Invest without investing

"In the Netherlands, we have already implemented dozens of 'Light as a Service' projects. For us, this is the first time in Belgium," says Dammers proudly. "It's fantastic to be able to realise this in our home town of Mechelen. We will remain closely associated with the four buildings for the next fifteen years. During this time, we will take care of the optimal lighting for each use. What serves as an academy today, for example, may be used differently tomorrow. As a lighting solutions provider, we are ideally placed to use the right lighting even for conversions."

Dammers adds: "At the end of the rental period, we sit down again with the city of Mechelen and discuss what to do with the lights. There are three options: reuse, refurbish or recycle. With reuse, the used lights are reused in another project. A second option is refurbishment, when the luminaires are technically obsolete but can be given a new life cycle by replacing components. If the luminaires are no longer usable, we recycle them. We then bring the luminaires back to our plant and reuse the ingredients as raw materials for the production process."

Invest without investing

Light as a service is also interesting from a financial point of view. Dammers on the financial benefits for the city of Mechelen: "The big advantage for the city of Mechelen is that they can invest without having to invest. They now have modern LED lighting in their premises without having to buy the lights. The monthly cost of the new lighting will be covered by the energy and maintenance costs saved. The main advantage of the lights is their energy efficiency. If a light has a fault, the city of Mechelen calls a service number and we arrange for the light to be replaced."

A look into the future

As a manufacturer, it is important that sufficient raw materials are available now and in the future. "TRILUX has its own research and development centre in Germany, with which we accompany technological development," Dam-mers continues. "If there is one thing we know for sure, it is that the earth's population is growing and resources are becoming scarcer. There will come a time when we will have a shortage of raw materials. We will always need metal and other raw materials. So if these raw materials continue to be ours, we'll be able to draw on them in the production of new products fifteen years from now."

Read also our blog article:
Mechelen: Municipal buildings get sustainable lighting