New Ideas in Lighting Get Closer to Market - Research Paper Example

New Ideas in Lighting Get Closer to Market Table of Contents Overview 3 Product 3 The Incandescent Light 4 Halogen Bulbs 4 Florescent Lights 4 Compact Fluorescent Lights 5 LED Lights 5 Benefits 5 Barriers 6 Integrated Market Strategies 6 Focus Group Design, Results & Conclusion 6 Outcomes 7 Summary & Conclusion 7 References 8 Project Write Up Template Title: New Ideas in Lighting Get Closer to Market Product Green and Eco Friendly Lights Overview In the contemporary era of rapid technological progress, sustainable, green, and energy-efficient are buzz words. Green lighting technology enables owners of homes, businesses, as well as designers and other professionals to reap tremendous energy and cost benefits. There are several different types of lighting and light bulbs available today to the environment and cost conscious consumers. Energy conservation remains one of the most debated topics in modern world. People are diverting towards energy efficiency from every point of view or are adapting to renewable source of energy to ensure less emission and more eco-friendly adoption. The scope of saving energy and the techniques required may vary from place to place but it is regarded switching to more eco-friendly and energy efficient source as it helps in reducing the CO2 emissions by a significant number (CARDWELL, 2014). Adapting to energy efficient sources usually costs more money up-front but in many cases the capital outlay will be paid back in the form of reduced energy costs within a short period of time. This makes switching to energy efficient sources more attractive and budget friendly. Product Description In order to conserve and save energy in terms of light bulbs, green lights are the most efficient option available today to save more energy. Incandascent bulbs have been the mainstream bulbs we have known. Incandescent use more electricity during the process of production of heat hence they are short-lived and need constant replacement. Usually homeowners would argue that energy saver lights such as the LED and other energy saver bulbs or energy saver light bulbs are less expensive than ever before and provide superior light quality, and quickly payback in the form of saving energy and reducing replacement costs. LED lights are more affordable and flexible now. These incredibly efficient and technologically advanced lights will be the lights used in future. There are other lights bulbs which are also energy efficient, such as the CFL (compact florescent lights), which have come a long way and can be fitted into the same socket as the incandescent bulbs (smartandgreen.eu, 2014). The Incandescent Light This is the most common type of lighting in homes, owing to the fact that it is affordable and comes in a vast range of sizes, shapes, and wattages. The drawback of these bulbs, however, is that they are inefficient. They produce light by heating a solid material until that material produces a glow. In the process, much energy is consumed as a result of the heat that is produced. As a result, the performance of LPW (Lumes per watt) is rather low. Halogen Bulbs Halogen Halogen Lamps are an improvisation of incandescent technology. They are energy efficient and a better option for home lighting. Halogens can save up to 20% in energy usage and they are durable and provid good light quality. Since the Halogen gas is stored inside the lamp, the evaporated tungsten is put back over the filament instead of on the walls of the light bulb. This results in the bulb lasting longer, with improved lumen maintenance (Mulvaney, 2011). Florescent Lights Florescent lights are the best known sources for preserving energy. They do not lose energy through the emission of heat and they turn greater energy into visible light. The resulting illumination is six times more efficient and last 20 times the amount of time that standard incandescent bulbs stay lit. Fluorescent lights come in a large variety of colors of warm white tones, closely resembling the color of incandescent lamps (Jørgensen & Andersen, 2006). Compact Fluorescent Lights CFL lights consume 75% less energy than standard incandescent lights and are at least 10 times more durable. They are also cheaper and save much money over the course of their life. They save energy with both, indoor and outdoor lighting schemes and they emit about 75% less heat. They are safe to use and considerably reduce home cooling costs (Lighting, 2012). LED Lights Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are the newest source of green technology and are an extremely efficient source of lighting. Benefits Replacing incandescent bulbs with energy saver lights such as the LEDs and CFL bulbs may not seem very good in terms of cost, if it is considered for short run, but in the long run it pays off for its price. The bills on energy will be less and there would be less replacement costs as compared to incandescent light bulbs. There is one another advantage that the LEDs lights and CFL light bulbs provide which is that they are more technologically advanced and give cooler, efficient and increasing soft light. There is also progress in dimming the CFL lights from 20-80% brightness. The dimmable CFL light bulbs work more efficiently when it is paired with switches which are specifically designed to work with those bulbs. Barriers The scope of saving money in the short run and creating public awareness for switching to more energy efficient sources are the main barriers in convincing people. There is a need to create more awareness among the masses for conserving energy and switching to sources which consume less energy as compared to the main stream sources. Integrated Market Strategies There is a need for more integrated market strategies to be employed for creating awareness among the masses and to ensure that people are switching from the main stream towards using a more efficient and eco-friendly. This can be done by working with the closely with the government, energy companies and bulb manufacturers. If they are able to devise strategies to work collaboratively in creating the awareness to save energy and coordinating the benefits of having energy saver lights at home and how it can help in decreasing the bills the homeowners pay monthly. It will help in diverting the masses towards switching to using energy saver bulbs rather than the main stream lights which consume more energy and creates global warming (OTIS, 2010). Focus Group Design, Results & Conclusion The focus group participants identified for introducing the energy saver lights should be homeowners in residential areas; this will help them in comparing their energy costs before and after installing the energy saver bulbs. If there is a significant decrease in the energy consumption by the energy efficient lights then homeowners will switch over to energy saver lights. Outcomes In our industrialized world the national consumption for lighting ranges from 5% to 15%, while on the other hand in developing world it may account for more than 86% of the total electricity used. If more eco-friendly and energy efficient light bulbs are installed, people are able to switch to more energy friendly sources quickly and obtain its benefits such as: It can have impacts on the macro level - if more energy is saved it can be used in other sectors to speed up the development goals. It helps in poverty alleviation, when consumers have to pay fewer amounts to energy providers; it is because they are able to save energy through energy saver bulbs and lights. There will be fewer replacements, which would result in less trash and cost. With advancement in technology energy saver lights and bulbs are cheaper than ever before, so people who had no access to energy or were not able to pay the cost can now afford the lights at cheaper rate, which not only gives them access to energy sources but also gives them access to low cost energy efficient eco-friendly bulbs and lights. In contrary at first glance it looks against the commercial interests of energy provider. However researches have shown that many benefits accrue to energy providers in terms of better energy service to customers, reducing operating costs and improving profits margins. If such sources are adopted it will help in not only saving energy and reducing costs of energy but it will also help in job creation in energy efficiency programs. Summary & Conclusion There needs a lot to be done in order to ensure that people are aware of the benefits of switching from incandescent light bulbs to more energy efficient bulbs in terms of awareness. But with technological advancement there has been significant progress in manufacturing of bulbs which consume at maximum one fourth of the energy that is consumed by an incandescent bulb. It always provides multiple benefits not just to the homeowners who install the energy saving bulbs but also at macro level, ensuring that energy providers are able to fulfill the customer satisfaction by providing better services to them. References Cardwell, D. (2014). New Ideas in Lighting Get Closer to Market. Retrieved from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/05/business/energy-environment/new-ideas-in-lighting-get-closer-to-market.html Jørgensen, M. S., & Andersen, M. M. (2006). Green Technology Foresight about environmentally friendly products and materials. Retrieved from The Danish Environmental Protection Agency: http://www2.mst.dk/udgiv/publications/2006/87-7052-216-2/pdf/87-7052-217-0.pdf Lighting, R. (2012). LED Lighting Systems In Sustainable Building Design. Leed Certification Guide. Mulvaney, D. (2011). Green Technology: An A-to-Z Guide. SAGE. OTIS. (2010). The Way To Green. Retrieved from otis.com: http://www.otisworldwide.com/pdf/Corporate%20Brochure.pdf smartandgreen.eu. (2014). New ways to use lighting. Retrieved from The Smart & Green difference: http://www.smartandgreen.eu/en/smart-green-technology/the-smart-and-green-difference/ Read More