Energy-saving and enlightening tips from Philips

It’s most consumers’ common complaint: Our electric bills are so high — and they’re getting higher and higher.

A friend told me that, once, he came home and thought that his wife was trying to surprise him with a candle-lit dinner. His wife later confessed that they failed to settle their mounting electric bill and so, the electric company cut their power off.

We certainly dread the day when we would have to eat dinner by candlelight — and not for romantic reasons.

In these times that try our souls — and purse strings — we can certainly use some energy-saving and enlightening tips, such as the ones we got from Shiang Ning Wee, who has led the Philips Philippines Lighting Team since January 2006. Shiang was formerly national sales manager also for Philips Philippines.

PHILIPPINE STAR: In constructing a house/building, lighting is often the last thing to be added to a room. Don’t you think it should be the first because proper lighting will enhance the function of a room?

SHIANG NING WEE: It is indeed true, in terms of the sequence of constructing a house/building, that the installation of lighting happens somewhere at the tail end of the process. It makes sense in terms of lighting being relatively fragile, and so putting lighting in at the end prevents unnecessary damage and is seen as the “final touch.” Having said that, you are spot on in saying that we should think of lighting first in any construction as often lighting defines the home/building. Good and properly designed lighting in your home allows you to create the look and ambience that you desire and enables you to be that much more creative in coming up with a home with that elusive “Wow” factor. Thinking about lighting at the very start of designing a home/building also provides enough flexibility to incorporate quality lighting design into your home/building.

What are the advantages of fluorescent lamps over incandescent lighting?

Compact fluorescent lamps’ (CFL), or what is commonly known as “energy savers,” biggest advantage over incandescent lighting (the commonly found light bulb) is its energy-saving quality (about 80 percent more energy efficient vs. incandescents). Incandescent lighting has been around for over 100 years and it actually produces more heat than light. It is highly energy inefficient. CFL, on the other hand, is a much better technology that allows you to save more energy (= money) and provides more light. CFLs may cost more than incandescent light bulbs, but it lasts far longer and saves enough electricity cost over its lifetime to more than pay back its initial acquisition cost. The other two common reasons people have for not switching from incandescent light bulbs to CFLs are:

1. They want the look of “yellow light” for that warm, cozy ambience.

2. They want to be able to dim their lights. For warm “yellow light” CFL already has that under the warm white variant. That is what I use at home and visitors are always surprised that they are CFLs. As for dimming, that is also possible, but you will need to upgrade to a CFL without built-in ballast and couple it with external electronic ballast. 

The kitchen is easily the busiest part of the house. What kind of lights should be put in the kitchen? First, decide on what color temperature you prefer, is it warm “yellowish” light or cool “white” light? A tip on deciding which to choose is depending on the color used for the kitchen interior. Normally, warm colors go well with yellow light and cool colors go well with white light. Then decide on how you will want to integrate it into your kitchen decor, say, for example, cove lighting built into the kitchen cabinets to conceal the light source coupled with functional lighting, say, over the preparation counter work top and cooking range. Just be sure that the kitchen lights will be bright enough for you to properly prepare the food. A common mistake is to simply put recessed lighting like CFLs or incandescent downlights, which is good to spread light across the area, but neglects to take note of putting light where it is necessary like the cooking or food preparation counter.

Another tip: Be sure to use a high color rendering lamp like the Philips TLD Super Colour 80 to bring out the true color of your food and make them look delicious.

Would you recommend floor lamps? What about recessed lighting?

Floor lamps are fine for functional lighting like when used for reading; just be sure to use a CFL instead of incandescent bulbs. Recessed lighting is great for the modern home interior decor as it opens up a lot of possibilities while doing away with the clutter. Recessed lighting also reduces glare, which many people fail to take into consideration when lighting up their home, office, etc.

How efficient are halogen lamps?

Halogen lamps are good to accent a painting or an important article of your house. Most shops use this also to highlight their merchandise. It has a perfect color rendering capability that allows the objects lighted to show brilliant colors and thus improve the look of surroundings (even people). However, halogens generate too much heat and require high electricity. We have new technology lamps right now like the ceramic discharge metal halide (CDM) lamps for shops that are brighter and more energy efficient than halogen. For homes, there is already an LED halogen replacement that can be used for one meter distance accent lighting. It operates only at two watts and is available in both warm white and cool white colors, plus it doesn’t generate too much heat.

What is full-spectrum light?

Lamps that have full color spectrum have high color rendering capability. This means these lamps can show completely real colors of the objects being lighted up, as benchmarked with the color rendering that we see when out in the sun. Sunlight has 100 percent color rendition. So if you are wearing a red shirt and if the lamp in your room only has 85 percent color rendition, then that means that there will be a 15 percent difference in the color of your shirt when you go out in the sun.

How do clueless homemakers choose what kind of light to put in a certain room to maximize the use of that room?

Homemakers are now becoming conscious when it comes to choosing which lamp to use. Before, it’s simply about getting a lamp that works. But now, they look at the light output, the energy consumption, and the lifespan, which is actually indicated in the box of the lamp.

Our biggest input here is: Ensure that there is sufficient amount of lighting for whatever you will be doing in that certain room. Also, use the best quality lighting available as in the long run that will be the most cost-effective option. Do not base your decision on the price alone as this may lead to more costly consequences like higher energy expenditure, poor product quality, having to replace the lamp again and again or even cause fire in your home because of failure to pass quality standards. The Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Energy actually use an energy label for CFLs. With the energy label, it means that the CFL has been tested by the mentioned government agencies and the performance claims are valid.

Can you share some light-saving tips?

Choose energy-saving bulbs or lamps with low energy consumption, e.g. CFLs replacing incandescents, T12 fat fluorescent lamps replacing T8 thin fluorescent lamps.

Choose lamps with long life and low early failure rate. Choose lamps with more light and stable output.

Choose ballasts with low consumption (low loss), good harmonics, durable and long life, e.g. electronic ballasts replacing electromagnetic ballasts.

Choose lighting products that give off minimal ambient heat for less air-con load, thus more energy savings. Consider high power factor for efficient power consumption.

Keep bulbs and lighting fixtures clean (10 percent or more light can be dimmed by dust).

Decorate with light colors and you’ll need less lighting.

Don’t forget to consider energy-saving halogen lamps and energy-saving LED solutions; both will be coming to the market soon.

For more tips on saving energy, visit our website at www.asimpleswitch.com.

What’s the most efficient light that you can suggest for a night table since it’s kept on through the night?

For nightlight, LED is the best as it consumes the least amount of energy. But if LED is not available, the lowest wattage CFL should work well.

We heard about this kind of lighting (pink light) that makes you young (it keeps away the wrinkles). And then there’s this lighting (red) that perks up one’s sex life. Do you believe lighting lights up not just our homes/buildings but our lives as well?

It has been scientifically proven that lighting affects our emotions/moods. In Scandinavian countries, a shortage of sunlight can make people moody and depressed. There is indeed therapeutic lighting that can sooth and heal and for sure put you in a certain mood. There are also scientific studies that confirm that the more bluish the light (closest to the blue color of the sky), the more energized people will be. There are already fluorescent lamps that offer this kind of effect, which is perfect for the call center industry or a 24/7 operating factory. Using that lamp will keep them awake, energized and motivated, and thus, more productive.

What are the recent breakthroughs in lighting technology from Phillips?

We are really excited about how Philips has transformed retail shop lighting in the Philippines. Philip’s best-in-class CDM (ceramic discharged metal halide) lamp has brought the best technology in dynamic retail lighting to provide Filipinos with a more exciting, more vibrant shopping experience. A little closer to the home front, Philips is leading the way in driving energy-efficient lighting. These may not be the latest technology breakthroughs, but is still vital for us to do our part in protecting Mother Earth. Philips endorses fully the simple switch from incandescent bulbs to CFL and from the “fat” T12 fluorescent tube to the “thin” T8 fluorescent tube (as seen in our TV commercial that aired during the first half of the year) for some instant money saving and doing our part to save the earth. LED technology is also very exciting for us and you can count on Philips to bring this and other lighting technology to consumers in this country.

Should consumers want to know more about Philips energy savers and how as simple as switching bulbs can create a great impact to prevent climate change, what should they do?

Philips has recently launched www.asimpleswitch.com website where one can visit and learn many things on energy savings. They are also encouraged to pledge switches in the website and be a part of those who take action in preventing climate change and more importantly, save the earth.

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