Under the RoHS Directive, in the course of 2023 the production and sale of new fluorescent lighting shall be prohibited within the European Union. The time has come to phase out the use of toxic materials, such as mercury and phosphorus, in order to protect human health and the environment from their harmful effects.
This decision offers an excellent opportunity to join forces with Project Nekton to replace your existing obsolete lighting with more energy-efficient and ecological alternatives! Not only will you be legally obliged to do so, you will also be doing your bit for the environment, and your significantly reduces energy costs for lighting.
What is changing around the regulations?
The EU ban on fluorescent lamps goes hand in hand with some new lighting requirements and regulations.
The ban introduces the new Single Lighting Regulation 2019/2020 (SLR) and the Energy Label Regulation 2019/2015 (ELR).
SLR / ELR
The Single Lighting Regulation places higher demands on the efficiency and lighting quality of lighting.
The SLR no longer distinguishes between lamps, modules and luminaires: instead, it refers only to light sources. Energy efficiency will therefore be evaluated for the light source alone, for example.
A light source is any electrical product that emits white light. Each light source will therefore be evolved separately according to its type of condensation and subjected to stricter requirements (SLR), and a newly introduced energy efficiency label (ELR).
RoHS
The English abbreviation RoHS comes from 'Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances'.
This European directive sets legal limits on the amount of six substances used, including mercury and phosphorus, which are mainly found in electronic equipment. The RoHS legislation is applicable to all electronic goods and is intended to reduce the protect human health and the environment.
Concretely, in the area of lighting, PL and long-life fluorescent lamps will be banned from 15/02/2023. In a further stage, T5 and T8 fluorescent lamps will also be banned from 24/08/2023.
What does this mean for businesses?
The ban on fluorescent lamps will affect many companies, as they will have to switch to alternative lighting solutions. This will require both huge practical organisation and a significant financial investment.
Apart from the investment, the new regulation will further encourage the switch from obsolete light sources to smart LED lightingwhich is, of course, positive. Such measures, which have been proven to yield energy savings of up to 85%, will ensure that LEDs are used in all public, private and commercial areas at a faster rate.
This switch to more energy-efficient lighting, such as LEDs, will result in significant cost savings in the long run. Not to mention, you'll be doing your bit for the environment by reducing your carbon footprint.
When the traditional fluorescent lamp is officially phased out (compact fluorescent lamps from February 2023 and T5 and T8 from August 2023), according to our estimates, in the next six years in Europe alone about 250 million already installed units (estimates for T5 and T8) will need to be replaced.
What are the alternatives?
In order not to become dependent on an explosive demand and correspondingly long delivery times, it is best to plan the replacement or renovation of your lighting now.
This critical moment offers a great opportunity to go wireless with your LED retrofit. Wireless lighting control projects are gaining popularity due to their proven track record of reducing energy consumption, lowering operating costs, improving security and providing a transparent network infrastructure that can be easily scaled up with minimal disruption and installation costs.
Take a look at our services, and find out what we can do for your company in terms of relighting, light services and connected lighting.
Four reasons why you should embrace change with Project Nekton
Project Nekton is your partner in the transition to a more sustainable future.
1. No interruption of your activities during installation
In most cases, we opt for wireless luminaires, recovering the existing power supply from the old luminaires to power the new unit, and communicating with it wirelessly so that it can be used. No additional cabling is required.
2. Easy conversion
We can convert your old fluorescent luminaire to LED and provide a smart-ready driver so that it can communicate easily in mesh.
3. Quick start-up
The luminaires can be controlled with a wireless switch or by using the free downloadable app. Freed from the physical constraints of wiring, all additions or changes to lighting control systems can be easily implemented in the app.
It is possible to add or remove luminaires, introduce new functionality and create customised scenes at any time. This is all done in the software, at any time, from any location.
4. Human-centric lighting
Through our light studies, we provide better light than what you have now. We focus on the health and safety of your employees, adapting to the needs of each individual.
Want to know more?
Feel free to contact us for more information on the ban and the consequences for your case. We will be happy to discuss the endless possibilities together!
