Modern Building Services

20 MODERN BUILDING SERVICES MARCH 2023 FEATURE WORKING BUILDINGS W hen carrying out lighting refurbishments, building operators are faced with reducing energy costs and carbon emissions whilst potentially looking to improve the use of the space. One key driver of refurbishment is the pending ban on producingT8/T5fluorescent tubes. From September 2023, the sale of T5 and T8 fluorescent lamps and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) will be phased out of the European and UK market. This is in accordance with the Ecodesign and RoHS directives and their UK equivalents. So lighting schemes and installed fixtures currently using the soon-to-be-banned halogen or fluorescent lamps will need new light sources. The ban on the sale of inefficient light sources and mercury in light sources will mean that from September 2023, the availability will begin to reduce, and ultimately prices will increase. Preparing the switch in good time can help to mitigate rising costs. Put simply, those who switch to more energy-efficient alternatives nowwill save more energy. Switching to LED can reduce energy consumption by nearly 50% and get a return on your investment within around two years. LED tubes - a quick win? There are some quick wins to be gained by retrofitting LED lamps. It can be a quick fix and in some instances, cost-effective, but as mentioned there is a lot to consider before pressing the order button. First of all, the essence of the LED tube route is often the speed of replacement. However, is the existing fitting suitable? Plastic degradation could easily result in the mounting clips being broken whilst removing the existing tube or swapping in the replacement. The result? A bodged job or extra cost for replacement parts suddenly makes this quick fix slower and more expensive than planned, or even the need to move to a 1-1 refurbishment of the specific area. Note, if the existing fitting has been in place for some time, there is a risk of discolouration in and around the area due to the plastic degradation, which again may mean there’s more to the job than just a replacement of the T8/T5 tubes. In short, it’s important to check the integrity of the existing fitting and the space around it. With the ban on T8/T5 fluorescent tubes imminent, LED tubes look like a quick win for refurbishment projects. Graeme Shaw , Technical Director at Zumtobel Group UK & Ireland, discusses the considerations that need to be taken into account before pressing the order button. Think refurbishment, but re-think using LED Tubes