Energy Audit Savings
Lamps and Fixtures, Incandescent
Definitions
Incandescent – An electric light in which a filament is heated to incandescence by an electric current.
HID lighting
High-intensity discharge (HID) lamp — A lamp that produces light by passing electricity through gas, which causes the gas to glow. Examples of HID lamps are mercury vapor lamps, metal halide lamps, and high-pressure sodium lamps. HID lamps have extremely long life and emit far more lumens per fixture than do fluorescent lights.
Fluorescent lighting other than compact fluorescent bulbs — In fluorescent lamps, energy is converted to light by using an electric charge to “excite” gaseous atoms within a fluorescent tube. Common types are “cool white,” “warm white,” etc. Special energy efficient fluorescent lights have been developed that produce the same amount of light while consuming less energy.
Compact fluorescent bulbs: These are also known as “screw-in fluorescent replacements for incandescent” or “screw-ins.” Compact fluorescent bulbs combine the efficiency of fluorescent lighting with the convenience of a standard incandescent bulb. There are many styles of compact fluorescent, including exit light fixtures and floodlights (lamps containing reflectors). Many screw into a standard light socket, and most produce a similar color of light as a standard incandescent bulb. Compact fluorescent bulbs come with ballasts that are electronic (lightweight, instant, no-flicker starting, and 10 to 15% more efficient) or magnetic (much heavier and slower starting). Other types of compact fluorescent bulbs include adaptive circulation and PL and SL lamps and ballasts. Compact fluorescent bulbs are designed for residential uses; they are also used in table lamps, wall sconces, and hall and ceiling fixtures of hotels, motels, hospitals, and other types of commercial buildings with residential-type applications.
The “energy crisis” of the previous decades has appeared to sound the death knell for incandescent lighting. All the above type of lights defined are being used to create energy savings by the following methods:
• Eliminate excessive lighting by reducing the total lamp wattage in each activity area.
• Substitute higher-efficiency lamps in existing fixtures;
• Substitute screw-in fluorescent lamps for incandescent lamps.
• Substitute tungsten halogen lamps for conventional incandescent lamps.
• Substitute lamps that minimize light trapping and/or improve light distribution.
• Modify existing fixtures to reduce light trapping and /or improve light distribution.
• In fixtures having shades that absorb light, modify or eliminate the shades.
• Install reflective inserts in fixtures that have absorptive internal baffles or surfaces.
• For task lighting, install focussing lamps on flexible extensions.
• Replace incandescent fixtures with fluorescent or HID fixtures.
• Modify or replace incandescent exit signs with fluorescent or LED light sources.
• Install dimmers.
First, Survey the fixtures and determine the required wattage for each area. Different area, depending on the work or activity, will have different illumination requirements. Use light meter to measure existing lighting levels and then mark up a lighting chart to plot the required wattage and type of lamp.
Label all fixtures with Wattage Required and Type of Lamp installed, this prevents backsliding by maintenance people who would most likely install same wattage for entire area. To obtain “energy saving” a more efficient bulb must be substituted with more efficient model.
Economics of Energy Audit Savings as Applied to Lamps
SAVINGS POTENTIAL: 20 to 40 percent of the energy used by incandescent fixtures, typically.
COST: Minimal, if changes are made as lamps burn out.
PAY BACK PERIOD: Less than one year.
TRAPS AND TRICKS
SURVEY: It is tedious to figure out the optimum wattage for each fixture and to label it accordingly. But, if you skip this preparation, you will miss energy savings, and the savings that you do achieve will disappear with a few lamp replacements.
EXPLAIN IT: Explain the importance of lamp selection to the staff. Make a list of lamp types and wattages to be used in each location or type of fixture. Post the list in the lamp storage room.
REPEAT AS NECESSARY: Repeat this measure any time light fixtures or lighting requirements change. Make this a long term repetitive item in your maintenance calendar.
