No offence to Thomas Edison, but traditional incandescent light bulbs will soon be just collectors’ items. Deemed too wasteful of energy, too fragile, and obsolete, they are now frowned upon by individuals and building professionals alike. New technologies have made lighting economical, connected and smart. Discover the lights of the smart building industry.
Let there be … economical light
Let’s look at the figures. Daily lighting accounts for 20% of the world’s electricity consumption.In France, it accounts for more than 10%. And out of this overall volume in France, 12% is attributable to lighting in offices. This stage is necessary if efficient energy transition is to be achieved.
A series of technological solutions such as halogen lights, fluorescent lighting and LEDs have been developed, each with varying degrees of longevity. After a slow start, owing to the cost of acquisition, LED technology has gradually become dominant in everyday life, mainly thanks to its longer life. Fluo-compact lights are also finding themselves a place in the (albeit artificial) sun due to their high energy efficiency. However, they are often disapproved of because of the mercury they contain and its environmental impact. The latest innovation is 100% ecological lighting powered by bioluminescent micro-organisms!
Let there be… connected light
To take energy efficiency even further, connected objects have an essential role to play. Their goal is a real-time balance between natural light and artificial lighting, to ensure everyone’s comfort without any waste.
Increasingly accurate data sensors serve to enrich a building’s big data. The data are then put to use through programmable connected control systems. This results in autonomous windows in the building, individual dimmer switches for workstations and lighting that can be controlled from a smartphone.
Let there be… audible light
At the heart of smart lighting is the bulb. The light bulb may have retained its original shape, but it is a long way from its original use. Today’s bulb can become a Li-Fi terminal, a smoke detector or even a speaker. The new generation light bulb is light and sound.
Today’s bulb is also programmable: it can be set to automatically adjust its intensity throughout the day. In addition to guaranteeing energy efficiency, smart lighting also provides well-being and comfort. But that is another story!
By WordAppeal
