Energy management in lighting systems

As we move steadily into the new century, it seems abundantly clear that the major issue confronting building designers, developers, owners and occupiers is energy efficiency. Although efficient energy usage has been a recurring theme throughout the past two decades, we are now approaching the subject with greater rationale and maturity than perhaps we tended to in the past. Energy management must stand on its own, rather than appeal to the investors' sense of society; thus measures to improve energy efficiency must offer investors competitive returns on investment (ROI). Although energy conservation can take many forms, the efficient use of lighting in particular will save the community many millions of Dollars in electricity charges and reduced generating plant requirements, as well as many millions of tons of coal and CO/sub 2/ emission annually. All this is achievable without any requirement to work below current illuminance standards-simply to utilise available daylight, compensate for over-design, compensate for lamp lumen depreciation and due to that save on air-conditioning costs.