The concurrent crises of climate change, spiraling energy markets, and global economic insecurity are distinct but interlinked problems. Transitioning from energy-wasteful conventional lighting to energy-efficient LED lighting offers a solution with potentially massive benefits for all three issues, both now and in the future.
The ability of LED lighting to increase energy efficiency cannot be overstated, in most cases slashing consumption by well over 50% when compared with conventional alternatives. This number can rise to as high as 80% with connected LED lighting systems that offer smart system management, monitoring, and control. Lighting accounts for 13% of all electricity usage worldwide, and two-thirds of professional light points around the world are still conventional. The potential energy savings that could be realized by a global switch to LED are colossal, and could see lighting-related energy consumption drop to 8% globally by 2030, even while the total number of light points continues to rise.
You may see those numbers, appreciate the clear benefits, and recognize that transitioning to LED is a smart move, but convince yourself that now’s not the time, that with the current state of global finances you should be looking to save money, not spend it. The thing is, if you really want to save money, then transitioning is your best bet. The savings generated—in both the immediate and long-term future—are such that the question isn’t whether you can afford to make the switch, but whether you can afford not to.
If every city and business in the world converted all their conventional light points to LED, the savings in electricity costs would total €177 billion per year. In the residential sector, upgrading just the EU27’s 1.7 billion conventional light points to ultra-efficient LEDs could effectively generate electricity savings of 34.1 TWh. That’s equivalent to the annual consumption of 9.4 million households, or the electricity needed to charge over 10 million electric vehicles. In monetary terms, it’s tantamount to annual savings of over €11 billion. Switching all light points in the 27 EU member states, residential and otherwise, to LED could save around €65 billion a year. And a mid-sized municipality would be looking at energy savings of over €26 million a year.
These are numbers that should be inspiring decision-makers at COP27 to take action. An effective energy-saving technology exists and is readily available—and the cost to implement it is entirely covered by the reduction in energy costs it enables. Especially within regions that have already had public funding made available for climate initiatives, such as the Green Deal in the EU or the IIJA and IRA bills in the US, as well as others elsewhere.
But the LED transition is not just about energy or fiscal savings. Decarbonization has long been a vital part of the climate agenda and COP27 is no different, with November 11th officially labelled as Decarbonization Day within the conference. Scores of powerful nations have made net zero pledges, and upgrading conventional light points to LED is a way to make progress toward fulfilling these promises quickly.
Those who have made pledges need to act on them now if they are serious about seeing them through, with the potential for large-scale decarbonization at the mercy of their decisiveness. For example, if all businesses and cities were to transition, it would take more than 553 million tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere. That’s equivalent to the amount of carbon that 25 billion trees sequester in a year. Too high a scale to consider? Let’s think smaller. In a city of 200,000 inhabitants, switching all conventional lighting to LED could reduce CO2 emissions by 18,000 tons per year, the equivalent to the yearly absorption of almost 850,000 trees.
