5 million kilograms of CO2 saved

With the LEDCity lighting system, CO2 emissions can be noticeably reduced as the duration and intensity of the light is automatically adjusted to the actual demand. We have now reached an important milestone: the saving of 5 million kilograms of CO₂. Together with the Swiss Climate Foundation, which supported us at a very early stage and promoted commercialisation, we look back on the last five years since the company was founded.

Around 12 per cent of electricity consumption worldwide is used for lighting. At the same time, the lights in many large buildings are on around the clock even though they are not needed. This fact motivated Patrik Deuss, a ZHAW student at the time, to realise his plan for energy-efficient and cost-saving lighting. The idea: light sources that use sensors and artificial intelligence to decide for themselves how much light is emitted and when . While still studying energy and environmental technology, Patrik Deuss developed an initial prototype as part of his bachelor’s thesis. Convinced of the great potential of his idea, he wanted to take the project further – and in 2017, after graduating, he founded the company LEDCity together with current CTO Florian Gärtner-Wyniger.

We were able to overcome the first major hurdle on the way to a market-ready product in 2017 with the support of the Swiss Climate Foundation: Thanks to start-up funding totalling CHF 150,000, an initial prototype series can be developed. In cooperation with the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, the sensor-controlled lighting is used for the first time in a subway at the ewz power station in Zurich. And it turns out that the LEDCity products not only work under laboratory conditions, but can also save around 90 per cent of energy in everyday life. As a result, three new jobs are created in research and development. Shortly afterwards, the first intelligent LED tubes go into series production.

The support of the Swiss Climate Foundation forms the basis for the current success of LEDCity: since the realisation of the pilot project in Zurich, more and more companies have become aware of us. More than 350 customers such as the Dolder Grand, the University of Zurich and Zurich Airport now rely on the energy-saving solution. The LEDCity lighting system has already established itself on the market in German-speaking Switzerland, and we have already realised several major projects in French-speaking Switzerland. The focus is now on international expansion; LEDCity is currently setting up two companies in Germany and Spain.

In addition, our team is constantly working on the further development of our products: For example, the light sources are becoming smarter and more user-friendly by the day. a fully autonomous solution is due to be launched on the market in 2022: On the one hand, the light can be controlled even more precisely, while on the other, the sensor data collected can also be used for building automation. This in turn can save resources. Thanks to our technical development, we have also been part of the Swiss national team for Deeptech since 2021.

The growing customer base results in a positive impact on the environment. We are now reaching a milestone: the saving of five million kilograms of CO2. With the ban on conventional FL fluorescent tubes soon to come into force in Switzerland, the switch to energy-saving lighting is also likely to continue.

From the initial idea to market penetration – a lot has happened since the development of the first prototype and the launch of a market-ready product with the support of the Swiss Climate Foundation. A team of 30 people is now working on realising the original vision: the “lighting of the future” should make it possible: Global energy consumption for lighting is to be reduced by 80 per cent compared to the year LEDCity was founded.