Transitioning to LED does deliver significant benefits around lower energy and maintenance costs, but replacing entire lighting installations need not always be necessary or even the best solution, research has argued.
A report from a research team by University of Oxford and the academic network Academics for Circular Economy (ACE), supported by Signify, has made the case that, often, keeping and upgrading existing infrastructure can sometimes be a smarter and more cost-effective choice than replacing wholesale.
The research looked at 50 real-world lighting projects across 10 sectors, including hospitals, airports, tunnels and offices, to understand what happens when organisations take a more circular approach to lighting upgrades.
The study concluded that, in 37 of the 50, the result was still lower capital or maintenance costs. In 31 of the 50, upgrading extended the lifetime of existing lighting assets, while in 26 projects it prompted the retention of existing materials or infrastructure. In 23, operational downtime or disruption was avoided as a result and in 20 the result was the avoidance of full replacement.
A total of 36 also reported energy savings, showing that improving energy efficiency and preserving resources can go hand in hand, the report argued.
The research also highlighted a number of real-world examples. At Dublin Port Tunnel, for example upgrading 1,800 lighting points without replacing the existing infrastructure delivered approximately €3m in capital savings.
At St Olav’s Hospital in Trondheim, Norway, 860 existing luminaire housings were retained and upgraded. And at London’s Shell Centre, refurbishing more than 5,000 luminaires avoided the production of 38.4 tonnes of steel.
Mario Giordano, global head of public and government affairs at Signify, said of the findings: “Innovation should not automatically mean replacement. The real measure of circularity is our ability to deliver better outcomes with fewer new resources.
“When poles, cables, housings, and other infrastructure are still fit for purpose, the most sustainable upgrade is often to build on what is already there,” he added.
Image: Dublin Port Tunnel, supplied by Signify
