As energy is a fundamental service for human development and economic growth, the demand for it is constantly on the rise worldwide. Lighting energy use makes a significant contribution to the total energy consumption of buildings. The use of energy efficiency measures can reduce this kind of energy consumption.
The main objectives of this work were to review different aspects of lighting quality and energy efficiency and to test the existing technologies for efficient lighting. An additional aim of the work was to examine the new opportunities provided by LED technology in providing lighting in rural areas of developing countries and to compare LED lighting with existing fuel-based lighting.
Three different lighting control systems in office rooms were compared for energy efficiency and the quality of lighting by means of measurements. The results of the measurements showed a significant potential for saving energy by the use of daylight-based dimming and occupancy control. The renovation of an auditorium with a new lighting installation resulted in higher illuminance levels and better colour rendering, while reducing energy consumption. This work also presents a calculation of lighting energy use in office rooms using two different calculation methods and discusses the different parameters used for the calculation. A comparison of the calculated values with the measured values confirmed the accuracy of the calculation methods. The work presents a study and evaluation of traditional pine stick lighting and new white LED-based lighting used in rural Nepali villages. The use of different renewable energy sources in combination with efficient lighting technology is found to be a realistic and sustainable option to provide clean and efficient lighting services in developing countries
