How to save energy and reduce CO2 emission in your household
Lighting is one of the biggest generators of CO2. In a household for instance, 16% of the total energy consumed is through lighting. The majority of existing lighting installations use inefficient equipment which produces unacceptable levels of CO2. With the threat of global warming and the increased availability of eco-friendly options, people have began thinking about switching their lighting to more energy efficient systems. But how much can people really do?
Last year Part L1 of the Building Regulations was amended stating that in any residential building, at least 25% of the lighting equipments (fittings, light bulbs and control gears) must be energy efficient. Practically, this means that if you are constructing or refurbishing your home, 25% of your light must be derived from energy efficient light sources such as fluorescents. Other sources that produces great amount of light with low consumption of energy (40 lumens per watt) are available such as cold cathode, metal halide and some LEDs, but they are less common in residential applications. When attempting to replace a lighting scheme with an energy efficient alternative, you should seek advice from a specialist who will be able to offer specific information with relation to your installation and the viability of certain sources of energy efficient light.
But what about those that are not refurbishing? What can they do to save energy? How can they live comfortably and emit less CO2? Complying to Part L1 is a starting point for those that are refurbishing, but for those that are not, some simple things can be done:
1- Where possible substitute incandescent bulbs with fluorescents. An 11w compact fluorescent (CFL) will give you as much light as a 60w incandescent, whilst only using a quarter of the energy. Although some compact fluorescents are dimmable, many use 'stepped dimming' which doesn't produce a smooth effect; therefore if your lights are connected to a dimmer circuit, a good alternative to fluorescents is to use halogen GLS bulbs. These lamps can be used on a dimming circuit and although they are not as efficient as CFL's, they can still save about 35% energy.
If a dichroic is being used it can be substituted with an 'IRC' version, which is also about 35% more efficient. This means that a 50w lamp can be substituted by a 35w IRC and the same amount and quality of light will be emitted. It should be noted that although halogen GLS and dichroic IRC are more efficient than traditional standard lamps, they are not considered 'energy efficient' by the Building Regulations.
2- Use dimmers. Dimmer switches give you flexibility of changing light levels according to your need; and the flexibility of 'changing scenes' by controlling the light levels. Dimming a light bulb saves energy and will increase the life of the lamp, thereby reducing your maintenance and running costs. For example, if only 50% of the capacity of the bulb is being used, you will save 40% energy and increase the lamp life by 20 times. When full power is needed, turning the dimmer to 90% will also cut down your electricity consumption. As the human eye cannot perceive a 10% variation in light level, using the light at 90% will help saving energy and increase lamp life by two times without you even noticing; (note that the majority of fluorescents are not dimmable from standard dimmer circuits and special requirements must be followed. Please consult a specialist before dimming these.)
3- Create layers of light by adding floor standing and table lamps to your room. The main lights of the room do not need to be on all the time and this will give you the possibility of 'changing scenes' by switching on different lights in different situations which will not only save energy but also create a sense of atmosphere.
4- Take advantage of daylight. Leave the curtains open. Do homework in the garden. Avoid switching on electric lights until necessary and enjoy the purity of natural light.
5- Switch off lights when a room is not in use.
Rafaela DeCosta.
Last year Part L1 of the Building Regulations was amended stating that in any residential building, at least 25% of the lighting equipments (fittings, light bulbs and control gears) must be energy efficient. Practically, this means that if you are constructing or refurbishing your home, 25% of your light must be derived from energy efficient light sources such as fluorescents. Other sources that produces great amount of light with low consumption of energy (40 lumens per watt) are available such as cold cathode, metal halide and some LEDs, but they are less common in residential applications. When attempting to replace a lighting scheme with an energy efficient alternative, you should seek advice from a specialist who will be able to offer specific information with relation to your installation and the viability of certain sources of energy efficient light.
But what about those that are not refurbishing? What can they do to save energy? How can they live comfortably and emit less CO2? Complying to Part L1 is a starting point for those that are refurbishing, but for those that are not, some simple things can be done:
1- Where possible substitute incandescent bulbs with fluorescents. An 11w compact fluorescent (CFL) will give you as much light as a 60w incandescent, whilst only using a quarter of the energy. Although some compact fluorescents are dimmable, many use 'stepped dimming' which doesn't produce a smooth effect; therefore if your lights are connected to a dimmer circuit, a good alternative to fluorescents is to use halogen GLS bulbs. These lamps can be used on a dimming circuit and although they are not as efficient as CFL's, they can still save about 35% energy.
If a dichroic is being used it can be substituted with an 'IRC' version, which is also about 35% more efficient. This means that a 50w lamp can be substituted by a 35w IRC and the same amount and quality of light will be emitted. It should be noted that although halogen GLS and dichroic IRC are more efficient than traditional standard lamps, they are not considered 'energy efficient' by the Building Regulations.
2- Use dimmers. Dimmer switches give you flexibility of changing light levels according to your need; and the flexibility of 'changing scenes' by controlling the light levels. Dimming a light bulb saves energy and will increase the life of the lamp, thereby reducing your maintenance and running costs. For example, if only 50% of the capacity of the bulb is being used, you will save 40% energy and increase the lamp life by 20 times. When full power is needed, turning the dimmer to 90% will also cut down your electricity consumption. As the human eye cannot perceive a 10% variation in light level, using the light at 90% will help saving energy and increase lamp life by two times without you even noticing; (note that the majority of fluorescents are not dimmable from standard dimmer circuits and special requirements must be followed. Please consult a specialist before dimming these.)
3- Create layers of light by adding floor standing and table lamps to your room. The main lights of the room do not need to be on all the time and this will give you the possibility of 'changing scenes' by switching on different lights in different situations which will not only save energy but also create a sense of atmosphere.
4- Take advantage of daylight. Leave the curtains open. Do homework in the garden. Avoid switching on electric lights until necessary and enjoy the purity of natural light.
5- Switch off lights when a room is not in use.
Rafaela DeCosta.
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