Dave Ellis, National Sales Manager at OSRAM, examines the move to energy efficient lighting solutions

Antiquated lighting technology is out – innovative and energy efficient lighting products are in. The EU is set to enforce a phase out of inefficient GLS lamps over the next few years that will see traditional lighting products disappear from the shelves. The good news is that lighting manufacturers have been developing energy efficient alternatives for a number of years so there are now highly efficient lamps available on the market. In addition to compact fluorescent lamps and energy efficient halogen lamps that replace their GLS predecessors, LED technology has come on leaps and bounds in recent years to the point that it is becoming a reality for general illumination. Providing unique and versatile lighting effects for both interior and exterior applications, the latest LED innovations are providing an insight into the future of lighting.

Artificial light accounts for around 19% of global energy consumption and traditional GLS lamps based on the original technology invented by Thomas Edison over 100 years ago convert only 5% of the energy they consume into light. Not only does this affect the environment but poor energy efficiency drives up energy bills.

In order to reduce the environmental impact of artificial lighting, the European Commission has formally adopted a regulation to phase out inefficient lamps. From September 2009, incandescent lamps of more than 80W below EEI category C and frosted lamps that are not in EEI category A can no longer be put into the market. Further lamps and wattages will come under the terms of the ban in 12-month stages until the end of 2012. This will save EU citizens and businesses close to 40 TWh (roughly the electricity consumption of Romania, or of 11 million European households) and lead to a reduction of about 15 million tons of CO2 emission per year.

Wholesalers will be able to sell out existing stocks of the banned bulbs, but will not be able to replenish the stock once it runs out. Consequently, it is important to know about the energy efficient replacements that provide energy and cash savings especially as Part L of the current UK building regulations states that a certain number of dedicated low energy light fittings must be installed within 'new build' UK homes and extensions.

For general illumination purposes, compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) are traditionally thought of as the main energy saving alternative to inefficient incandescent lamps. OSRAM’s DULUX lamps save up to 80% on energy consumption and last up to 20 times longer than inefficient lamps of the same brightness. CFL are also versatile thanks to the wide range of shapes, sizes, bases and wattages that they come in to suit all requirements.

Energy efficient halogen lamps such as OSRAM’s HALOGEN ENERGY SAVERs are also ideal replacements for GLS lamps. These provide 30% energy savings and are fully dimmable. They also benefit from excellent light quality, high luminous efficacy and exceptional colour consistency over their whole life.

CFL and energy efficient halogen lamps are the mainstay of eco-friendly lighting, but there is a development that is set to revolutionise the future of the lighting industry – the dawn of the LED. LEDs have been around for a number of years, but until recently they were only used in products such as industrial measuring instruments or in consumer products such as mobile phones and stereos. This is all changing as general illumination using LED technology is becoming a reality.

LED retrofit lamps (such as OSRAM’s PARATHOM® range) have been available on the market for a few years, but while these provide brilliant accent and mood lighting, they are not suitable for general illumination. These lamps feature coloured LEDs - a technology that has been quicker to advance than white LED technology. The efficacy of white LEDs has had to improve in order to make LED retrofit lamps for general illumination a reality.

As well as retrofit lamps, LED modules and luminaires are becoming increasingly popular for decorative lighting effects to enhance interior and exterior design. LEDs use very little power and have a very long lifetime so they are an extremely economical choice for any lighting scheme.

The freedom to choose the perfect light colour for an application is a popular feature of the latest LED technology. The end user has complete control over the colour produced by the light source with RGB LED modules or luminaires are installed in an application. This means that the colour can be tailored for a specific event to fit in with a brand or celebration (e.g. red light for Valentine’s Day, green for St. Patrick’s Day). With exterior floodlight solutions (such as OSRAM’s HIGH POWER FLOOD or HIGH POWER SPOT), the façade of a building or wall can be drenched in dynamic light to suit the occasion.

For the interior environment, LED modules and luminaires provide everything that a lighting designer should expect from a modern LED solution – durability, excellent colour saturation and a long life. The diverse products available lend themselves to a broad spectrum of applications providing a fantastic lighting solution for any indoor environment.

With inefficient GLS lamps being removed from the market, energy efficient lamps must step in to take their place. At the moment CFLi and energy efficient halogen lamps dominate the replacement market, but LED retrofit lamps will gain market share as the technology improves. With a full range of LED retrofit lamps, LED modules and LED luminaires available, every application can now be illuminated with this technology. LEDs are driving the lighting market forward - the future is LED.