Energy efficiency means ideal lighting at minimum energy consumption. Costs for electrical energy are bound to rise. Reduced energy consumption via energy-efficient lighting systems is a contribution to resource and climate protection as well as an improved company result.
Energy efficiency
Energy costs for lighting retail spaces constitute a significant share of total costs for a retail business. In food retail, that share is roughly 25%. Here, 55% is required for air conditioning rooms and refrigerating goods. In non-food retail, lighting energy amounts to an average of 62% of total energy costs – in some cases, such as hardware stores, it is even 76%.
Energy-efficient light sources such as LED luminaires with up to 150 lm/W but sometimes also metal halide lamps with up to 106 lm/W or fluorescent lamps with up to 104 lm/W should be favoured over tungsten halogen lamps with as little as up to 30 lm/W as far as possible. As the table in figure shows, lighting can also be reduced according to outside brightness without losing advertising impact, while contributing positively to the energy budget. Timed dimming or a slowly changing light focus in the retail space can improve the lighting dynamic, shift the zones of increased attention and save energy. And finally, outside of business hours it is possible to reduce the lighting – except for exterior impact areas. Further information on energy efficiency can be found in chapter "Light and economic efficiency" and chapter "Light and the environment".