Energy Efficient Lighting

"Modern technology allows the design and operating of lighting installations which meet all the requirements of the space and its occupants in an energy efficient matter" (A Slater (17)). In practice however things are different. Designing a lighting installation to feature energy efficiency and operating it as such without adverse effects to user comfort and full adaptation to the eye task, or might we say quality, is not an easy thing to achieve.

To principal prerequisites for energy efficiency in lighting can be distinguished :

1. Energy efficient Components and Systems;

1. Design aimed at energy efficient operation and maintenance.

However even when these two prerequisites are fully met, financial reasons can still hamper implementation of energy efficient installations. The higher initial costs of today's energy efficient lighting installations compared to conventional installations are mainly responsible for energy efficiency projects bounced. A Slater (17) stresses the importance of considering the total life cycle cost of an installation. Presenting a good financial case to the people with decisive power is usually the only way to smoothen rough roads.

Education, information, regulation, and additional incentives above energy saving are of course just as important in order to arrive at broad scale implementation of energy efficient lighting.