CIE 2010 Lighting Quality & Energy Efficiency in Vienna

Energy-Efficient Lighting: The Alternative to New Power Station Construction

VIENNA, Austria, March 22, 2010 - For delegates at the CIE 2010 conference organised by the International
Commission on Illumination (CIE), the message was clear: "A more efficient
use of daylight augmented with the use of more efficient lamps and the latest
lighting technology now enable us to save energy without sacrificing good
lighting. And the technologies required are already available." The
international conference, held under the banner of "Lighting Quality & Energy
Efficiency", took place in Vienna from March 14 to 17, 2010. The event gave
academics, lighting industry professionals, designers, researchers and
representatives of regulatory authorities the opportunity to discuss best
practice and the latest developments in the field of light and illumination.
Recommendations were also made for reducing the amount of energy used for
lighting - according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), lighting
accounts for 19 percent of global electricity consumption.

Vienna, March 19, 2010 - After the disappointing outcome of the UN
Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen and the failure of politicians to
take any binding decisions, a number of international organisations are now
looking at ways of reducing worldwide energy consumption. Against this
backdrop, the CIE 2010 conference chose lighting quality and energy
efficiency as its theme. Leading experts in the fields of science and
industry, as well as representatives of regulatory bodies looked at the
latest technological and scientific trends, and political approaches to the
problem. Recommendations to energy consumers were also discussed.

A huge proportion of energy consumption goes on lighting: it accounts for
19 percent of the total global electricity use, and up to 86 percent in
developing countries.

But modern lighting electronics are helping to improve the energy
efficiency of light generation - and reducing CO2 emissions into the bargain.
Lamps with high luminous efficacy, electronic control devices, luminaires
optimised in terms of light distribution, use of daylight and effective light
management also ensure excellent lighting quality, which in turn improves the
individual's health and sense of wellbeing.

Speaking about the objectives of the conference, CIE President Franz
Hengstberger said: "Good lighting brings safety, security and a better
quality of life. But people are unaware of the amount of energy consumed by
lighting and its impact on the environment. We already have the technologies
required to provide good quality, energy-efficient illumination, so our aim
is to highlight designs which will reduce energy consumption quickly and
sustainably without sacrificing lighting quality. Even a small cut in the
amount of electricity used for lighting around the world would remove the
need to build additional power plants."

High-quality illumination thanks to energy-efficient, smart control
systems

Research has shown that three-quarters of lighting technologies currently
installed in public buildings are outdated and inefficient. Only around 4
percent of these buildings are equipped with control systems including
sensors which adjust lighting in line with available daylight and occupancy.
Fitting energy-efficient lighting systems could reduce electricity
consumption by 40 to 70 percent.

"The smartest, most effective way of saving energy is to use daylight.
Intelligent lighting control systems have the highest energy-saving
potential. Lighting which is automatically adapted to levels of daylight
consumes up to 60 percent less energy than conventional, non-adjustable
solutions," explains Peter Dehoff, head of strategic lighting applications at
lighting systems manufacturer Zumtobel.

Pioneering solution: LEDs replace light bulbs and energy-saving lamps

One of the hottest topics at the conference was light emitting diodes
(LEDs), which offer significant environmental and energy-efficiency benefits
compared with conventional light bulbs and energy-saving lamps.

Professor Wout van Bommel, an international lighting consultant and
former CIE President, believes energy-saving lamps are more of a temporary
solution; the future, however, belongs to LEDs. "LEDs will completely replace
conventional light bulbs. They are still fairly expensive, but significantly
more effective than alternative lighting technologies. Disposing of LEDs is
also straightforward. Switching to LEDs now would make a major contribution
to reducing global electricity consumption," he emphasises.

Looking ahead to the future Professor van Bommel predicts that
"futuristic daylight products such as transparent OLED windows, solar windows
which store heat from sunlight and use it to heat rooms, and translucent
concrete will all help to increase the levels of daylight in interior
spaces."

About CIE

The International Commission on Illumination (French: Commission
Internationale de l'Eclairage - CIE) is the technical, scientific and
cultural non-profit organization for light and therefore devoted to worldwide
cooperation and the exchange of information on all matters relating to light
and lighting, colour and vision, photobiology and image technology. Since its
inception in 1913, the CIE has been accepted as representing the best
authority on the subject and as such is recognized by ISO as an international
standardization body. CIE comprises 40 member bodies from countries around
the world. The Central Bureau of CIE is located in Vienna, Austria.

For more information visit www.cie.co.at or contact Mrs Martina
Paul, General Secretary CIE, phone: +43(0)1-714-31-87-0, email:
martina.paul@cie.co.at

For more information visit www.cie.co.at or contact Mrs Martina Paul, General Secretary CIE, phone: +43(0)1-714-31-87-0, email: martina.paul at cie.co.at