GREEN LIGHTING- What makes lighting green? Lighting alone accounts for 10-15% of domestic and 25-30% of commercial power use. Strategies that reduce CO2 energy from lighting are green.
Embodied Energy
- Manufacturing & Transportation
- Glass kiln &/or light fixture manufacturing facility to be powered by renewable energy such as solar, wind, veggie oil or biodiesel generator
- Transportation distance is close between manufacturing & building site installation location
- Transportation from manf to distribution or building site is with alternative fuel vehicle
- New Materials from post consumer waste:
- Recycled glass
- Recycled metal
Lamp
- Fluorescent- The compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL) is currently an important weapon in the battle to reduce energy use. A total switch-over to CFLs would cut worldwide electricity demand by 18%. The bulbs are typically guaranteed for 8,000 hours and use a quarter of the power of incandescents.
- LED- A new LED light bulb, http://lsgc.com/products/lamps/r38, is coming out that will radically reduce power by 70%. This is the future, & claims a 50,000 lamp life.
Daylighting
- uses glazed windows , skylights, sun tubes, & doors to provide illumination so that powered lights are not necessary when the sun is up.
Controls on light fixture so it uses less power
- Motion detector -only turns on fixture when occupant is around
- Timer with delay- light goes off in a few minutes after occupant enters or exits
- Light sensor-
- exterior lights only go on after dark & turn off after sunrise
- Interior lights calibrated for particular lumen/foot candle power, using natural daylight as primary, with automatic dimming light sensors that only turn on to provide any additional required illumination for preprogrammed work task areas or egress corridors
- Pre calibrate or plan all areas in building to have pre determined lighting levels achieved thru specific types of light fixtures: bright for specific work task areas, non glare around monitors, gentle minimal lighting for egress & circulation
Switching
- Divide available lighting in a given room between 2 or more switches (so not all has to go on at once)
- Dimmers- allow less light power when max isn’t required
Power Type
- Light fixtures wired Dc (direct current) in off the grid buildings, since inverters can create a 205 power inefficiency
- Solar- exterior lights can have mini PV (photovoltaic silicon chips) on top of them so no conduit needs to go on the fixtures
- Solar- can also be used indoors under glass ceilings, ridge skylights, & inside conservatory solarium green houses