Industrial Lighting Design for Cost Reduction & Energy Efficiency

Industrial Lighting Design isn't just about picking an LED fitting that has a certain amount of wattage. An effective industrial LED lighting system design should consider illumination levels, the distribution of light, lumen efficiency, fixture count, connected load and installation considerations.

These can directly affect the performance and project costs of the lighting, such as choice of lens, beam angle, height of mounting, spacing of lighting, lm/w, lighting calculations, cable/conduit routing, etc.

The purpose of the person doing Industrial-Style Lighting is to ensure adequate levels of illumination and reasonable uniformity with the minimum number of luminaires, and to minimise energy consumption, connected load and installation cost.

So, Commercial illumination systems should be considered an engineering optimisation process, not a product-selection process.

Key Factors in Utilitarian Illumination

The properties that make Utilitarian lighting so useful.

The following are elements that need to be attended to when considering a cost-effective industrial LED lighting system:

• Using lenses to focus light into a useful beam and beam angle to focus light on the area of interest.
• Lumen efficiency (lm/W) to save electrical power under conditions of application.
• Lighting calculations to determine the quantity and spacing of fixtures.
• Calculating the proper mounting height, spacing, quantity of illumination and consistency needed.
• Coordinating electrical circuit layouts with lighting, cabling, and conduits.
• Application requirements such as environmental conditions, operating hours and applicable project standards.

The goal isn't just to use fewer or lower-watt fixtures. The goal is to get the appropriate illumination for an efficient system as a whole.

About Pyrotech Technologies

Pyrotech Technologies Pvt. Ltd. offers industrial LED lighting solutions in industrial, process and infrastructure applications.

The company's strategy is based on the selection of appropriate luminaires depending on the application while thinking of the lighting system as a whole. 

This may involve assessing the optical distribution, lumen efficiency, fixture quantities, mounting conditions, light calculations and practical installation requirements, etc., depending on the project.

The product range includes:

• LED Well Glass Lights
• LED Flood Lights
• LED High Bay Lights
• LED Street Lights
• LED Battens
• Surface Lights

Application-specific industrial luminaires

Pyrotech's approach is therefore centred on the application and project requirement rather than selecting a luminaire only based on wattage.

Common Problems in Industrial Lighting Design

Selecting an LED lighting fixture for commercial lighting installations is only one part of the design process.

Several design issues can increase energy consumption and installation costs.

• Poor Light Distribution: Even if a fixture has enough lumens, if the distribution of the light is not right for the task, it could be that much of the light is not making the cut. A possible solution involves assessment of lens and beam angle based on height of the mounting, area dimensions and lighting pattern needed.

• High Fixture Wattage: The higher the wattage, the greater the light output, but that is not necessarily the best lighting. The more useful comparison is the combination of lumen output, lm/W, optical performance, thermal performance and application suitability. A possible solution involves the selection of a suitable fixture that provides the required lighting performance without unnecessary electrical consumption.

• Too Many Fixtures: Just because one adds more fixtures, it doesn't necessarily mean that lighting will be improved. If they are not calculated correctly, the number of fixtures can be more than is necessary, which will lead to higher procurement, electrical and installation requirements. A potential approach involves calculating lighting using the lux level, mounting height, spacing, lumen output, beam distribution, reflectance and maintenance factor.

• High Connected Load: Excessive connected load of the lighting system may be caused by the use of unnecessarily high-wattage fixtures or by using too many fixtures. This can be resolved by maximising the wattage of the fixtures and minimising the number of fixtures, but achieving the desired lighting level performance.

• Long Cable and Conduit Routes: A lighting layout may work photometrically but create unnecessary electrical routing. Long cable routing. Long routes can increase cable length, conduit requirements, junction boxes and installation labour. Possible solution: Coordinate the lighting layout with the electrical layout and develop practical, safe and maintainable

Considering Luminaire Price: The cheapest luminaire is not always the least expensive lighting system. The total project cost can include:

• Number of fixtures
• Connected load
• Energy consumption
• Cable requirements
• Conduit requirements
• Junction boxes
• Installation labour
• Maintenance requirements

Therefore, the total cost of the lighting system should be evaluated rather than only the purchase price of an individual luminaire.

Higher lm/W: Reduce Energy Consumption and Connected Load

What is lm/W?

lm/W (lumens per watt) is a basic measure of how much light a luminaire produces can consumes the electrical power.

Formula: lm/W = Lumens produced ÷ Electrical power consumed

A higher lm/W can indicate greater electrical efficiency. However, lm/W should not be considered in isolation.

The actual selection should also consider:

• Optical distribution
• Thermal performance
• Reliability
• Lighting uniformity
• Application suitability
• Environmental conditions
• Required lux levels  

Practical Problem

Two luminaires may both be capable of meeting the required illumination, but one may consume more electrical power to achieve the required result.

Possible Solution

Choose a suitably efficient luminaire that meets the project requirements relating to optical performance, thermal performance, reliability and application suitability.

It is not just about picking the largest lm/W value from a data sheet. It is about selecting the right combination of efficiency and lighting performance.

Lighting Calculation: Optimising Fixture Quantity

Lighting calculations are one of the most important parts of Task-Focused Illumination optimisation.

A simplified design relationship can be considered as:

Mounting Height + Spacing + Lens Distribution + Lumen Output + Reflectance + Maintenance Factor = Optimised Lighting Layout

A proper lighting design should consider:

• Required illumination/lux level
• Mounting height
• Fixture spacing
• Lumen output
• Beam distribution
• Reflectance
• Maintenance factor
• Lighting uniformity
• Fixture quantity
• Application conditions

Traditional Approach

The more watts, the more light; the more fixtures, the more cable, the more cable, the more conduit; the more conduit, the higher the installation requirements.

This is a simplistic concept, since a higher watts output does not automatically mean greater useful light output.

Optimised Approach

Appropriate lens selection → light distribution requirements met → efficient lumen output for the fixture type and size selected → optimum fixture quantity and practical routing → controlled connected load and installation.

It is a method that takes the entire lighting system into account instead of one product specification.

Functional Light Arrangement Example: Standard vs Optimised Layout.

Think of an example to illustrate.

• Standard Design: 100 × 60 W = 6 kW connected lighting load
• Optimised Design: 80 × 45 W = 3.6 kW connected lighting load
• Connected Load Difference: 6 kW − 3.6 kW = 2.4 kW

This should not be taken to mean that the reduction in expenses for industrial projects is certain.

The actual number of fixtures and wattage should be determined by the design of the light fixtures for the project.

Factors that can affect the result include:

• Required lux levels
• Area dimensions
• Mounting height
• Fixture photometry
• Operating hours
• Maintenance factor
• Environmental conditions
• Applicable project standards
• Required lighting uniformity

The example shows that it is possible to have a substantial impact on ‘connected load' by optimising fixture quantity and fixture wattage.

Why Pyrotech Technologies Industrial LED Lighting?

Pyrotech Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is involved in solid-state industrial lighting, industrial, process and infrastructure applications.

The approach includes:

• App-based LED light selection for the application.
• Lighting considerations including calculations.
• Assessment of lens and beam distribution.
• Concentrate on lumen efficiency.
• The number of fixtures is optimised.
• Coordinating with practical electrical installation requirements
• Industrial luminaires are available in a variety of different applications.
• Ability to think of improved products for customer needs

A simple concept: the appropriate utilitarian lighting solution for a specific application, lighting need, and installation should be chosen, rather than just based on wattage or fixture cost.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) 

1. What will be done to save energy in industrial lighting?

Energy consumption can be managed by appropriate fixture power, increased lm/W, proper optical distribution and optimisation of the number of fixtures to provide the same level of lighting performance.

2. Does light calculation help to minimise the number of fixtures?

Yes. The quantity of fixtures can be calculated using correct lighting calculations based on lux, spacing, mounting height, lumen output, optics, reflectance, maintenance factor and uniformity.

3. What are ways to minimise the costs of industrial lighting installations?

Optimising the number of fixtures and working with electrical routing to maximise lighting efficiency can help control fixture, junction box, cable, cable trays, conduit and installation labour requirements.

4. Is the lowest cost of the industrial LED light the best?

Not necessarily. When analysing total project economics, more attention should be paid to the quantity n of fixtures, connected load, energy use, cable/conduit requirements, installation labour, reliability and life cycle issues than to the initial fixture price.

5. When it comes to designing the lighting, what are some of the key considerations for industrial LED lighting?

Important factors include required lux, mounting height, lumen output, beam distribution, fixture spacing, reflectance, maintenance factor, uniformity, environmental conditions and application requirements.