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In September, the last exemption for the sale and production of fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps in the EU will disappear. This is forcing end users to realise that it is time to change their luminaires.
– We get asked a lot of questions, so at Elfack we’re taking the opportunity to showcase everything we can do to help with this transition, says Niclas Sjöstedt, sales manager at SG Armaturen.
Elfack 2023 has only been open for an hour when we meet Niclas Sjöstedt on SG Armaturen’s stand, but it is already full of visitors. Installers, consultants and end customers have questions and want to know what to do when the EU’s new rules come into force in the autumn, and what they will mean.
– This is definitely the biggest issue in the industry right now, says Niclas Sjöstedt.
No requirement for immediate replacement
The new rules, which are part of the EU’s RoHS Directive and Ecodesign Regulation, mean that fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps will be banned in the EU from 1 September 2023 because they contain mercury and have high energy consumption. This does not mean that end-users will have to dismantle their fluorescent tubes on 1 September, but from that day onwards the old fluorescent tubes become obsolete, and a new solution will have to be found.
– We strongly advise against trying to insert new LED light sources into old luminaires. There is so much that can go wrong that I would not even describe it as a quick fix. We recommend new luminaires to customers, ones that are designed for today’s technology and optimised energy efficiency.
A good opportunity to optimise your lighting
To help customers with their investment, SG Armaturen has developed a total cost of ownership calculation tool that they display on displays on the walls of the stand.
– We have calculated the cost of investing in a new luminaire, the cost of electricity, installation, and everything that is included in its replacement and operation. In this way, we can easily show the customer how long it takes to break even financially after a change, as the new light sources are so much more energy efficient.
Standing at one of the displays, he introduces a customer who has a hundred old luminaires that all need to be replaced. The graph shows a payback time on the investment of about two and a half years. In addition, it turns out that within ten years the customer will have saved about half a million kronor by switching.
– But customers often don’t need as many luminaires today as they did in the past, because today’s light sources and luminaires are much more efficient than before. We offer our customers a review to optimise the number of light sources to be placed in the room and quite often we can help them reduce the need, in which case the payback period is even less.
Fast return on investment for the customer
He turns to the display again, but this time, instead of saying that the fictitious customer will replace one hundred old luminaires with one hundred new ones, he says that one hundred old ones will be replaced with seventy new ones. The graph now shows a payback period of just under 1.5 years, and a saving over a ten-year period of almost SEK 800,000.
– What customers initially think about having to replace the old fluorescent tubes varies, but when they see these figures, most think it is positive.
Given that the new light sources replacing the fluorescent tubes can also be dimmed and come with different light colours, many people see opportunities. So many, in fact, that Niclas Sjöstedt laughs when asked what he would like to see at the fair.
– Actually, I don’t think I will have time to see anything. There is so much interest from customers that we will be spending all our time talking to them and seeing how we can help them through the transition.