Sustainability
Product quality, product availability and of course, competitive prices are still key factors when determining which supplier you choose to use but there is a new factor that is becoming more and more important to many of our customers...Sustainability!
Sustainability is the use of products with lower emissions, waste and carbon usage that help conserve natural resourses such as oil, gas and coal, and it is fast becoming a major issue for all construction trades – not least electrical contractors.
At Electric Center we have enormous experience in sustainable, energy efficient products. Such is our commitment to these issues that our parent company, Wolseley UK has developed one of the UK's first living, interactive, sustainable product showcases, The Sustainable Building Center (SBC).
The SBC is due to open at the Wolseley UK head office site in Royal Leamington Spa early in 2008. For further information visit www.wolseleysbc.co.uk
What's Affected?
Heating and lighting will be at the forefront of change as we begin to move towards zero carbon buildings. Lighting accounts for up to 14% of total electricity consumption. Lighting consumes more energy then either heating or ventilation, so improvements in its efficiency will have proportionately the greatest impact on power consumption.
Only 10% of the energy used in lighting is converted into light, the rest of the energy is wasted in providing unwanted heat. Fifty per cent savings can be made without reducing standards just by introducing simple tried and tested cost-effective measures that are available today. Efficient and effective lighting means ensuring that:
- the correct lighting standards are provided both in terms of quantity and quality
- the correct type of lighting system is used
- the most suitable equipment is used
- the hours of use are controlled
- the system is maintained in efficient working order
Energy savings:
| dimming the lights | saves you electricity | makes bulbs last longer |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | 10% | 2 times longer |
| 25% | 20% | 4 times longer |
| 50% | 40% | 20 times longer |
| 75% | 60% | > 20 times longer |
With simple practices such as turning off lights when they are not needed, energy can easily be saved but in situations where artificial light is required there are many saving options offered by Wolseley and manufactured by market leading companies. It is not just the choice of the light source that can reduce energy consumption but also the fixtures, fittings and controls.
Electric Center aims to source lighting products from manufacturers who actively support corrective actions by:
- promoting the practice of energy efficiency
- providing energy efficient products
- restricting obtrusive light emissions
- limiting the use of hazardous substances
- using recycled material
- participating in standards development
- supporting development of European directives
Energy Efficiency Measures
| Energy Efficiency Measure | Energy Savings (%) |
|---|---|
| Use localised instead of general lighting | 60-80 |
| Replace bulkheads using tungsten GLS lamps with compact fluorescent lamped versions | 40-70 |
| Use high frequency ballasts for fluorescent lamps | 15-20 |
| Replace old fluorescents with HF T5 versions | 20-25 |
| Install lighting controls | 20-50 |
| Replace tungsten spotlights with tungsten halogen | 30-75 |
| Consider use of LEDs where appropriate | 50-75 |
The Electric Center Commitment To Sustainability
Reducing the amount of energy and power that we all consume is now a global challenge facing us all. To help you meet this challenge we have clearly identified all of the products in our catalogue that can be genuinely considered to be ‘energy efficient’ or which promote the efficient use of energy. These products all carry the leaf symbol – another example of Electric Center making your life easier.
For replacement of any lighting control gear simply call your local Electric Center branch.
