South African businesses that participate in the continent’s largest energy saving lighting deal can save the country a collective R41-million a year if they use the energy saving light-emitting diode (LED) lightbulbs in their businesses and operations, says lighting manufacturer Philips regional marketing manager John Westermeyer.

Philips has supplied State-owned power utility Eskom with 200 000 LED lamps to distribute to high-end electricity users such as banks, hotels and office buildings, as part of the energy saving lighting deal.

The aim of the project is to replace 50 W halogen lightbulbs with 7 W and 10 W LED lamps that provide the same amount of light and last significantly longer. Power consulting firm Karebo Systems teamed up with Philips to oversee the installation of the bulbs, which were subsidised by Eskom.

“Philips and Karebo approached Eskom to look for opportunities to save energy and remove power demand from the grid. 
“We then approached hotels, banks and other high-end electricity users to establish if they would be willing to participate in this sort of programme. Eskom tested the products and agreed to roll out the programme,” explains Westermeyer


The programme began late last year and is ongoing, with Eskom buying an additional 200 000 LED units, with which it plans to approach the residential market.

The collective energy saving potential through the programme for the initial 200 000 LED lamps roll-out is estimated to be 50 GW/y. 
In turn, this can reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 60 000 t/y.

The benefits of the LED lamps include a better light output, low maintenance and a longer life cycle, as they last for 25 000 hours.

Each lamp has the potential to save 280 kW/y and has an electricity cost saving of R20/y. Every four lamps installed save the equivalent of three trees in terms of CO₂ absorption.


Public Awareness

The yearly energy price hikes in recent years have made South Africans more aware of the need to save electricity, says Westermeyer.

However, he believes that many people are too comfortable with compact fluorescent lamps and are uncertain about LED technology and its benefits.

“LED is a different kind of technology, compared with conventional lighting. 
“It is digital lighting that has no gases in the lamps. People still have to understand the benefits of LED. 
“There are many who distribute poor-quality LED lamps and this gives users a bad impression, as the light may not be as bright and the light from these low-quality lamps will begin to show different colours,” says Westermeyer.

He advises the public to buy energy saving lamps from reputable lighting manufac-turers and providers and suggests that additional energy saving technologies be used to reduce energy consumption.

“Buildings can be equipped with smart movement detector sensors that automatically turn off the light in an office space when a person exits the area. These sensors can be used in other areas, such as the kitchen and bathroom, where lights are often left on even when the rooms are unoccupied. 
“The sensors can also harvest natural daylight. They lower the artificial light output as the natural light changes,” Westermeyer explains.

He encourages electricity-intensive users to explore the various energy saving opportunities and engage with lighting manufacturers, as South Africans need to lower costs wherever possible.

“Lighting accounts for 19% of energy use worldwide. Using LED technology and building controls in combination will drastically reduce this energy use,” concludes Westermeyer.


New Focus

He reveals that Eskom is now exploring the possibilities of energy saving through road and streetlighting, as this consumes large amounts of energy.

Philips and Eskom were part of an energy saving project with the eThekwini municipality during the seventeenth Conference of the Parties, in November last year.

Streetlights were replaced with LED luminaires on six streets and Westermeyer says the light output and energy savings have been excellent


The streetlighting is part of a joint initiative by Philips, Eskom, the Department of Environmental Affairs and the eThekwini municipality to demonstrate the major advances being made in energy efficient LED lighting. 
Research has shown that LED lighting can reduce energy consumption for streetlighting in cities by as much as 30%.