8 Reasons to Invest in a Lighting Upgrade
Lighting is ubiquitous throughout a building, it is something many of us don’t even think about, but it has a major impact visually, e.g., to help mitigate against trips and falls but also for our general wellbeing, mood and productivity levels. It tends to be only when somewhere has really bad lighting that we notice it because it is largely taken for granted in most buildings.
However, there are some areas that should be considered.
Upgrading traditional lighting technology – e.g., fluorescent/ incandescent lighting. Many of these older lighting types have become obsolete, and building owners are having to invest in LED lighting replacement for the first time. This will, of course, result in cost savings from an energy consumption point of view, but it is also increasingly forming part of ‘green policies’ as building owners start to understand they have a part to play in reducing emissions from the built space. It will also dramatically improve the quality of light for occupants, leading to benefits such as improved productivity.
LED Upgrade – Many larger buildings will have already made the transition to LED several years ago. The first viable LED technology was developed in the 1960s; however, it was approx. 2006-2008 before LEDs became popularised in buildings such as schools, offices and hospitals. Therefore, many of these buildings will now have LEDs installed that are over 15 years old, these LEDs are ageing and will likely be out of warranty, and parts will be starting to fail.
The efficacy LEDs can achieve today is far greater than 15 or even 5 years ago. Hence, upgrading LEDs can lead to further energy savings and improve environmental performance across buildings. Quality of light will have also increased in that time; hence it is an extension of workplace wellbeing, equivalent to ergonomic chairs or appropriately positioned PC screens. There has been a focus on creating a healthier and safer internal building environment since the COVID-19 outbreak. Companies are now introducing healthy circadian lighting, flexible working hours, and innovative technology to improve tasks, automate cleaning schedules and increase contactless operations in a bid to entice employees back to offices and also show how valued their employees are by prioritising their wellbeing.
Lighting Control Upgrade – Once again, many larger buildings will likely already have lighting control systems installed, but if they were installed at the same time LEDs were originally fitted, the system will likely be outdated and disconnected. Lighting control was historically separate from other building systems. Therefore, data can be difficult to access. Today, we face a global warming crisis and a large proportion of emissions come from the built space; hence ESG scores are becoming more prevalent, and legislation is forcing building owners to take action and make responsible decisions to ultimately reach net zero.
Modern lighting control systems are open and interoperable, allowing lighting data to be passed to other systems and create a unified network. Therefore, insight is dramatically improved, and energy savings can be realised across the whole building for the first time. Newer features such as daylight saving can be implemented to save further energy (artificial light dims down or turns off in certain areas if there is sufficient natural light). Also, true circadian lighting can be activated to support occupants, providing them with a healthy environment that will improve their wellbeing and boost productivity rates. Learn more here.
However, there are, of course, a number of smaller commercial buildings that have never had a lighting control system installed at all. In fact, many will still be relying on occupants switching off the lights at the end of the day (many of whom do not). Hence, major energy and cost savings can be realised by installing modern lighting control systems in these buildings. In fact, upgrading lighting control systems can deliver energy savings of up to 30-50%, according to Facilities Net.
See a full list of the benefits achieved by upgrading lighting below:
Centralised control – Lighting systems can be integrated with building platforms (BMS), allowing full building control to be conducted through one platform as opposed to several disparate ones. Some building platforms that offer lighting control as standard only offer very basic features; integrating an expert lighting solution will provide advanced features, schedules, logic, automation and capabilities. This allows personalised light environments to be created to suit specific tasks and occupant needs whilst reviewing energy consumption and implementing measures to reduce wastage.
Energy savings – This tends to be the main driver for upgrading lighting systems. We know that transitioning from traditional lighting technologies to LED will deliver a huge energy saving, and payback will be realised very quickly. Adding lighting control as a layer on top of this allows for further energy savings to be realised, and new legislation is beginning to force this change.
Comply with legislation - Recent changes to Part L of the Building Regulations mean newer, more considered building specifications are finally starting to be deployed for lighting control. Learn more here.
In addition, it is now unlawful to rent out a building that has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of F or G unless there is a valid exemption in place. “The energy we use for heating and powering our non-domestic buildings is responsible for around 12% of the UK’s emissions” (Gov 2017). And the Government estimates that around 60% of today’s non-domestic buildings will still exist in 2050, representing around 40-45% of the total floor space” (Gov 2017). “18% of commercial properties hold the lowest EPC ratings of F or G” (Burges Salmon 2017).
Moreover, a report published by the CIBSE Journal stated that “globally, lighting contributes around 20% to office energy use” (CIBSE 2010). Hence, lighting control is one of many aspects of buildings that need to be reviewed to improve environmental performance.
Interoperability - Having true interoperability and bridging the gap between lighting and other building systems leads to the highest cost and energy savings. True insights can be gained, and automated actions can even be set up to ensure the building operates more efficiently.
Utilising lighting data – Multi-head sensors installed in lights can gather a plethora of data which can be communicated with other building systems to create the most optimised environment. Since lighting is everywhere in a building, it makes sense to use this network. Movement sensors and other digital tracking products allow companies to adapt spaces to meet the needs of employees. Integrated systems continuously record data relating to energy usage and occupant patterns leading to optimised, automated environments that connect the two essential themes – sustainability and wellbeing.
Productivity - Recent studies have shown that office workers' productivity has increased by up to 20% following the introduction of circadian lighting. It has also been linked to a reduction in sick days as employees generally feel healthier and happier. Another study conducted by Cohere found that workers in offices without windows took 6.5% more sick leave each year. This is the same issue that circadian lighting aims to resolve, providing (as closely as possible) the same benefits as natural light.
Predictive maintenance – Smart, digitally connected lighting components can provide data feedback about performance, maintenance schedules, energy peaks, battery level and other essential features, allowing issues to be mitigated ahead of a problem occurring. Combining this with smart emergency lighting is particularly beneficial, improving occupant safety whilst saving costs and improving efficiency.
Improved quality of light – Newer LED technology will provide a higher quality of light; this, combined with sophisticated light scenes, circadian lighting, and task-based lighting, will ensure the right kind of light is provided for any task/event. In addition, this can be achieved without complex programming, and many actions can be automated, or user-friendly controls can empower occupants to select the light scene they desire through a smart switch or web-based dashboard.
At amBX, we are specialists in lighting control. Our software platform SmartCore is an open, interoperable platform that unifies control, connectivity and real-time data insight. We believe in simplicity; our lighting control software is up to 75% quicker to install when compared with traditional systems, and our forward-thinking outlook ensures that buildings are future-proofed and have peace of mind that integration will always be achievable even as new technologies and protocols emerge.
SmartCore can scale to any sized project and be customized to meet the end user’s requirements. With the ability to connect older proprietary systems, IoT devices and newer systems, amBX truly enables smart buildings. We work with our network of partners to deliver advanced benefits to building projects all over the world. Contact us to learn more.