Ledvance study says focus on use of lights

THE LIGHTING industry should focus on the use of a luminaire because that is the dominant phase in its environmental impact, says a study by Ledvance.

Much of the sector interest in recent years has been in the design, manufacture and management of a light fitting’s end of life.

But Ledvance says that 96 per cent of the total global warming potential is generated during the use phase, caused by the emissions from electricity generation needed to operate the luminaires.

But because LEDs have become so efficient and are beginning to hit physical limits, a paradigm gain can’t be made with efficacy.

Ledvance says its research shows that the biggest improvement potential in the dominating use phase is the intelligent control of the luminaires based on presence detection and daylight sensing.

A generalised 25 per cent reduction of the use phase’s global warming potential is possible with one of these energy saving functions and 45 per cent is possible with a combination of both.

These functionalities are usually realised with a modern light management system.

Luminaires with circular design – allowing the replacement of driver and light source – extends the lifetime of the luminaire.

With the global warming aspect in focus, the biggest benefit of circular design is the possibility to upgrade the luminaire with more efficient light sources and sensor-assisted light management functions during its life.

The company predicts that the ongoing major transition from T5 and T8 fluorescent tubes to LED-based products due to the forthcoming ban will have a sizeable effect to limit global warming.

The Ledvance researchers used detailed lifecycle assessments to systematically assess the environmental impact of various products.

They used the PEP Ecopassport methodology to identify the biggest contributing phases to the global warming potential.

• Download the report HERE