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Hi Jeroen, can you tell us a bit about what you do?
Sure, one important aspect of my job is interacting with wholesalers and installers and listening to their needs. The close interaction gives me the chance to see the market and its developments from their perspective. It also allows me to spot new opportunities for future market and product development.
Right now, my customers are all in the middle of a big transition period. First, we went from conventional to LED. And now we’re all heading for the next big change with smart lighting. Change always comes with some uncertainty and many customers are looking for direction and support regarding what’s happening in the market.
I would like to address the following trends in particular: New regulations are phasing out older products and solutions in favour of efficient LED lighting. It’s a process that we need to shape together with our customers, but it is also a great opportunity.
LED lighting brings many benefits and new business potential, and the LED market is continuing to grow. More people are now aware that the right lighting can play a decisive role in significantly lowering their operating costs. Plus, there is a considerable amount of data showing that lighting helps improve employee morale, general well-being, and productivity. It also heightens safety, so there is no reason not to switch and that will continue to drive growth.
There are some new regulations that you already mentioned, and which are now very hot topics. Do you consider these as an opportunity?
Everyone is striving to adopt more sustainable solutions for the future. The RoHS directive will ban the use of mercury in lamps in 2023. The Ecodesign Regulation, which was started a couple of years ago, allowed for even more improvements in lighting efficiency. Most people will recognize it from the energy labeling which has been changed in the last year. It was necessary because most products were already so energy efficient that a new scale had to be adopted.
I think the big opportunity will come when we talk about repairability, service and luminaire performance. Here, the SLR Ecodesign has provided more guidance on how end-of-life products need to be dismantled and how to separate them to ensure that they can be correctly reused and recycled.
The new regulations created some sense of turbulence. But replacing conventional lighting with highly efficient and sustainable solutions is good for everyone in the long run, which people can see. More LED also means more savings, so I think it's a big opportunity and a good thing that we are moving in this direction.
How can installers benefit from this
Customers want to move to more energy-efficient lighting products – and that’s something every installer should have in mind and include in his proposals. With energy-efficient lighting products, you can save up to €30 per year per luminaire. And when you add those luminaires up you are talking about significant savings. And you’re doing something good for the planet at the same time. By switching to more efficient lighting products, we could save up to 34 terawatt-hours of electricity by 2030. That translates into 7,000,000 tonnes of CO2 that we could avoid. Just by installing more efficient lighting products.
Do you see smart lighting as an opportunity?
The world is becoming more and more connected, and the trend is only growing. So smart lighting is just another step along the way. Lighting is everywhere, so it’s the perfect carrier for the Internet of Things. If you want to capture data about your building, the easiest way to do that is with the existing lights. With our smart lighting solutions, we can connect every individual light in a space together as a network and share the data they capture.
Next to this access to data, smart lighting also has other major benefits for small or medium-sized enterprises. First, is the enormous savings, especially when refurbishing a building with conventional lighting. Moreover, you can create a better environment for your employees because the lighting is customizable and adjustable. And with the human-centric lighting options of our Interact Pro offer, we are creating fully adjustable, personalized light levels for more productive, safe, and healthier environments to work in.
How easy is the installation of a smart lighting system?
It’s simple and very intuitive. We have several solutions, but most of those we offer today are wireless. This makes every step easier – for example when refurbishing an old building where no wirings are available, you don’t have to tear open the whole building. We have luminaires with integrated wireless sensors that can just be installed like a normal luminaire. Our Interact system has been fully streamlined in terms of ease of commissioning. Our commissioning app navigates you step by step through the system. As an installer, you simply install luminaires into the ceiling, fire up the app, and go through the steps. It’s quick and convenient and we’ve received very positive feedback from installers.
Do you see “human-centric” lighting as an opportunity?
Lighting plays a big role also in the well-being of people and has many aspects to it. It’s not just about the light levels but also the type of light that you create, like colors and temperatures. It’s been shown to create an energizing environment that we and the industry have recognized. We've integrated several well-being elements by making the light levels and color temperatures fully tunable. On top of that, we have dedicated luminaires with a cyan-enhanced spectrum that can actually be energizing, because we amplify a part of the spectrum that stimulates the body. There is research data that show a measurable effect in increased productivity.
What are your final thoughts on the promise and potential of LED?
There are a lot of things that are changing and we're going through big transitions that are being felt throughout the entire industry. Conventional lamps are on their way out and a continuing set of new regulations are being put into place. Lighting is not just about light anymore – but about personal health, saving costs, and doing something for the environment. LED is leading this change and it’s something that everybody needs to be up to date on.
We offer very extensive Lighting Academy options to keep everyone informed of the latest trends and developments. It’s something I really recommend to all installers because of the speed of the developments taking place in the industry. I also recommend staying up to date by getting yourself certified at the Lighting Academy.
Lastly, if installers or wholesalers are planning or looking for a project, we offer several online tools, such as our Product Finder. It’s a very intuitive tool to plan and find out what you need and where you can buy it – it’s a big help when reviewing options and choosing the right lighting.
Thank you very much for all your informative insights and tips.
My pleasure.