Alternative Lighting for the Hospital - Term Paper Example

1.0Introduction Fluorescent bulbs have been used for lighting for many years now. They have been proven in the past to be quite efficient and economical in producing the required illumination both at home, work and other public environments like schools, hospitals and other places. However, in the recent past, a newer form of lighting known as LED lighting has come to overshadow the fluorescent lighting. Both the Fluorescent lights and the LED lighting have their advantages and disadvantages. For every organization including hospital the aim is to keep the cost at the minimum. It is for this reason that this report was prepared to conduct a Cost-Benefit analysis for both the T8 fluorescent lighting which is currently being used in the hospital and the LED lighting. Recommendation will be made for the bet lighting to use. 2.0Background This section will highlight the ongoing costs or any issues related to lighting in the department. The aim of every organization is to keep the running costs at the lowest to ensure that the money that would have otherwise been used in the running cost is instead used in enhancing quality of standards. Our hospital has been using T8 fluorescent lighting for a long time and we have been incurring a lot of cost in maintaining this lighting. 3.0 Lighting standards When considering the best alternative lighting for our hospital, we will have to consider the Australian lighting Standards. According to the Australian Lighting standards AS/NZS 1680.1, there are some general requirements for good lighting that all medical applications and hospitals should follow. It is required that the lighting that you put in place: Ensures the comfort as well as the well being of the patients Meets the lighting needs of the medical staff to allow them to examine, treat and observe patients Meet the lighting needs of the cleaning staff to allow them in cleaning all the areas AS/NZS 1680.1 further insist that for rooms which are only meant for patient occupation with no examination for example waiting room and dayrooms, the lighting should ensure the psychological and physiological wellbeing of the patients. In rooms which are specifically designed for medical procedures, the lighting should be sufficient for the medical procedures while enduring the comfort of the patient. As it may not be possible to satisfy these conflicting lighting requirements, it is recommended that the lighting system adopted is flexible to allow for lighting control. 4.0 Cost-Benefit Analysis of LED lighting As a better and more efficient replacement to the T8 Flourescent tubes, many researchers and other healthcare institutions have recommended the use of LED lighting. Before endorsing this alternative lighting, it is important that a cost benefit analysis is conducted. The tables below summarize the benefits as well as the costs of both LED and T8 fluorescent tube which we are currently using. 4.1 Cost of LED vs. T8 lighting Some of those costs include: 4.1 High voltage T8 fluorescent tubes require high voltage supply for illumination. This means that incase of power shortage, we cannot use alternatives such as solar-energy which are cheaper but we have to use power generators which require fuel to run. This has been expensive as a hospital cannot stay without lighting (UDE ,2014). 4.2 High cost of maintenance Using T8 fluorescent lighting has been expensive in the long run although initial installation is cheap. The long run maintenance cost is high including cost of labor when replacing the lamps and the cost of buying the replacement lamp is also expensive(UDE ,2014).. 4.3 Noisy The T8 fluorescent lamps are noisy especially in our case where we use them for a significantly long time. They produce popping and clicking sounds and sometimes even produce buzzing sound. A hospital needs to have a quite environment but with the current lighting, that has been impossible (UDE ,2014). 4.4 Environmental Attack T8 Fluorescent lamps have small amounts of mercury. Mercury is a dangerous metal and when its vapor is inhaled, it is extremely hazardous to the environment as well as human beings. If the Mercury vapour is inhaled or ingested, it can cause serious complication. Using T8 fluorescent tubes in the hospital is therefore very dangerous (UDE ,2014).. 4.5 Durable LEDs are far less fragile as compared to fluorescents T8 as they are not made of glass and are hollow inside and this makes them much more durable and less likely to being rendered inoperable due to being dropped or bashed accidentally. It removes that danger of broken glass in hospital which might injure patients or visitors (UDE ,2014). Below is a summary of the cost of T8 fluorescent tube versus LED lighting. Source: (IndustryLED.co, 2014) 4.2 Benefits of LED vs. T8 fluorescent lighting Column1 T8 LED*15W T8 Flourescent 32W Wattage 15W 32W Life span 50000HRS+ 10000HRS Ballast needed NO YES Starter needed NO YES Actual Power Consumption 15W 32-38W Heat Generation LOW HIGH Radiation NO MERCURY VAPOUR RoHS compliant ( No toxins) YES NO Recycle Fees NO YES Maintainance fee NO HIGH Environmental pollution NO HIGH Source: (IndustryLED.co, 2014) 5.0 Recommendations Based on the above cost benefit analysis of LED lighting versus the T8 fluorescent tube which we are currently suing, it is highly recommended that the LED lighting is adopted as it will offer more benefits as opposed to the cost. The Hospital stands to gain the following is it adopts LED lighting (Glamox,2014). 5.1 Long term cost Initially, it is more expensive to install LEDs than fluorescent T8 but they can offer a huge potential savings. Compared to fluorescent T8 whose lights last up to 10,000 hours, LEDs can last up to 60,000 providing substantial saving in relation to fewer replacements required to be bought 5.2 Maintenance The amount of time spent replacing bulbs can be counterproductive especially in larger buildings when one is using fluorescent T8. However, due to the longer lifespan of an LED over fluorescent T8 tube, replacement and maintenance times can be reduced significantly when LEDs are used 5.3 Noise Fluorescent T8 tubes are very noisy especially when they have been used for a longer time. They emit popping, clicking, and low buzzing sounds which can be distracting when used in offices and working environments. However, LEDs operate silently with no annoying noises which is makes them suitable for use in offices and working environments 5.4 Colour Fluorescent T8 produce only a cold white/blue light which is stark and not welcoming. On the other hand, LEDs offers all manner of different colours and this makes them so adopted in almost any environment or lighting situation 5.5 Environmental Impact Fluorescent T8 contain a small amount of mercury which is extremely hazardous to both humans and environment and as such must be disposed off safely. On the other hand, LEDs do not contain any poisonous materials and hence completely safe putting home owners at ease welling knowing that they are not contributing to pollution 5.6 Instant On Compared to Fluorescent T8 which requires time to flicker before staying on, LEDs light up as soon as an electrical current is passed through them. Moreover, LEDs provide instant light and instant full illumination as compared to fluorescent T8 light which do not provide optimum illumination levels until they have being running for a few minutes 5.7 Energy Consumption Compared to Fluorescent T8, LEDs consume far less power. Compared to incandescent bulbs fluorescents T8 are technically energy saving light sources but when contrasted with LEDs there really is no contest as LEDs used less electricity which is better for your pocket and the environment. 5.8 Durable LEDs are far less fragile as compared to fluorescents T8 as they are not made of glass and are hollow inside and this makes them much more durable and less likely to being rendered inoperable due to being dropped or bashed accidentally 5.9 No Heat Compared to incandescent and halogen bulbs, Fluorescent T8 tubes emit less heat but still produce much more than LEDs. LEDs are lukewarm to the touch and therefore carry less risk of causing an accidental fire or burn Conclusion From the above analysis, we can conclude that LED lighting is a preferable alternative to the T8 fluorescent lighting which we are using currently. With the LED lighting, we will be able to cut cost in the long run and the same time ensure the comfort of our patient, reduce their health risk, conserve the environment and most importantly conform to the Australian lighting standards. References UDE (2014,) LED Replacements for Four-Foot Linear Fluorescent Lamps. Retrieved on 6th June 2014 from http://www.iald.org/userfiles/file/PDFs/DOESSLMaterials/04_led-t8-fluorescent-replacement.pdf Glamox (2014) Cost-benefit Analysis. http://glamox.com/ie/cost-benefit-analysis http://glamox.com/ie/cost-benefit-analysis Myledight (2014) Benefits of led lighting. Retrieved on 6th June 2014 from http://www.myledlight.com/benefitsofledlighting.aspx Greenlux (2014). Recommended light levels for various tasks and activities. Retrieved on 6th June 2014 from https://www.greenlux.com.au/recommended-light-levels-for-various-tasks-and-activities/ Ledluxor (2014), Top 10 Benefits of Using LED Lighting. Retrieved on 6th June 2014 from http://www.ledluxor.com/top-10-benefits-of-led-lighting IndustryLED.co, (2014). LED vs. Fluorescent Cost (10 Year Total Cost of Ownership). Retrieved on 6th June 2014 from http://www.industryled.biz/index.php Read More