EU’s Green Deal is something Signify is already working on

Today, 13% of our total electricity usage is for lighting, already a significant reduction from 2006, when lighting accounted for 19% of electricity. When we make the final switch to LED, this can be reduced to as little as 8%, or almost half by 2030.

If we were to completely transition to LED lighting in Europe today, that would mean that from 2006, the year when conventional lightbulbs were to be phased out, until 2030, we would save 198 megatons of CO2.

This equates to 267 power plants or about 50,000 windmills.* The savings for the Netherlands alone would be 3.5 megatons of CO2. This is the equivalent to the electricity use of three million households, according to the Nederlandse Licht Associatie (Dutch Light Association) and Fedet.**

The mission is therefore not only to make LED lighting the standard, but to make the use of LED lighting obligatory; in the Benelux as well as in the whole of Europe. And the Green Deal will speed up the transition to LED lighting in Europe.

According to the Green Deal, a new circular economy is needed in order to become climate neutral by 2050. Whereas a linear model always leads to waste, a circular economy aims to stretch the lifespan of finished products for as long as possible and even to reuse them.
 

Signify has been a world leader in this field for several years with its Circular Lighting proposition. This means that lighting is offered as a service – buy lighting, not light bulbs. Customers can reduce their monthly electricity bill and switch to energy-efficient quality lighting. Signify bears the costs, supplies state-of-the-art lighting and the service. At the end of the contract, the company takes care of the recycling and/or reuse.

Circular LED lighting should be mandatory for cities and municipalities. Conventional public lighting, such as public spaces and the road network is now responsible for more than half of energy usage. By making circular LED lighting connected and suitable for remote use, municipalities can make energy savings of up to 80%.
 

In conclusion: LED lighting is an excellent way for Europeans to do their part in implementing the Green Deal. It makes financial sense on an individual level too: if an average family, with about 35 points of light in the house, switches to LED lighting, the savings will be approximately €400/year.
 

When we have the will, a consistent policy, and the support of the transition fund, we will all be making a big step in the green direction!

^* Where the production of an average power plant is 600 megawatts and that of a windmill is about 3 megawatts

^** https://www.fedet.nl/lichtindustrie-pleit-voor-aanpassing-eml/