Lighting phase-out gets thumbs up

Lighting Council Australia (LCA) has welcomed the government’s announcement to make lighting a priority focus under the Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Program.

The E3 Program is engaged in significant work in lighting and has prepared a number of detailed options.

These options include the phasing out of a range of some existing lighting technologies in favour of solid-state lighting — or LEDs.

“LEDs can deliver significant environmental and other benefits compared to traditional halogen lamps and gas discharge technologies such as fluorescent lamps,” said Bryan Douglas, CEO, Lighting Council Australia.

LEDs are inherently energy efficient — around five times more so than halogen lamps — and they do not contain mercury. Transitioning to LEDs will therefore reduce the amount of toxic mercury entering landfill, which is a goal consistent with the Minamata Agreement and FluoroCycle (LCA’s own voluntary lamp recycling program).

Other benefits of LEDs include longevity, durability, controllability and reduced maintenance costs.

“While there have been quality problems with LEDs, particularly in the early stages of their development, there are excellent products now available for the vast majority of applications,” said Douglas.

The E3 Program options include introducing mandatory performance standards for LEDs and Douglas said that LCA has published a detailed guide to choosing LEDs and suppliers.