Expert: utilise daylight to maximum

By Bonnie James/Deputy News Editor Utilising daylight to the maximum for indoor lighting, changing room colours to brighter and lighter shades and replacing halogen spotlights with LED lamps are key to low energy lighting solutions, an expert has said. Any reduction in energy used for lighting is a reduction on the cooling load, explained Mohamed Jaber, head of electrical engineering at KEO International Consultants. He was giving a presentation on Low energy lighting for hotels, at the launch event on Monday for the Green Hotel Interest Group by Qatar Green Building Council. Lighting requirements have come down to 9W per sq m from 25W per sq m. LED lights are more frequently used in projects and prices have come down, Jaber said. LED spotlights of 10W could be used to replace 50W halogen spotlights. Any reduction in the lighting levels, bring down the usage of watts per hour and in turn lowers the cooling loads, especially considering that halogen lamps emit a lot of heat. If halogen lamps have a lifespan of 2,000 hours, LED lamps could last between 35,000 to 50,000 hours, providing several years of life at some initial extra cost. The disposal of LED lights is also environment friendly as they do not contain mercury or any other hazardous metals or chemicals. The use of daylight sensors indoors reduce indoor lighting energy load depending on the intensity of the available light. Jaber also referred to light pollution caused by the common practice of lighting up the exterior of buildings with powerful lamps. Each of those conventional lamps, which use at least 1000W, could be replaced with LED lights of adequate power and deployed in a more focused manner so as to maximise the illumination, he observed. Replacing house lamps with LED lights is also a viable option, Jaber added, citing his own experience.

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Expert: utilise daylight to maximum