Low Energy Lighting & Controls

Lighting loads can contribute to a significant percentage of a buildings energy cost and are often an area where savings can easily be achieved.

Many commercial and industrial installations will have large amounts of inefficient lighting such as switch start fluorescent fittings or tungsten filament lamps. Alternative solutions for both new build and retrofitting have been available for many years.

High Frequency Luminaires

Fluorescent fittings with efficient electronic ballasts come in many different forms to suit the majority of applications. The price of such fittings has been driven down over recent years making the initial outlay more popular at design stage.

Swapping out from old switch start fittings to modern high frequency luminaires can typically half the electrical consumption whist improving the quality of the light output.

LED Lamps and Fittings

LED technology offers an interesting alternative to other forms of lighting. LED lamp life is typically between 20,000 and 50,000 hours against traditional models averaging between 1,000 and 4,000 hours. As a retrofit lamp replacement, LED technology can boast impressive payback periods due to massively reduced running costs.

Whist LED fittings can be expensive, reduced running costs and associated maintenance may balance the return on investment period.

Presence detection

Many modern commercial installations are fitted with presence detectors in common areas such as toilets, rest rooms and corridors to mitigate the age old problem of people leaving lights on. This concept has grown and over recent years has been adopted into individual luminaires to give local control and energy savings throughout a wider portion of a building.

Retrofit units are readily available as ceiling mounted devices or as an alternative to a switch, as shown in the images above. Wireless detectors in conjunction with replacement switch modules are now also available offering a relatively inexpensive solution to this common problem. Some more advanced detectors come with integrated daylight sensing technology and are capable of dimming the controlled light fittings depending on the contributing levels of natural light at any point in time. This can also represent significant energy savings.

At Vector Ltd, we can offer professional engineering solutions to synergise with your specific requirements.