Energy Saving in Home Lighting
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d34r123@yahoo.co.id
KOMUNITAS BLOGGER UNIVERSITAS SRIWIJAYA
INTRODUCTION There\'s much more to lighting rooms than placing a 60 watt bulb in the
middle of the ceiling. There have been such leaps in lighting technology, that an array of
fittings and light bulbs needed to produce dramatic effects are available and affordable.
There\'s even lighting that will save you energy and money. So, where do you start ? Begin
by thinking about the three functions of light. First, it gives general lighting to a room.
Secondly, there is localized or task lighting, that supplies specific, concentrated light for
activities such as reading, sewing and cooking. Thirdly, there is accent or mood lighting that
creates atmosphere by providing pools of light to highlight certain objects or areas. Major
developments are causing a revolution in lighting technology. Miniaturization and the
introduction of electronic lamp circuitry are changing, improving and extending performance
parameter of well known lamps. Electronics in lighting Electronic lighting, including the
incorporation of electronic control makes exciting new lighting concepts possible. These new
concepts meet requirements for more flexible, sophisticated and dynamic environments in
major application field such as, office lighting, industrial lighting, shop lighting, hotel and
home lighting. Energy conservation The world is becoming increasingly aware that in the not
too distant future, energy will become a scarce and an expensive commodity. And. this
Upturn might affect the economic development in the next decade. Therefore, it will be
prudent for all of us to make optimum use of Energy conservatior advanced light, limited
supplies of resources and seek ways to improve the efficiency of energy using processes. In
India lighting consumes about 17 pre cent of the total electrical energy (against seven
percent to eight percent in advanced European countries with better quality lighting). Out of
this about 37 percentis used for commercial and industrial lighting alone. These days
additional generation would be at the estimated cost of Rs 4.5 crore for each megawatt. New
materials and the introduction of electronics are improving existing lighting technologies and
opening up entirely new possibilities. With well over 2000 different lamps having individual
characteristics and lighting hardware in the service of reflectors or other forms of control,
luminous environments having: desired illuminance; desired colour temperature, desired
colour rendering, desired flexibility, desired appearance of the light sources can be created.
First of all we see a strong trend to miniaturize the light sources in virtually every member of
the light source family. New Light Sources The high luminance of the filament of halogen
incandescent lamps make these lamps very suitable for lighting techniques application in
optical systems. Luminance and lifetime depend on the temperature of the filament. Halogen
is added to prevent wall blackening. Spectral power distribution of the lamp shows that a
great deal of the emitted radiation is in the infrared region. By reducing this infrared radiation,
the efficacy of halogen incandescent lamps can be improved. In the past few years the
technology for depositing heat-resistant high quality interference filters on complex surfaces
has been substantially improved. Filters can now be used on halogen incandescent lamps,
for instance, to reflect infrared radiation back to the filament. The bulb shapes, the spectral
reflection of the filter, and the position of the filament with respect to the reflector, determine
the percentage of infrared radiation that is reflected radiation. An improvement in efficacy of
upto 40 percent can now be obtained at constant lamps life. Model calculations show that a
considerable increase of this percentage must be theoretically possible. Since these
interference filters have no absorption, they are highly efficient. The techniques for depositing
those coatings will certainly be improved in the future. A step up of the production process
will lead to cost reduction and consequently to a more general application of the filters.
Fluorescent lighting systems:- The advantages of a fluorescent lighting system are : High
efficacy, Great variety in colour temperature (2700°-6500°K), short run-up time,
Good maintenance and long life. In the past improvements of fluorescent lighting systems
have mainly been achieved by improvement of the fluorescent powder. Compared to the
lamps coated with halophosphates, lamps with rare earth oxides have a better maintenance
and improved performance. Although halophosphate lamps are still in production, the rare earth oxide lamps are beginning to supercede these. In the past decade the 38 mm
fluorescent lamp has been replaced in many countries by a more efficient 26 mm diameter
lamps. The rare gas filled in this lamp is adjusted to reduce the lamp wattage in order to keep
the luminous flux constant for lamps of the same length. This results in efficiency
improvement of about 10 percent. A further enhancement of the discharge efficiency can be
obtained by the introduction of the high-frequency lamp currents using electronic to control
gears. The increase in efficiency is mainly the result of a reduction of the electrode losses.
Recently another major technological breakthrough has led to an introduction of 16 mm
diameter lamps. This requires 12.5 percent less energy compared to the conventional lamps.
The last decade has also witnessed introduction of several compact fluorescent lamps. In
these lamps the tube diameter is reduced to values of 10-12 mm and the discharge tube is
bent to achieve a compact construction. This trend of miniaturisation adds to conservation of
material and reduction in process energy required in lamp luminaire making. Luminaries The
steady increase in electricity tariff made the housewife more conscious about energy saving
lamps and luminaires in home lighting. Instead of using incandescent lamps, fluorescent
lamps and luminaires are being accepted for kitchen, bathroom, passages, dining room, etc.
For smaller houses fluorescent lamps arc being accepted even for drawing room and
bedroom mainly to save in electricity bill. With the advent of energy saving compact
fluorescent lamp, it is possible to reduce the electricity bill further by using CFL 9W or CFL
11W lamps. Smaller size of lamp made it possible to make luminaire more compact, sleek
and elegant. The luminaries are suitable for recessed or surface mounting, wall or ceiling
mounting with varieties of decorative attachment. There is another trend of "Do-ItYourself the home owners prefer to have a luminaire and lamp which can be easily installed
and maintained by them without calling an electrician. Manufacturer provides installation
instructions for their home lighting range and also the hardwares required for the same in the
packing box. Lighting Systems Lighting is an art as well as a science. So there are no hard
and fast rules governing the design process, especially when it comes to your own home
where personal taste and style play a leading role. Nevertheless, let\'s take a look at each
room. The Front Door With good front door and porch lighting, the door itself, especially the
keyhole, the ground immediately in front of your door and the step becomes clearly, visible.
Perfect lighting can be achieved using lights from the ceiling or a wall-mounted luminaire
where the lamp is properly screened. Entrance Hall, Landings, Passages & Staircases
Create a welcoming atmosphere by brightly lighting your entrance hall. Use ceiling lights and
highlight a painting or sculpture with spotlights. Decor and spotline lamps are a good choice.
On landings and in passages, sufficient luminaires should be installed to create relatively
uniform lighting on the floor. Downlighting with a wide spread of light is often the best
solution. The lighting of staircases is most important in order of prevent accidents. Avoid the
mistake of lighting the steps from below, or a person descending the stairs will not he able to
properly pick out the edge of each step. If on the other hand, the luminarie is positioned
above and somewhat in advance of the topmost tread, short shadows will be created and the
edges of the steps clearly defined. The Living Room The living room is always a beehive of
activity - reading, writing, watching television, talking and entertaining. The living room is the
very heart of the home, which is sufficient reason to light it well. Precisely because of its
different uses, the keynotes of living room lighting must be flexibility combined with
aesthetics. A balance of all three types of lighting, general background, task and accent
lighting will give you the desired effect. General Lighting When entering the living room at
night, general orientation lighting must be present. A single luminarie from ceiling will provide
the ambient lighting needed for this purpose. Choose between a single decor lamp on the
ceiling or a luminaire with pearl, electronic retrofit lamps. Reading Reading demands
relatively strong light, the correct amount depending on the age of the reader. Equally
important is the brightness balance between the reading task and the surroundings. Reading
in a small pool of light surrounded by darkness is tiring and unpleasant. So make sure that
the reading light is properly supplemented by general lighting. The actual reading light should
be placed beside and somewhat behind the reader chair. The traditional floor or standard
lamp in all its simplicity is excellent when used with the proper shade. Writing Whether in the
living room or else where, writing demands adequate local lighting. The lamp itself should not
throw any light in the direction of the eyes, and cause a glare. Preferably it should be to tally
shielded. Avoid the reflected glare from the paper by correctly positioning the luminaire to the
side. Watching television Television viewing should never be done in darkness. Make sure
there is enough low-level lighting to soften the contrast that would otherwise be too tiring on
the eyes. A spotline will do, because it bounches off light in the opposite direction and does
not reflect on the TV screen. Conservation The living room is usually abuzz with conversation
many times of the day. The lighting should therefore facilitate eye contact and model faces in
a natural manner. It is not very pleasant to have to talk to a silhoutte. Luminaires with large
shades will provide the required lighting harmony in a sitting room. Dimmers can be used to
set a level that creates an intimate atmosphere. Accent lighting The lighting in the living room
would not be complete without some highlights on paintings and other arte facts. Apart from
its stylish appeal, accent lighting also provides certain amount of ambient light. Spotlights
meet the need very well when fitted with incandescent or halogen lamps. Dining Room Not
only Should the table itself and the dishes on it receive direct lighting, but the faces of the
diners should be included as well. A luminaire is suspended above the table is a good
solution. Decor lamps in luminaires with glass or fabric shades, providing direct lighting on
the faces. However, keep the brightness low in the direction of the faces. The positioning of
the luminaire is very important. Too high - and there is the risk of seeing the lamp. Too low and the luminaire will obstruct eye contact. The correct height is usually about 60 cms above
the table top. To help retaining the lighting level, to suit the occasion or task, or simply to
leave the table corner lighted when not in use, as part of the living room landscape, use a
diffused light with a dimmer. Alternately, use a decorative lamp for its aesthetic appeal. The
Kitchen The key in the kitchen is to have shadow free general and local lighting on every
surface that you use, including the sink, stove and working platforms. This light should reach
all surfaces, not only the horizontal work surfaces, but also the vertical ones, to facilitate the
task of finding things in cupboards. General lighting grom the ktichen ceiling ensures a good
view - overall and into cupboards. Under-cupboard luminaires with fluorescents provide good
lighting on work surfaces. Lighting must also be such as to make it easy to discern even
slight color differences in the food. This means of course, that all the lamps used should
show colours naturally. In the kitchen where works goes on for many hours each day, it is
advisable to make the fullest possible use of energy saving lamps. The Bedroom General
lighting in a large bedroom can be best provided by a centrally located lamp with a luminaire
that spreads the light around comfortably. As in the other rooms, general lighting is needed in
the bedroom for orientation purposes and in order to find things in cupboards. Contrary to
what one does in other rooms, this ambient lighting should be switched off when reading in
bed with the aid of a reading light installed at the bed head. A mirror type luminaire or an
adjustable Iuminaire or an adjustable luminaire with a Spotline lamp are ideal for bedheads,
while milky lamps are best suited for general lighting. The Children\'s Room In the children\'s
room however, lighting must be slightly different. Children learn only gradually that their
environment is full of dangers. And as their eagerness to explore extends over all objects
and areas within their reach, it is best that their room is brightly and uniformly lit. Long, harsh
shadows as well as glaring, unscreened lamps should be avoided. Similarly, narrow beam
spotlights, which are often used to provide decorative effects in other areas of the home
should be avoided. Children like a lot of light, although they in fact need loss than their
parents for a given activity. Dim light, often considered relaxing by older people, might, be
frightening for young children. Keep in mind that most young children like some kind of night
lamp in the room. One or more ceiling a diffusing confer can provide the right lighting all over
the room. Opt for CFLs. The Bathroom The bathroom, like the kitchen, poses a lighting
challenge. General lighting is needed for orientation and to allow one to find things in
cupboards. It should be diffused (a large luminaire as in the kitchen), and yet strong enough
to penetrate the shower curtain. Additional local lighting is required at the mirror, where for
shaving or make-up activities the smallest details have to be discerned. The aim is to cast
light on the face and not on the mirror itself. It is best to arrange for the light to come from
two sides and, ideally, from above and below as well. Excellent results are obtained when
large-surface, linear luminaries are mounted vertically on both sides of the mirror. Tubular
incandescents, fluorescent provide uniform illumination, revealing the most critical details.
Garden Lighting If a person is fortunate enough to have a garden, you can achieve stunning
effects by highlighting attractive areas and features using weather-proof floodlight luminaires
with incandescent reflector lamps. For the best effect, conceal the light source behind a wall
or a tree, directing the light upwards. Fittings in the ground like Bollards are ideal for low-level
lighting to display rockeries, lawns and flowerbeds. Patios and paved areas look great
bathed in the white light of halogen floodlights. A warm atmosphere can be created by
installing decorative wall fittings or tall post top lanterns along pathways, fitted with CFLs.
Maintenance Using the most energy effective light sources and efficient luminaires will not
serve the purpose if they are not properly maintained. The effective maintenance criteria of
lighting installation should be set as part of the lighting design. The cost of maintenance, the
availability of financial and manpower resources, reliability, the impact on safety at home,
energy management and therefrom, the overall cost, are the factors that should be embraced
by the lighting technique adopted. While selecting and installing the luminaires due attention
should be given towards the ease of maintenance. Better maintenance not only improve the
lighting but also improve the interior decor and the total environment at home Conclusion
The new developments are contributing to reduction in the cost of conserving energy and
making lighting system more comfortable and productive. Lighting load being around 17
percent, the energy consumption is high as compared to the international scene and there is
dire need to arrest this trend of squandering of resources. The lighting design process should
optimise the energy usage and use it effectively to meet quantitative goals. To achieve this,
lighting design process should begin with user perception, behaviour, performance and end
with management of non renewable energy sources. Reference Electrical India ( 15th May
2000 ) DOWNLOAD