Bridge’. “Step 1 must begin with the design process. By following the guidelines recommended by the world’s best engineering and technical brains, the GCC can dramatically reduce the amount of energy needed to create the perfect lit environment.”
“By eliminating over-design and harnessing the abundance of natural light that is available to us in the region, the architectural and engineering community can have a massive impact in ensur- ing that the initial lighting design is correct, and still provide the
end-user with a stimulating and visually attractive environment. Designing to meet both the na- tional and local requirements, and by combining this with best light- ing practice, will provide benefi ts in reducing the carbon output by up to 10%,” says Turner.
Step 2 recognises the instinc- tive capability of people to hit a switch when light is needed … but then to forget to switch off again. “By ensuring that every building has a lighting control strategy, we can ensure that lights are switched on and off
Ruud Lighting Arabia, a provider of industry-leading LED luminaires, is showcasing its energy-saving BetaLED products, recognised for advanced engineering, innovative design and excellence in manufacturing. These outdoor LED luminaires can reduce energy use by up to 60%.
BetaLED’s total systems approach is a comprehensive engineering method that integrates best-in-class LEDs, driver technology, optics and style into each product. BetaLED’s patented NanoOptic product technology delivers up to 96% optical effi ciency. A direct-contact refractor sealed to the LED chip package provides a level of optical control that is not possible to achieve with optical systems developed for traditional light source technology. The result is uniform illumination placed precisely where it needs to go.
The NanoOptic refractor system offers superior light control with more lumens delivered in the target area, improved uniformity ratios, controlled high-angle brightness and over 20 optical distribution patterns to choose from. BetaLED luminaires are a controls-ready lighting solution designed for compatibility with protocols for wireless and power-line carrier technologies.
It offers optional integrated photocell and occupancy sensors that can further reduce energy use through ambient light and motion detection. The luminaires have the capability to be dimmed to one- third total power, while maintaining 50% lumen output. Compared to traditional HID lamps like metal halide, the system can reduce a facility’s annual energy and maintenance budget up to 80%.
BetaLED is committed to developing and manufacturing quality LED luminaires that meet industry lighting standards and guidelines set forth by organisations and agencies such as the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
B
ETALED FROM RUUD LIGHTING
February 2011 | MEP Middle East 37
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LIGHTING
automatically as required. This can be a very simple step that al- lows for a detector in every room that switches lights off when the ambient daylight is suffi cient, or when the room has been vacated.
As much as 12% of an installation’s carbon output can be reduced by simply installing such controls,” says Turner.
Step 3 refers to emergency lighting. All projects require the installation of emergency lighting in order to facilitate safe escape from the space in the event of a fi re or power failure. Installa-
tions tend to either use an option of standalone bulk-
head fi ttings with integral batteries, or a maintained emergency conversion
option to the standard
equipment with integral batter- ies. In the latter case, this could amount to converting up to 25% of the standard luminaires.
Step 4 refers to the importance of ongoing R&D. “Major lamp companies have invested millions in ensuring a continuous drive to increase the amount of lumens that come out of a lamp, while re- ducing the amount of Watts of en- ergy that goes into the lamp. This measure of effi ciency, LM/W, is a basic way of understanding how to compare lamps. Thankfully we have available to us today, and in fact have for many years, lamps that are very long-lasting, give a fantastic amount of light and use very little energy.
“Beware the simple compari- son that some LED-biased com- panies make with regard to stan- dard lamps and tubes. Nowadays modern standard lamp technol- ogy means long life, high lumen output and low energy usage. Due to the scale of the previous investments, the lamp companies will continue to drive the technol- ogy forward. New ‘eco’ lamps are available, and by utilising these sources, we can achieve a further 10% reduction in total carbon out- put,” says Turner.
Step 5 focuses on the LED itself. “The good news is that we are now entering an era of
‘affordable’ LED lighting. As a replacement for low voltage halo- gen and lower wattage metal ha- lide lamps, payback periods are now within two years. As LED prices fall dramatically, and is- sues such as colour temperature and consistency are addressed, they will become a viable lighting solution for more areas in a build- ing,” concludes Turner.
Switch Made Middle East CEO Thierry Burot says the light- ing market in the Middle East is complicated by the different awareness levels of contractors, consultants and end users. “The construction market is still very price-sensitive. The problem is that contractors are not the end users, and thus specify the cheap- est solutions. We often fi nd that the end users are more aware of technology and other issues than the contractors themselves.”
This means that Switch Made Middle East approaches every project on an individual basis. “The potential cost and energy savings through lighting are huge. However, it is important to remember that every project often requires a different solu- tion, and the practicalities of the space involved,” says Burot. For example, while refurbishment is a major focus, the LED products here are limited at the moment as the technology advances.
Another problem with the general adoption of LED in the lighting market is the generally conservative nature of the con- struction industry. “Many com- panies do not want to be the fi rst adopters of new technology in case it does not work out.
“This is combined with a gen- eral reluctance to opt for the lat- est technology. We overcome such problems by raising aware- ness and discussing all these is- sues with the entire construction chain, from contractor to interior designer,” says Burot.
“Many of the projects under construction today were speci- fi ed up to two years ago. At the moment there is a shortage of new projects going out to tender, which has created a lull.”
The drawback to switching to LED remains the initial cost.
Thierry Burot from Switch Made.
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