About half of the electricity costs of an office are allotted to lighting. Lighting is needed everywhere, but in different intensities. Work areas must have a light intensity of at least 100 lux within the entire range (measured 85 cm above the floor). Rarely used areas can have less light intensity.

Power requirement

The efficiency of the classical light bulb is only 5%. Only one twentieth of the purchased current produces light. By contrast, fluorescent lights convert approximately 25% of the current into light.

User behavior

Light is a valuable commodity whose use incurs related costs. Customers prefer bright, well illuminated areas.

Improvement measures

Operating costs rather than installation costs are decisive for the choice of the lighting. Clever planning of the interior equipment of areas guarantees sufficient lighting with less power. Well planned use of lighting affords a substantial savings potential (see Usage/user behavior).

• Paint ceilings in light colors, use bright designs
• Reflectors on all lamps and light sources
• Use of fluorescent tubes in stead of incandescent lamps
• Automatically switch on and off lighting as necessary (motion detectors)
• Arrange display areas with automatic light switches and spots
• Use daylight in stead of artificial lighting
• Check the need of lighting everywhere in the enterprise
• Install switches to meet the requirements, not at inaccessible places
• Use indicator lights for remote lighting (storage, basement)

Long-term measures and investments

• Better use of daylight, redesign for the use of daylight
• Switch to fluorescent tubes with electronic ballasts
• Installation buses for central energy management provide high flexibility in the use of rooms since the light can be switched off anywhere via the bus 
• Utilization of information provided via the installation buses

Future prospects

Replacement of the fluorescent tubes by light emitting diodes (even more economical, very small, very bright, nearly no waste heat)

Source: Austrian Chamber of Commerce