntary product certification scheme for energysaving products. Lighting products include compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), halogen and LED lamps and luminaires, and compliance must be verified through an independent third-party test report. Recognised benchmark BREEAM is the UK property industry’s recognised benchmark for the environmental rating of new and major refurbished buildings, helping to lower running costs, maximise returns through the market value of a building, as well as attract and retain tenants by providing desirable places to live and work. A study from the Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) found that over 40 per cent of construction industry respondents recognised “return on investment” and “operational savings” as benefits of implementing BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method).
As LED costs continue to fall, so sales of them are on the rise. However, the enormous range of available energy-efficient luminaire products and lamps can be overwhelming for the designer, as the market for these products has undergone profound changes.
In Europe, designers and engineers should look for the CE marking on lighting products. This is a manufacturer’s or importer’s self-declaration that the product conforms to European requirements. Such a product should come with a Declaration of Conformity that states to which standards the product has been tested.
Depending on the outcome of Brexit negotiations, at the time of writing this article, it is likely that UK lighting manufacturers will need to replace the CE marking with a new ‘UK Conformity Assured’ symbol, for the British market. UK lighting manufacturers will still be able to sell products which have been made and assessed against EU regulatory requirements and which carry a CE marking, for a certain transition period.
High-efficiency lighting technologies offer up to an 85 per cent improvement in energy efficiency compared with conventional lighting technologies, while providing an equal or better quality of light. However, implementing energy-efficient lighting into a well-designed scheme can be a complex procedure, as the lighting designer must ensure that efficient luminaires are used. This makes it necessary to think about the design as a whole, both creatively and technically - from the downlight, associated drivers and right through to the lighting control system. M anufacturers of lamps and luminaires have to meet the rising demand for energysaving lighting products that can reduce utility costs, and they must also remain abreast of rapidly changing regulations and energy labelling requirements.
As part of BREEAM, ‘innovation credits’ provide additional recognition of a development in the field of sustainable performance. We have worked alongside other planning and development disciplines to produce a credit checker, which gives everyone involved the complete picture of credit targets to ensure that environmental ratings are achieved.
Regulations for energy efficient lighting products vary significantly across the world. The USA’s ENERGY STAR is a voluntary testing and labelling programme to help consumers identify products with the highest levels of energy efficiency. Eligible lighting products include CFLs, LED lamps and luminaires, decorative light strings and lighting fixtures.
Minimum standards for LED lamps in Australia and New Zealand have been introduced in line with EU standards. The phase out will remove remaining incandescent and a range of halogen lamps from the Australian market, where an equivalent LED lamp is available. Timing of the new regulation will align with revised EU minimum standards that will apply to LED lamps (planned for September 2021).
Energy efficiency is now a key feature of any lighting design as There is a lack of harmonised standards for energy-efficient lighting products from country to country
Lighting Technology
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John Allden is managing director of Tamlite
Simplicity, flexibility and connectivity
The new generation of ‘smart’ wireless solutions will deliver greater flexibility while addressing sustainability, wellbeing and safety concerns, says John Allden A s the need for building systems to perform both effectively and costeffectively has become more acute, so has the demand for control solutions that allow building managers and other end-users to get the most out of their systems. With the debate around climate change and the shift towards a carbon-neutral economy intensifying again in recent months, the expectations of control networks will only continue to grow.
The good news is that, increasingly, technology is beginning to catch up with customer needs. Take lighting, considered by many to be the most fundamental building service, as an example. Until recently, the preponderance of wired networks meant that connecting even medium-sized lighting installations to control systems could be an expensive and time-consuming business.
Traditionally, luminaires have been connected through wired networks that incorporate each and every fitting to achieve total control. While the benefits of such networks – often controlled using the DALI protocol – can be considerable, they can also lead to significant additional cabling requirements for contractors and designers, with all the attendant cost implications that one would expect. Intricate cabled networks are also more difficult to amend when luminaires fail or need to be updated.
These legacy-style systems have also tended to possess limitations in terms of flexibility. The fact that they have generally required a central access point to act as the building management system (BMS) has reduced the capacity for remote operation and/or control by multiple users. Needless to say, this has also contributed to overall lighting installations being more complex and, arguably, more susceptible to faults and security threats.
Viewed in this context, the advent of a new generation of simpler, ‘smart’ lighting control systems using wireless technology will likely prove to be the ideal solution. Move from wired to wireless The benefits of moving from a wired to wireless infrastructure are extensive and begin with the luminaire itself. In a wireless system, integrated wireless nodes are housed within the luminaire and communicate with each other, eradicating the need for a connected network with substantial cabling requirements. Other components include integrated PIR and daylight harvesting sensors, with each node communicating with the overarching control system – allowing basic but critical parameters for each fixture to be amended quickly and easily.
Not only do wireless systems facilitate greater flexibility in the present, they also open up more opportunities in the future. With the extra cabling needs removed, networks can be scaled up with a minimum of fuss, while additional spaces or even separate buildings can be brought under the control of the same system. For designers and consultants, this means that lighting installations at the time of commissioning no longer need to be set in stone. Instead, they can be adjusted painlessly as the occupancy and usage patterns of individual spaces or entire buildings change.
Contemporary lighting systems are also far more conducive to tracking energy consumption and making adjustments accordingly. For example, live energy monitoring allows building managers to be better informed on how their facility is being used and make
Wireless systems offer flexibility while opening up greater opportunities in the future
corresponding amendments to lighting schedules and settings. It’s also easier to set up individual lighting scenes and schedules, with sensors and photocell receptors able to be customised to suit the requirements of different groups and usage patterns. Scenes can be set and reset, and then controlled by endusers via wall-panels allows users to select the scene that suits their needs. For example, in a meeting room, the lighting can be immediately dimmed to ‘presentation’ mode, if needed. Such control is also particularly useful for facilities that host a range of activities and user groups.
For example, employees in their low 20s tend to perform better in cool light, while those older often prefer to work in warmer white. 1
This is critical given the nature of the modern working environment, which has more disparity than ever with regards to age. With the retirement age increasing and young people looking to initiate their careers, it is vital that workplaces are geared towards the preferences of a variety of age groups.
Inevitably, safety and security are priority concerns with all building systems, and lighting is no exception. Once again, it’s an area in which the latest generation of smart wireless systems can prove their worth, with the vast majority operating at a frequency (often 868MHz) outside of the spectrum occupied by Wi-Fi or Bluetooth systems. This renders them significantly less susceptible to disruption, allowing the wireless network to operate in a secure and stable way.
Not surprisingly, an increasing number of vendors are now moving away from wired systems towards wireless-based solutions. With an ever-growing focus on circular economy, enhanced occupant wellbeing, greater control of energy consumption and safer buildings, the needs of end-users in these key areas can be achieved simply through the power of simpler, smarter lighting.
Reference 1) Maher, Laura J. Mrs., “Aging-In-Place Home Modification: LED Lamp Color Temperature Preference Among Adults” (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 110.
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LEDs cut costs and reduce maintenance in international station car parks
Specialist contractor, NeuxPark has completed a major Goodlight LED project to refit the lighting in four international station car parks in the south of England with long-life, energy-efficient LED lamps and luminaires from the Goodlight range. 3,000 LED luminaires including 400 emergency kits were installed in multi-storey and open car parks across these sites, providing the car park owners with up to 80 per cent energy savings.
NeuxPark was commissioned to replace the outdated fluorescent and metal halide luminaires in the car parks at St Pancras, Ebbsfleet, Stratford and Ashford, with a total capacity of up to 8,000 spaces. The new luminaires reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint as well as providing brighter illumination for increased safety and security. The operators of the car parks sought longer lasting lights to reduce the frequency of replacement thus eliminating maintenance costs.
NeuxPark, an approved partner for Goodlight, installed a selection of Goodlight LED lights including G360 LED SON Lamps (Daylight
and Natural) in 20W, 30W and 60W which deliver a high lumen output of 140Lm/W brightness from its 360° beam angle. Due to its advanced cooling system, the G360 LED chips can be run up to 30 per cent brighter, which is perfect for a car park environment. Also specified were T8 LED Tubes (Natural) in 5ft 25W that achieve up to 120Lm/W brightness. These were a perfect replacement for the standard fluorescent fittings in the car parks as they are robust, impact resistant and glass-free. The T8 LED Tubes easily retrofit into existing lamp fittings and operate independently of external control gear. Once installed, they deliver a superb even light spread with no shadowing.
Eco LED Battens were also chosen (Natural) in 5ft 50W together with Emergency Self-Test versions, delivering up to 110Lm/W. They are ultra-reliable and designed to replace outdated fluorescent fixtures with brighter, more energy efficient LED battens. In addition, 120W GX1 LED Low Bays (Daylight) were selected, delivering a bright output of 110Lm/W.
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LED lighting specified for warehouse set for £61,000 savings
EcolightingUK has recently been specified for LED lighting at the 1,920m 2 warehouse at the Brockton Business Park in Telford for client CML.
CML stores and delivers a wide variety of food products across the ambient and chilled temperature ranges and offers a series of added value solutions to its clients. CML tailors a logistics package to suit each customer’s requirements, regardless of size, and has gone from strength to strength in recent years after it struck a joint venture agreement with Culina Group in 2014.
As part of its continued growth, CML expanded from its 7,000m2 property on the Brockton site, which it leased in 2009, to assume full occupation of the 15-acre Business Park site in January 2012. Following a long-standing relationship with Culina Group, Ecolighting was chosen for its reduced costs against competitor prices and the efficacy of its fittings to replace the lighting in place.
The logistics giant needed efficient lighting for its three chill warehouses, link tunnel and packing area and chose Ecolighting’s Pegasus LED high bay, Sapphire Linear and Altos emergency LED lighting for the installation.
The site was assessed by Ecolighting and 268 160W 120 o beam angle Pegasus LEDs were selected for the three warehouses, with an added six for the link tunnel, 33 60W Sapphire LEDs were fitted in the packing
area and Altos emergency lighting luminaires were also installed.
Robert White, group facilities manager at Culina Group, commented: “As part of some general improvements to the warehouse we decided to switch to LED lighting to reduce our running costs. We chose to work with Ecolighting as we have worked with them for years and have always been impressed with their work and the savings we make. We are very pleased with the results.”
Ecolighting’s Pegasus uses Osram drivers and LEDs giving 166 lumens per watt and up to 80 per cent energy saving in installations. At CML, this will result in an annual saving of more than £61,000 in replacement lamps, climate change levy reductions, maintenance and carbon credits.
Ecolighting’s compact Pegasus luminaire is an LED High Bay luminaire and one of the company’s most popular light fittings. It is used by Ecolighting frequently for a wide range of applications from industrial, warehouses, cold stores and manufacturing to sports halls and retail stores.
For the Telford site’s packing area, the Sapphire luminaire was chosen. Sapphire from Ecolighting is one of the company’s most popular LED luminaires for use in commercial and industrial environments. Manufactured by Ecolighting in the UK, Sapphire features high output chip-on-board LEDs and OSRAM driver encased in a linear body with a polycarbonate diffuser, all rated IP54.
The Altos emergency luminaire from Ecolighting is part of the company’s flagship LED high bay lighting solutions designed for use in mezzanines, warehouses, in manufacturing, freezers/chillers and areas with high ceilings.
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TRILUX Pay Per Use is a new service and financing model for refurbishing obsolete lighting systems or planning new ones. As part of an all round package TRILUX plans, installs and operates the tailor-made lighting solutions with customers paying only a consumption-based monthly usage fee. This enables companies to take advantage of efficient, networked LED lighting without any risk or own capital expenditure: safe, transparent and in a balance sheet neutral way.
Obsolete lighting installations consume an unnecessary amount of energy and are not ideal in terms of lighting quality. This makes upgrading to energy-efficient LED solutions a viable alternative for the future. However, many companies shy away
from the high complexity and costs associated with refurbishment. TRILUX has developed a capital and resource-saving service model specifically for such clients: with TRILUX Pay Per Use, customers receiv e from TRILUX a newly planned LED lighting system installed and ready-to-use – paying only a monthly fee for use. This consists of a fixed basic fee along with a usage-dependent component and the contract period is usually seven years, although this can be specified individually. TRILUX will then dismantle the system. Alternatively, customers can assume ownership – in a similar way to leasing. TRILUX Pay Per Use thus offers companies easy access to ultra-modern, networked, intelligent LED lighting without investment costs and while protecting their capital.
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Control system allows employees to take charge of lighting needs
Signify has supplied Interact Pro with Philips Interact Ready luminaires for installation in the Innovation Room at TATA Steel’s headquarters in Deeside, north Wales by their in-house engineers. This has provided the company with a quick and cost-effective connected lighting installation.
The Interact Pro system has put TATA Steel and its employees in control by letting them tailor light levels according to their requirements. It allows them to customise scenes and schedules through easily tapping the Interact Pro app, facilitating the productivity and well-being of employees. Also, it ensures that the lighting in the room is only used when it is needed, significantly reducing energy costs. By pre-setting the room, employees can create the right mood for a range of client presentations and access valuable insights into energy usage.
The system is easy and straight forward enough for employees to use day-to-day. Also, it provides effective
lighting control to allow the creation of an impactful ambiance for the customers who visit each year to learn about the latest innovation in the steel industry.
Interact Pro uses a wireless Zigbee Mesh network to connect luminaires, sensors and switches. This means that it is much easier to install than many existing lighting control systems and doesn’t require additional cabling, making the process swifter. Users can quickly set up the connected lighting system via the Interact Pro app. The Interact Pro connected lighting system has been so well adopted by TATA Steel’s employees that the light switches put in place are no longer needed – meaning that light is only used when required and reducing overall energy consumption.
“From early consultations we knew Interact Pro with Philips Interact Ready luminaires was a system that would help TATA Steel make an impact with customers to reflect their innovation while being more energy efficient,” said Stuart Jolley, trade and specification director for Signify in the UK and Ireland. “We look forward to continuing the partnership in the future to continue to deliver the most innovative systems through lighting.”
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Headquarters building uses smart lighting to boost efficiency
Arm Holdings, a developer of computer processors and microprocessors, has recently moved in to a new £90m 18,580m2 headquarters building in Cambridge. It is one of the most technologically advanced and extensive implementations of smart lighting in the world. The facility accommodates 2,500 of Arm’s innovators providing office, research and meeting spaces.
Prolojik delivered the detailed design and all active equipment for what is one of the world’s largest power over Ethernet (PoE) lighting installations utilising the company’s Lightmatrix system. Over a dozen suppliers integrated Prolojik’s LX-LED drivers into everything from downlighters, through office lights to linear fittings, providing both constant current and constant voltage drivers in wattages up to 60W over PoE. Around 6,000 light sources are independently controlled over PoE in the building. Integration with sensors, switches and scene panels, enables optimised occupation, illuminance and scene control.
All lighting is wired back to the IDF rooms using CAT6 cable using a data basket, with the cabling quantity defined by wattage allowing daisychaining of luminaires. Prolojik provided 42U services racks containing its 48-port LX848 PoE lighting switches. Each switch provides up to 3kW of lighting power at 56V fed from integral auto-changeover hot-swappable power supplies.
In total, Arm ABCD contains 70 LX848 switches internetworked between eight IDF rooms using CAT6 and Fibre networks using our LX800E
fibre gateways.
Arm ABCD deploys over 1,000 of Prolojik’s Proxima Bluetooth LBS (Location-Based Services) multi-sensor, networked through 30 Bluetooth hubs. The sensor network supports lighting management with occupancy and illuminance data and enables detailed space usage insight.
The Proxima sensors have been engineered to allow accurate trilateration of people and assets within the building, achieving 1m radius accuracy within 30 seconds. The sensors additionally support Google Eddystone and Apple iBeacon protocols allowing indoor way points and targeted messaging.
Prolojik’s PN350 AV gateways are installed in 120 locations to provide integration between the audio/video system and the lighting control.
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Polar research vessel feels the benefits of energy-efficient LED lighting
LED lighting specialist Glamox has supplied energy efficient LED lighting to the polar research vessel, RRS Sir David Attenborough.
Commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council and built by Cammell Laird, the RRS Sir David Attenborough is operated by BAS, an organisation that delivers and enables world-leading interdisciplinary research in the Polar Regions. According to BAS, RRS Sir David Attenborough is designed to provide UK polar researchers and their international collaborators with access to a multidisciplinary research platform to enable the study of a wide range of marine disciplines.
Glamox has supplied more than 2,200 state
The LED products chosen for the vessel have a ‘green’ profile. They consume less than half the energy of conventional lighting and produce less waste, as there are no fluorescent tubes that need replacing. Also, the need for maintenance of the lighting is virtually eliminated.
According to the vessel’s operator, British Antarctic Survey (BAS), RRS Sir David Attenborough is one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world and will play an important role in improving our knowledge of the key polar atmospheric and oceanic processes.
