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Conserving Electricity for Lighting in Thai Commercial Buildings: A Review of Current Status, Potential, and Policies John F. Busch Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, USA Peter du Pont International Institute for Energy Conservation, Thailand Surapong Chirarattananon Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand Abstract In this paper we explore the opportunities to reduce the electricity required for lighting in prototypical Thai offices, hotels, and shopping centers. Lighting accounts for about one third of electricity use in Thailand's commercial sector in which rapid economic growth is pushing electricity demand upwards at a rate of 15% per year. Using a whole-building energy analysis approach, we calculate the savings from lighting conservation measures directly, and from associated reduction in cooling load. In circumstances like those of Thailand, the ancillary cost savings of air-conditioning energy and capacity are a significant 30%-50% of the total. The lighting technologies considered in this study include electronic ballasts, tri-phosphor, narrow-diameter lamps; specular reflectors; occupancy sensors; lumen maintenance and daylighting controls; and compact fluorescent lamps. We assessed the merit of investment in these efficient lighting technologies from a societal economic perspective. the cost of conserved energy of employing all applicable lighting conservation measures to these buildings in one quarter or less than the average retail price of electricity for commercial customers. The payback time for full lighting conservation measures ranges from less than one year in hotels and retail buildings to around three years in offices. Finally, the internal rate of return of installing all the lighting measures in offices is 35%, for hotels it is 142%, and in shopping centers it is 107%. Several policy initiatives currently underway in Thailand should help to spur the adoption of more efficient lighting products. These include a proposed energy standard for commercial buildings with specific provisions for lighting, and plans by the nation's electric utility to develop two conservation programs targeting the commercial sector, with lighting a key element of those programs. As a further inducement, we strongly recommend that the currently high tariffs and taxis (50% and greater) for imported efficient lighting products be reduced. Back to Right Light Proceedings startpage Top of page