Because many buildings were designed and built in an era when energy
efficiency was not a high priority, lighting levels often are higher than necessary. A
quick and easy way to save energy dollars is by removing unneeded lamps where
lighting levels exceed your needs. By removing lamps with careful attention to
the type of activity, occupants' needs, and light distribution, you may be able
to reduce lighting costs substantially without affecting the comfort or
productivity of the people there. However, "delamping" may not always be the right
thing to do in an area where light levels seem too high. For instance, in
removing lamps near windows, make sure there will still be enough light on overcast
days or at night. Besides removing lamps, other solutions to consider include:
installing dimmers or additional light switches, and relamping with lower
wattage lamps.
When removing fluorescent or high intensity discharge lamps, also remove the ballast, or disconnect it in place. If it is left connected to the power source it will continue consuming energy even though it serves no useful purpose. A ballast for two 40-watt lamps uses 6.5 watts when the fixture is on. An alternative is to remove one lamp and insert a capacitor fluorescent lamp substitute device. These lamps are available from lighting suppliers.
When two-lamp fluorescent fixtures are mounted in a row and maintenance of a uniform system still is desired, remove lamps in alternate fixtures of the row (rather than removing one entire row) to help maintain uniform lighting. Be sure to check the illumination level once lamps are removed. It may be necessary to replace some of the remaining lamps with similar lamps having higher output. This technique will take away little from your total energy savings, and will help ensure that the system continues to provide adequate lighting.
