Green Lighting

Lighting controls and considerations

Not all of the upcoming green measures that are included in the Green Deal are going to involve a lot of building work, in fact some can be very cost effective and easy to install. Lighting and lighting controls are just that, cost effective and easy to install.

On the domestic side lighting costs can be slashed by up to 90% when you exchange incandescent bulbs for LED replacements.  LED lighting uses a faction of the electricity that old fashioned bulbs did and the colour and warmth of LED’s is improving year on year. LED lights can be used on dimmer switches and more are being manufactured to fit into existing lighting fixtures.

When looking at the commercial sector the savings can also be high even when compared to strip florescent lights, which are common in the retail sector, offices and factories.  Electricity bills for commercial properties can be a big consideration and the lighting proportion of the bill can be a large part of the energy use.

Lighting controls can include motion sensors that switch off lights when there is no one in the building as well as light sensitive sensors that can dim or switch lights depending on the ambient light available.  Commercial property owners should take special interest in lighting control as some of the more expensive electric generating photo voltaic panels will probably be unavailable under the Golden Rule for larger commercial properties.