Installation of energy-efficient lighting in shopping centers

Poland's National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency assumes that by 2016 the country will reduce energy consumption by 16 percent to 53,452 GWh, a savings of 8,552 GWh of electricity. It has been estimated that as a result of the modernization of existing lighting, it is possible to obtain at least a 20 percent savings in electricity.

On September 26, 2008, a special committee of experts from EU member states adopted a regulation on minimum requirements to promote energy-efficient lighting products for the "tertiary sector," which includes office lighting, utilities and street lighting. Newly designed lighting projects should take into account these requirements for lighting equipment in the field of energy efficiency.

Shedding light on the subject

A shopping center is a complex which brings together into one building a number of areas with different functions: trade, service, communication and parking. This variety entails various individual lighting projects for a specific implementation, depending on the scale and display of goods, and the method of their presentation. Adequate lighting projects, taking into account the above considerations, can serve as an important way to strengthen the attractiveness of displayed merchandise, thereby increasing sales.

To guarantee a plan that will ensure adequate lighting, one should follow guidelines set down by the International Commission on Illumination, but this is not only the task of the designer. In an era of high costs associated with the consumption of electricity, a major component of a development project is a the minimization of electricity consumption.

It is known that more than 30 percent of total energy usage by supermarkets in shopping centers is due to their lighting equipment. At the same time, it must be remembered that to produce suitably attractive lighting, business often means a significant deviation from recommended norms. The effort to limit power usage should not be pursued at the expense of the quality of available lighting.

Relevant technology - cost reduction

The concept of efficient lighting in a shopping center should be based on relevant, technologically advanced lighting equipment. An important element of the project is a concern for lighting using energy-efficient light sources, especially in the field of general lighting, throughout the different areas of shopping centers.

The use of modern linear fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps and metal halogen sources from recognized manufacturers such as Osram and Philips, allows for significant cost reductions in electricity. Because of the high durability of these light sources, it also allows for the better maintenance of the equipment.

But the efficiency of light sources should not be the only criteria for its selection. Attention should also be paid to an appropriately high color-rendering index, as well as the appropriate color temperature of the light source.

Inherent in working with modern light sources is their power system. The application of so-called electronic power supply systems is significantly affecting the growth culture of lighting, reducing the costs associated with the consumption of electricity and maintenance of light sources. In the case of linear fluorescent lamps, the use of electronic power supplies allows for the reduction of power consumption by 20-30 percent and extends the lamps' service life by 150 percent. In addition, electronic power supplies provide a stable source of light, which significantly affects the convenience of using the lighting system.

Construction solutions

Construction also has a substantial impact on energy efficiency. A carefully designed optical system for light sources, consisting of mirrors, screens and lenses, significantly increases the efficiency of the entire device. It also increases efficiency in the use of light emitted from a set of light sources. Please note, however, that this not only makes a light source more efficient, but can also help produce other positive effects, such as the reduction of glare.

Another major source of savings may be hi-tech lighting control systems that allow for the effective management of the installed lighting. Advanced control systems allow for the proper dosage of artificial light, depending upon the amount of natural light entering to the interior.

A significant element in shopping centers' budgets are the costs associated with the consumption of electricity for lightning. Hence, the justified demand for energy efficient lighting is an important factor in the process of designing shopping centers. Nevertheless, reducing the demand for electricity in this area must be done through the use of hi-tech lighting, rather than by reducing the ongoing quantitative and qualitative parameters of lighting.

Bogdan Skorupka is an expert for the Polish Committee on Illumination in the field of lighting design as well as for lighting producer ES-System