In view of the rising demand for energy and imminent climate change, Philips called for action between the European lighting industry and governments to discuss the acceleration of a switch-over from traditional incandescent bulbs to energy saving bulbs. Philips announced the call for action at an energy efficiency forum in Brussels on 7 December. Last week the European lighting industry announced it would rally behind the initiative. Philips will roll-out the call for action to other regions in the world.
“Light consumes about 19% of electricity, and the majority of light bulbs are based on old, energy inefficient technology,” says Theo van Deursen, CEO of Philips Lighting. “The issues are big and the momentum is now to lead in accelerating the switch from old, inefficient lighting to energy saving lighting solutions. Massive savings can be made in costs, energy consumption and CO2 emissions. An acceleration of the switch is needed and we very much welcome the positive results from the discussions at the European Council meeting.”
Home Lighting Europe
The traditional, incandescent light bulbs are very energy inefficient because 95% of the energy consumed is wasted as heat. In Europe, approximately 2.1 billion energy inefficient incandescent lamps are being sold each year, with an installed base of about 3.6 billion. As approximately 75% of all lighting in the home is still using incandescent light bulbs, the collective energy waste is enormous. By switching to new technology, a saving of 50% can be achieved, meaning a reduction of 20 million tons of CO2 by simply switching to new energy efficient lighting solution. For the consumers at home, switching from incandescent bulbs to energy saving light bulb could achieve savings of up to EUR 12 per light bulb per year. New innovations will provide the consumer a choice of alternatives, like the Edore energy efficient retro-fit halogen lamp, which will be introduced mid this year.
Office Lighting Europe
Research revealed that more than 75% of Europe’s office lighting is based on outdated energy inefficient lighting systems. More than EUR 2-4 billion per year could be saved by switching to new solutions, which equates to 8 - 16 million tons of CO2, 29 - 58 million barrels of oil per year and the annual output of 10 - 20 power stations @ 2TWh/yr. These new lighting solutions provide additional benefits in terms of size, weight, and light quality.
Street Lighting Europe
Approximately one third of Europe’s roads are lit using energy inefficient technologies, dating from the 1960s. Current change-over rates are running at 3% a year, which means that it will take more than 30 years before the switch over to energy efficient solutions is achieved. Europe could save EUR 1 - 2 billion in running costs per year by switching to the energy efficient solutions available today. This equates to 4 - 8 million tons of CO2, 14 - 28 million barrels of oil per year and the annual output of 5 - 10 power stations (@ 2TWh/yr).
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