There are many factors driving an increasing number of building owners, operators and facilities managers, to look at improving existing lighting solutions, as opposed to outright replacements. Rising utility costs have undoubtedly contributed to a surge in projects where energy-intensive lighting is being replaced with LED equivalents that are proven to reduce energy consumption and associated costs.
Sustainability is another key factor, including a reduction in carbon emissions, which is a vital part of achieving net-zero.
The World Green Building Council has made clear that the optimum way to reduce embodied carbon in order to improve the sustainability of a building is to maximise the use of existing assets. This approach is being championed by many leading companies from across the lighting sector, including Tridonic and Eco Fix Energy Solutions, a partner of The Regen Initiative.
Other influences that have led to a surge of regenerative projects include legislative changes such as the removal of fluorescent lights from sale in the UK and Europe. This is due to the use of mercury in these luminaires, which is a toxin that is detrimental to both public health and the environment.
This is a prime example of where existing assets can be remanufactured, with the gear tray being switched to LED, whilst reusing the fitting. Undertaking this approach ensures limited materials need to be disposed of in landfill, and no increase in demand for raw materials as new luminaires will not be required to be manufactured.
While this may be a simple solution with an attractive proposition once the initial savings in energy consumption and utility costs have been realised, the benefits of this solution then come to a stop.
However, what if there was a way to achieve this, while also opening up ongoing opportunities for true circularity, where energy and cost savings will continue to be delivered?
This is where partnerships such as the one recently developed between Tridonic and Eco Fix Energy Solutions are making a significant difference.
As part of its collaborative work with The Regen Initiative, Eco Fix Energy Solutions focuses on delivering outcomes for clients that do not increase overall costs. The benefits of remanufacturing lighting products, rather than starting with a whole new luminaire, have been proven time and time again. The Regen Initiative is leveraging this to not only improve existing buildings and assets, but consistently strive towards the goal of net-zero carbon.
And, when combined with technologies and systems such as those that fall under Tridonic’s Building Asset360 market strategy, the process of remanufacturing becomes an elevated opportunity. As a value proposition, Building Asset360 encompasses all of Tridonic’s solutions including wireless lighting and wireless emergency lighting. It also embraces the interoperability between other systems such as BMS for a market that is requiring retrofit solutions.
Looking specifically at the luminaire element of the system, Tridonic has developed lumDATA. This is luminaire data – a data bank within Tridonic’s premium DALI drivers that provide meaningful data in 3 main areas. These are asset data, energy data, and fault and diagnostic data.
This reporting mechanism allows constant monitoring of the system and will enable clear oversight of insights into the longevity of fittings, and required maintenance. As Building Asset360 focuses on wireless controls, no fixed cabling is required, which means it can easily be implemented alongside a remanufacturing project.
This simplicity of installation makes it an easy decision to move from purely remanufacturing existing fittings, to upgrading the luminaires and introducing the wireless mesh that falls underneath the heading of Building Asset360. For building owners and facilities managers, a whole life view of the fitting can be achieved, which is a true circularity story.
The labour and fuel saving alone through not having individuals driving to site to manually test emergency lighting is significant. When compiled with reduced energy and the associated cost savings, as well as increased ease of compliance, it certainly makes it an attractive option.
Together, the two goals of Eco Fix Energy Solutions, as part of The Regen Initiative, and Tridonic work in perfect harmony. While Eco Fix replaces outdated technology and maximises what is already in place through upgrade work, Tridonic adds value for the future by gathering and extracting insightful data that can be used to keep the fitting in service for as long as possible.
By taking the decision to go one step further at the point of remanufacturing, the rewards that can be reaped are huge.