Lighting

Introduction

Lighting in the hospitality industry must be carefully chosen as it forms an integral part of the décor and comfort experience offered to guests. It must also be functional and strategically placed. The key to more efficient lighting is using natural light where possible, switching off lights when not in use, replacing existing lighting with energy efficient lighting and using low voltage lighting where appropriate. Used in combination with other energy saving initiatives, new technology lighting will cut your energy bill dramatically and in many a cases, improve your hotel lighting performance. The incandescent traditional light bulb uses approximately four times the amount of electricity compared to the new technology Compact Fluorescents or LED bulbs. They also emit more carbon emissions and have a shorter lifespan.

It still makes sense to change to the new technology albeit more expensive per unit in most cases at this point in time. Workers tend to be more productive d guest feel more comfortable in a well-lit space that fosters better visual comfort. Economically lit hotels tend have a higher productivity performance, less absenteeism and sick leave amongst staff plus increased safety performance. Ultimately by optimising your lighting needs in terms of on-off controls, dimming controls and using combined technologies, your overall hotel operational costs will be reduced.

For your convenience a comparison table has been drawn up comparing the three different light technologies available.


Compact Fluorescent Lights

Eskom IDM, has announced that due to NERSA’s Multi-year Price Determination Application, the Lighting Rebate Program has been discontinued. NERSA is National Energy Regulator of South Africa. Eskom, who negotiated with Nersa, announced the expiry of the Lighting Rebate Program in October 2013. All current projects are to be completed in the interim.

Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL’s) have replaced the incandescent light bulb because CFLs give off the same amount of light, but use just 20% of the amount of electricity. That means you can light up your hotel using one fifth of the electricity consumed by incandescent bulbs. It is advisable to use high voltage CFL only in high use areas of your hotel i.e. areas of high pedestrian traffic, work areas (kitchens) and guest bathrooms, and low voltage bulbs in other areas to further reduce electricity consumption.

CFL technology is transitional and provides the user with a cheaper option of energy saving lighting when compared to LED lighting. Like Incandescent Technology, Compact Flourescent technology will become obsolete.

It must be noted that CFLs are a temporary solution to energy-efficient lighting. Advancements in manufacturing technology of LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes) have driven the prices down to a level where LED bulbs are becoming more cost-effective than CFLs or incandescent bulbs with added benefits.

What you need to know:

  • CFL’S Offer up to 80% saving on your hotels energy use for lighting
  • CFL’s cost more than incandescent light bulbs but last up to 10 times longer depending on quality
  • CFL’s will fit your existing hotel lighting sockets
  • CFL’s are replaced less often than incandescent bulbs
  • Installing timers, down lighting and dimmers further reduces electricity consumption
  • Payback period of between 8 and 12 months
  • Contains tiny amounts (less than 5mg) of mercury vapour, this amount is 100 times less than the amount of mercury in a watch battery. CFL’s pose no health risk if fitted and used properly and disposed of properly
  • Rebates?  Yes, Eskom considers rebates on fluorescent tube lighting kits (retrofit kits with integrated ballast replacing external ballast transformer) that comply with safety requirements. They must also be properly labelled with detailed product information clearly and permanently printed on the outside. Lastly, they must be installed by an approved electrician
  • The approved Eskom electrician, who does the installation, assumes other legal responsibilities from the original equipment manufacturer and has an obligation to ensure compliance with relevant statutory safety, performance and energy requirements. It is thus very important to use an approved installer to ensure proper recourse

Fluorescent Lighting – Tubes

It is recommended that fluorescent tube lighting be used in the high productivity areas of the hotel environment because they use roughly a quarter of the power that incandescent bulbs require to produce the same amount of light. These fluorescent lamps have significant potential to reduce energy usage in all types of buildings offering accommodation and hospitality services. They also emit less heat. Fluorescent tubes are typically installed in areas of high use like kitchens, bathrooms, basements and passageways. When assessing suitability of a lighting product or installation, the establishment owner/manager must make a qualified assessment and if necessary, take appropriate advice.

What you need to know:

  • Florescent lighting tubes offers a 50% saving
  • A variety of fluorescent tubes are available and care should be taken that the most appropriate fluorescent tubes are installed for the given application
  • T5s fluorescent tubes are the most efficient however, they are significantly more expensive than T8s
  • LED Tubes are now also available on the market
  • Rebates?  Yes, Eskom considers rebates on fluorescent tube lighting kits (retrofit kits with integrated ballast replacing external ballast transformer ) that comply with safety requirements. They must also be properly labelled with detailed product information clearly and permanently printed on the outside. Lastly, they must be installed by an approved electrician
  • The approved Eskom electrician, who does the installation, assumes other legal responsibilities from the original equipment manufacturer and has an obligation to ensure compliance with relevant statutory safety, performance and energy requirements. It is thus very important to use an approved installer to ensure proper recourse.
  • With the right lighting cover, fluorescent tube lighting can be aesthetically pleasing and safe
  • Like the CFL bulbs, tubes contain a tiny amount of mercury but pose no health risk if fitted and used properly
  • Make sure that the luminaire(tube) bears the SANS 60598-2-1 safety mark for extra surety
  • Remember to dispose properly
  • Led tubes are set to replace fluorescent tubes going forward but remain significantly more expensive than fluorescent tubes for now.

LED Lighting

LED light bulbs are slowly replacing CFL’s (Compact Fluorescent Lights) which are an intermediate solution to energy-efficient lighting. The reason LEDs have not yet displaced CFLs from the market are twofold: the first generation LED bulbs had a narrow and focused light beam, and the cost of the LED bulbs was too high. Recent developments in LED technology, however, have been addressing these issues. LEDs have been ‘clustered’ to provide more light, and mounted within diffuser lenses which spread the light across a wider area. Recent advancements in manufacturing technology have driven the prices down to a level where LED bulbs are more cost-effective than CFLs or incandescent bulbs.

LED’s generally offer lower energy consumption, longer life and increased robustness when compared to fluorescent lighting. Apart from general hotel lighting use, their high concentration of light make them well suited for niche applications like lighting of high productivity work areas or security lighting.

LED’s are now also available in tube form. They essentially replace T5, T8 and T12 fluorescent tubes and fit directly into most fluorescent fixtures. LED tubes provide light outputs comparable to or better than fluorescent and deliver the immediate benefits of high quality white-LED lighting. Other benefits include longer life, high efficiency, no mercury, no flickering, and no buzzing and instant start.

For your convenience a comparison table has been drawn up comparing the three different light technologies available.

What you need to know:

  • LED’s bulbs and tubes offer a much longer life over incandescent and fluorescent tubes
  • LED bulbs are very small allowing for discrete, high resolution and low maintenance lighting within the hotel
  • LED’s offer a more direct and brighter light source than comparable fluorescent lighting
  • LED’s are considerably more expensive than comparable fluorescent lighting but they last more than four times longer (fluorescent  – 8000 Hours vs. LED – 50000 hours)
  • Fluorescent lighting tends to burn out at the end of its life while LEDS gradually loose performance at the end of their life
  • LEDS use considerably less electricity than fluorescent lighting and can provide up to 75% savings over fluorescent lighting.   
  • Performance can be slightly affected by changes in room temperature
  • LED’s emit less heat during operation
  • LED’s are mercury free
  • If an LED tube is constructed from extruded aluminium or equivalent material, it provides a vandal proof,   unbreakable alternative
  • Installing timers, down lighting and dimmers further reduces electricity consumption
  • Because LED’s require low power requirements, it makes sense to use LED lighting with solar power in the hotel environment instead of tapping from your main electricity supply.

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