Comparison of lighting technologies in residential area for energy conservation

Abstract

Peak demand has been increasing in recent years due to the population growth, new technologies and user preferences. Besides, the cost of electricity is considerably higher than other type of energies. For this reason, it is necessary to pay attention to the consumption of electricity. Increase in energy costs and energy demand has also made energy efficiency compulsory. Electrical appliances and lighting used in household can be used with less energy without affecting the comfort level. In this paper, an example of a middle-income family living in the city center has been examined and analyzed. The electrical appliances required for daily life and lighting have been measured properly for a month using 10 smart plugs. 22 capsule halogen bulbs with a few compact fluorescent (CFLs) bulbs were used in the selected family for lighting. At the end of the month, it has seen that the consumption of electricity used for refrigerator and lighting in household was more than half of the total consumption. There is a considerably potential for saving electricity consumption when the number of energy-saving CFLs is increased and light-emitting capsule diodes (LEDs) are used instead of capsule halogen bulbs. It is also important not to change the consumer's comfort habits. Therefore, the changed bulbs should have either similar or identical features such as color temperature and lumen value. The energy efficiency is useful for not only customers, but also for distribution system. The use of electricity for lighting usually starts in the evening hours. Some of these hours overlap with peak hours. Therefore, energy efficiency by lighting leads to a decrease in peak loads in the evening hours. It is important that the energy efficiency can be made without any additional investment other than replacing the bulbs. Energy efficiency by lighting is highly effective to reduce the consumer's budget. In addition, it plays a key role for distribution system in decreasing peak load. The advantages and disadvantages of halogen, CFLs, and LEDs bulbs will be examined in detail.