Go green with the right lighting choices

While energy efficiency has long been an important consideration for healthcare facilities, an increased focus on the environment and the green movement have brought this issue to the forefront. Lighting is one of the key components of a building's energy usage and therefore one of the most obvious ways to save on both energy costs and labor. The installation of energy-efficient lighting can positively impact any healthcare building, including physicians' offices; professional medical complexes; urgent, chronic and extended care facilities; rehabilitation centers; and hospitals.

Enhance patient comfort

The use of energy-efficient lighting has the dual benefit of significantly enhancing the patient and client experience while also improving operational efficiencies. Lighting fulfills a multitude of purposes in healthcare buildings, including general area and patient room lighting, signage and directional functions, and outdoor lighting for safety and security. As an architectural element that aids in navigation or wayfinding, lighting can be of critical importance in hospital and other urgent care settings, and also valuable for smaller offices.

Continuing technical advances in the lighting industry have produced new light sources that are both cost-effective and that perform up to or better than older technologies. While some of the newer light sources may cost more initially, the resulting electrical and maintenance savings often equate to an impressive 30 to 60 percent return on investment. Studies show that lighting on average consumes up to half of the energy used in a typical building, with other energy usage coming from heating and cooling systems, and of course medical equipment.

Making the best possible choices for light sources and fixtures not only adds to a company's bottom line, it has been shown to significantly enhance patient experience and comfort level. The healthcare industry has been steadily taking tips from the residential and hospitality markets to help create a warmer, more welcoming and less institutional feeling atmosphere for their patients, visitors, and of course, staff.

Lighting can shape the patient's perception of the healthcare facility by increasing comfort and reducing stress level, thereby aiding in the speed of the recovery process. To this end, lighting specifiers are also incorporating the latest lighting effects into healing gardens, as an accent for green spaces, and even as lighting therapy. All these trends show that energy efficiency, cost savings and good design are no longer mutually exclusive components. Lastly, such energy-saving initiatives can help position the healthcare facility as a community leader in the green movement and on environmental issues.

First steps in improving efficiency

All healthcare buildings' energy programs should begin with a thorough evaluation of existing lighting systems. Rather than considering energy as a fixed cost, properties should regularly audit and review their expenditures in order to identify areas for potential savings.

An upgraded lighting system not only quickly recoups its cost, but continues to provide significant energy savings for years to come. Increased energy efficiency in the property's lighting system can also help offset higher energy costs from other sectors such as fuel prices or a general increase in utility rates. After energy, maintenance ranks as the second largest building expenditure, representing about 9 percent of total lighting costs. Since lamp life drives maintenance costs, longer-life lamps are a great way to minimize maintenance dollars.

Incandescent

Incandescent fixtures, which in the past have accounted for the largest percentage of lighting sales, are traditionally used as task and ambient lighting in patient rooms. However, incandescent ranks as the least energy-efficient light source, and is already being phased out by knowledgeable hospitality facility owners/operators who are concerned about maintenance and operating costs.

Fluorescent

Fluorescent lamps are becoming the most popular choice for many healthcare installations. Fluorescents are designed to meet a building's luminary needs while significantly lowering operating costs. When compared to incandescent, fluorescent lasts up to 20 times longer and is up to six times more efficient. Upgrading from incandescent to compact fluorescent can save up to 75 percent in energy costs without sacrificing quality or color rendering.

Compact fluorescent lamping can be used for table, floor and reading lights in guest rooms and in recessed and vanity lighting for patient bathrooms. However, in general, the trend in patient rooms is toward using lighting to enhance rather than replace natural light, allowing the patient to reap the physical and psychological benefits of natural light while still providing the necessary levels of illumination.

Compact fluorescent lamping is also often seen in lobbies, reception areas, waiting rooms, and corridors and hallways, in configurations such as wall sconces and recessed downlights. Specifiers should note that many facilities now mandate that wall sconces in corridors and other locations be compliant with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Other ideas for compact fluorescent include indirect floor-mounted recessed lighting fixtures to add warmth and ambience to the healthcare setting.

Because it can be used in traditional light-bulb sockets, compact fluorescent bulbs are the preferred choice for retrofits of existing incandescent fixtures. Fixtures utilizing dedicated fluorescent sockets, ballasts and lamps, however, often provide greater efficiency and longevity than their screw-in CF counterparts.

Additional types of fluorescent lighting fixtures include:

• * T8 - This generation of fluorescent lamps provides long life and high performance, which translates into reduced maintenance and disposal costs. T8's are often installed as replacements for older T12 fixtures.

  They can be used anywhere typical T12 lamps would be used, from hospital parking garages, to the interiors of physicians' offices and medical buildings; and public restrooms.

• * T5 - The latest models to hit the market offer more power, increased light output, and efficacy up to 90 lumens per watt, in addition to longer life and high lumen maintenance. New multi-lamp fixture designs offer a viable alternative to HID for both hi-bay (i.e. high ceiling) and low-bay (normal ceiling height) applications. T5 is not necessarily the top choice for retrofitting but is increasingly being specified for new-build healthcare construction projects.

The smaller size of the T5 fixtures lends itself to physicians' offices, waiting rooms and bathroom areas.

Halogen

Halogen offers a longer-life, more energy-efficient alternative to standard incandescent lamps. These factors, combined with the crisp, clean color of halogen, have made it a popular choice for display, task and general lighting. Low-voltage halogen fixtures can provide both decorative and accent lighting in lobbies, cafeterias and reception areas of healthcare buildings.

High Intensity Discharge

High Intensity Discharge lamps offer the highest efficiency with more lumens per watt and the longest life cycle.

• * Metal Halide - These lamps offer an energy-efficient alternative to incandescent and halogen, while providing white light with better color rendering than other HID lamps.

  Use for spot lighting or flood lighting or for accent or display lighting in lobbies and reception areas, as well as bright lights for passageways and corridors. Metal Halide is also ideal for outdoor lighting applications including exterior façades, parking lots, walkways and pathways.

• * High Pressure Sodium - This golden-amber light ranks among the most efficient light sources available, with some of the most lumens per watt.

  It is ideal for use as an outdoor application where high efficiency is a priority, and white light is less important, such as for sufficient illumination of parking lots and garages.

• * Low Pressure Sodium - This highly efficient HID lamp is not typically considered to be a practical light source for most healthcare applications due to poor color rendering.

LED (Light Emitting Diodes) and Induction Lighting

Once primarily used for signage and specialty applications, the latest LEDs boast 50,000-hour life cycles with up to 50 lumens per watt and higher. LEDs are emerging as a mainstream light source as technology advances and costs continue to drop. Induction lighting has broadened its appeal with new advancements that offer incredibly long life cycles and high lumen output. While presently at a cost premium, 100,000-hour induction lighting provides exceptional maintenance savings, making it ideal for use in difficult-to-reach applications.

LEDs are increasingly coming into vogue for installations far beyond their original incarnation as signage and specialty lighting. They are now being specified for smaller fixtures such as patient rooms and bathrooms. For example, LEDs make great nightlights for patient bathrooms both in terms of efficiency and long-life/low maintenance. In addition, LEDS have been used as lighting installed on the headboards of patient rooms, including LED on flexible stems that can be adjusted by the patient or caregiver as reading or task lights, thus giving the patient an added sense of control over their surroundings.

Control issues… and more

One of the more recent demands in the market has been for intelligent lighting that is adaptable to changing situations and not expending energy except when necessary. The healthcare industry was one of the first to incorporate these features and functions into their interior and exterior lighting schemes.

Customization is the name of the game for the most innovative healthcare lighting designs, such as lighting set on timers, or lighting fixtures with built-in control devices. Controlled features such as dimming have been shown to significantly reduce energy consumption while enhancing patient comfort, decreasing stress and providing a more soothing environment.

Other advances include the transition from older photocells that didn't offer any choice between automatic “on” and “off” settings to the newer occupancy sensors that function as “electronic eyes and offer bi-level or half-brightness levels according to the needs detected by the sensor.

As new technologies continue to emerge, there will always be a need for the latest information on the advances in the lighting industry that can most benefit the healthcare field, so stay tuned. HBI

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Cost of Operation Comparison for Common Lamp Types

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Comparing Costs of Operation