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What is a lighting energy survey?

Interested in arranging a lighting survey and energy savings report for your factory lighting or warehouse lighting? - the guide below tells you a little more about the process of creating a lighting energy survey and what the end customer should expect...

The stages of a lighting energy survey?

When a lighting energy survey is undertaken for a factory or warehouse building it is typically carried out in two stages:

• A site visit to carry out an audit of the existing lighting in the client building(s)
• The creation of a lighting energy report & new lighting system proposal using the information gathered during the lighting audit

The lighting energy survey should not only focus on the potential energy savings but should also assess the suitability of the lighting for the specific requirements of the site. Detailed measurements of illumination levels are taken & any issues will be accounted for when designing a replacement energy efficient lighting system.

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Lighting survey stage 1 - The 'walk round' lighting audit

In the first stage the lighting surveyor will walk around the site to assess the existing lighting system - the equipment used by the surveyor during the walk round lighting audit will include:

• PPE Equipment (goggles, hard hat etc.)
• A digital camera to log pictures of existing site lighting
• Lux meter to record local light intensity levels, light colour
• A method of recording information & taking notes (pen and paper/tablet device)

The main observations the surveyor will be looking to make include:

• A measurement of the area and height of the building internal spaces
• A measurement of the height of the existing lighting fixtures
• A count of the total number, type & rated power of lights currently in place (for a factory or warehouse this will usually be high bay or low bay fittings using HID lamps - such as metal halide or high pressure sodium)
• Measurements of light intensity measurements in certain areas - measured in lux . These lux measurements will include both task areas and general overall lighting.
• The present cost rate for electricity that the business is paying - this will be measured in pence per kilowatt hour for the site (usually separate day and night rates)
• The operational hours for the factory or warehouse (e.g. - to establish how many hours the lights are on)

As well as the above straightforward quantifiable measurements there are other things that an experienced lighting surveyor will look to note during the lighting audit:

• The condition of the existing fixtures - are all lights working? are some dirty, damaged etc.?
• Are there areas or zones which are rarely occupied ? - this could represent an opportunity for using motion detection with a new lighting system -
• Is there good access to daylight through toof panels - this could represent an opportunity for integrating daylight detectors with a new lighting system
• Are there areas where light is being 'wasted' - e.g. an over-lit area or parts of the building where the distribution of light is being prevented? Or are there large areas where lights are being left on unnecessarily?
• Are there areas where lighting levels are below recommended levels - possibly presenting a health & safety issue (some typical lux levels are detailed here
• Identification of specialist access equipment needed for any new lighting installation e.g. - scissor lift or cherry picker etc.
• The frequency of existing lamp changes - if lamps are being changed much more often that is needed then this could indicate a fault

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Lighting survey stage 2 - The lighting energy report & proposal

The lighting energy report is presented in the form of a series of documents there will be a number of key points highlighted to the end client:

• The operational cost, power consumption, & carbon emissions which can be attributed to the incumbent lighting system
• An assessment of the present lighting levels for the working conditions
• The suitability of the lighting fixtures for the tasks undertaken in the various working environments - this includes characteristics such as Lighting IP ratings
• A detailed proposal for the installation of an energy saving lighting system to replace the existing lighting - this will detail the number and type of fixtures (typically high efficiency LED or T5 fluorescent tube). This will usually be expressed as a spreadsheet (with accumulated energy totals) accompanied by a lighting plot (showing the distribution of lux levels spread from the light fittings over the building area). There may be additional recommendations outlines which will have been flagged at the lighting audit stage
• The opportunities for using daylight & presence detection controls as part of the new energy efficient lighting system
• Any specialist equipment or additional considerations which will need to be taken into account when installing the new lighting
• A savings breakdown of cost, energy and carbon emission resulting from the new lighting system - this will usually be shown on an annual basis
• A calculation of ROI (Return On Investment) for the new lighting system - this will typically be expressed in years and months. The ROI for installing high efficiency industrial LED lighting systems is typically from 12 to 24 months
• The effect of any financial assistance schemes on the financial savings or ROI - this includes grants, 'pay as you save' schemes, Enhanced Capital Allowance etc.

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LED lighting surveys - special considerations

The latest energy saving LED high bay and low bay lighting fixtures are able to replace older HID factory and warehouse lighting fittings on a 'one-for-one' basis - this has the benefit of a more straightforward installation as there is no need for light fixture repositioning & rewiring.

However LED lighting technology works in a very different way from conventional HID and fluorescent lamps - as a result there are some specific aspects of the lighting survey that will help to define the specific LED light fittings that will be be best for the building in question - this can include:

• Beam angles of the LED light fittings - this will influence how the light is distributed across the working plane
• IP rating of the LED light fittings - this will determine the suitability of the LED light fitting for the working environment e.g. - tolerance of dust and water etc.
• Power rating of the LED light fittings - although LED lighting can replace an HID light fitting one-for-one there may be a case to increase overall lighting levels to comply with H & S regulations
• The emitted light colour of the LED source - a lighting colour temperature raised from 2700K to 5000K will have beneficial effects for staff - e.g. - increased concentration and perception of visibility

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Factory lighting surveys - special considerations

When a light survey is being carried out in a factory then there are some particular considerations that a lighting surveyor will have to take into account - some of these are as follows:

• hazardous areas in the factory - including the presence of high temperatures or dangerous chemicals resulting in harsh environments. This is important to establish is it will affect aspects of the lighting such as:
  • Physical durability of the light fitting - this includes such things as accelerated corrosion of the housing - a high grade stainless steel can be specified to overcome this problem
  • Lifetime of the lamp or light source - some lights LEDs will have their operational lifetime negatively impacted by exposure to elevated temperatures
• The cleanliness of the factory environment - many industrial processes result in a high level of dust and debris released in the air. The accumulation of this debris on lamps and fixture covers can result in overheating and a subsequent accelerated loss of light levels
• The difficulty in accessing light fittings - Large factory machinery and process equipment can make reaching lighting fittings very difficult. This can mean that specialist access equipment will be required for regular lighting maintenance (e.g. - cleaning, lamp changes)

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Warehouse lighting surveys - special considerations

Similar to a factory a warehouse will also have particular considerations that the lighting surveyor will have to account for - some of these are as follows:

• Misaligned racking & lighting - due to racking configurations having changed in the past lighting can be wasted
• The control systems allow proper micro zones
• Cost of lighting as considerations for warehouse (link)surveys - Lighting is big % of overall bill
• food cold stores with lack of UV in particular, forklift drivers being dazzled, identification of products on shelves, speak to workers, efficiency of operation, large opportunity for zonal savings (microwave or PIR depending on MHE) - can be HID or the old tube type

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Lighting survey case studies

Some case studies which detail the importance of carrying out a full lighting survey in industrial buildings prior to installing a new energy saving lighting system are detailed below:

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Lighting Survey Case Study 1

The building - A lighting survey is carried out in a glass factory - the operator of the building was looking to change the existing metal halide low bay fittings with energy saving LED lighting to save on operational costs

Issues flagged by the lighting survey - During the audit the surveyor identified that there was a suspended ceiling that is fully insulated (due to the noise in the factory). The existing light fittings are embedded into the ceiling - a simple LED replacement would result in restricted airflow around the heat sink of proposed LED low bay lights and a very high likelihood of overheating

The solution - The need to keep the new lights embedded in the ceiling made LED an unsuitable choice. The solution that was chosen instead was a retrofit induction lamp solution that minimised disruption by retaining the existing light fixture housings

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Lighting Survey Case Study 2

The building - A lighting survey is carried out in a large freezer warehouse (used for storing frozen meat) which was using a number of metal halide high bay fittings. Due to high running costs the business was looking for the most cost effective lighting system possible.

Issues flagged by the lighting survey - The lighting surveyor was able to make a very strong case for introducing a new LED lighting system with integrated presence detection - the occupation time of the freezer was around 10% on a typical day. The metal halide lights had to be left on 24 hours a day due to the extended re-strike time. In addition - the waste heat emitted from the metal halide fittings was unnecessarily adding to the freezer heat load -

The solution - The LED lighting system (already representing a 50% power saving) was combined with a sophisticated PIR control system to make the overall direct energy savings in access of 85%! The significant savings meant the return on investment came in at less than a year (this was not accounting for the additional savings due to lower heat loads on the refrigeration system)

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