licht.wissen No. 09 “Refurbishment in Trade, Commerce and Administration“

Refurbishment options
The lighting in many companies is more than ten years old.
But yesterday’s technology no longer delivers the quality of light and energy
efficiency that are required today. Where refurbishment is considered,
there are various options. .
Soiled luminaires, a monotonous lighting
atmosphere at the workplace – old lighting
installations consume too much electricity
and energy, and the poor lighting conditions
they create make task performance
more difficult, lead to high error rates and
undermine productivity.
The light output ratio of an old installation
and the components in it – lamps, luminaires
and operating devices – can be
halved by dirt and material ageing. Investment
in new, efficient lighting substantially
reduces annual operating costs and also
lowers the cost of routine maintenance.
In many cases, even simple refurbishment
measures can bring about an improvement.
Talk to your customers about the
various refurbishment options available and
explain the differences between them.
[12] A cost-cutting duo: Pendant luminaires
and recessed louver luminaires flush with the
ceiling make for agreeable glare-free lighting
in the conference room; a lighting management
system switches and dims the luminaires
according to the time of day and
whether persons are present.
[13] The energy savings that are possible
increase with each level of refurbishment.
The greatest savings potential is offered by a
well-designed new installation with efficient
components.
[14] When lamps are replaced in an existing
system, care needs to be taken to ensure
that the lamps selected meet the specifications
on the luminaire plate. The light colour
of all light sources should be identical and
appropriate for the application.
As a general rule, four levels of refurbishment
are possible – each one making
for more comfort and convenience and
greater scope for energy savings.
The options are:
Replacement of lamps
One-to-one substitution of luminaires
Design of a new installation
Incorporation of lighting management
systems
Solution 1:
Lamp replacement
The simplest form of refurbishment consists
of fitting existing luminaires with new,
more efficient light sources. Lamps must
always be replaced if lamps flicker or fail to
start properly. Other reasons for lamp replacement
are poor quality of light and fire
risk, e.g. due to old ballasts overheating in
operation.
It can also make sense to replace lamps
regularly in groups before they reach the
end of their life. Group replacement is particularly
recommended in interiors where
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