Bye FL-tubes: FL-tubes will be prohibited!

In Switzerland, around 12 percent of electricity is used for lighting every year. This is not without negative consequences: The environment is polluted and energy costs are enormously high. For this reason, the European Union and Switzerland are taking action, with a ban on fluorescent tubes coming into force from September 2021. Converting to energy-efficient solutions should reduce electricity consumption for lighting by around half.

The responsible European Union Commission has been striving for some time to introduce measures for lighting in order to achieve its climate targets. Switzerland is adopting the European Union’s new “eco-design guidelines”, which are intended to provide guidance for a sustainable future. Although more efficient LED tubes are becoming increasingly established, outdated and power-hungry fluorescent tubes can still be found far too often in buildings. This is now set to change. The ban on fluorescent tubes is another pioneering step towards an energy-efficient future. The energy consumption label (energy label) and the requirements for light sources have been completely revised: Previous rules will be repealed on 1.09.2021. The new efficiency requirements cannot be met by conventional fluorescent tubes, or only at great expense. This leads to a mandatory conversion to modern lighting solutions. Inefficient light sources will therefore soon disappear from the market.

But what exactly is allowed and what is not? Electrical appliances were originally divided into classes A to G when the energy label was introduced over 25 years ago. However, sustainable solutions are now given efficiency classes up to A+++ in some cases, which is not necessarily easy to understand. The introduction of a new standard in 2021 will now lead to a new or the original scaling from A to G – but with adjusted values. As a result, light sources that currently have a good efficiency rating (A++) will only be in category C under the new efficiency requirements. This leaves room for the development of even more intelligent and energy-saving products.

However, different procedures must be followed depending on the light source used: From 01.09.2021, all fluorescent tubes of type T2 (spaghetti lamp) and the T5 80 W will be banned. From 01.09.2023 there will then be a strict ban on conventional T8 fluorescent tubes (18, 36 and 58 W). More details can be found in the following table.

Source: toplicht.ch 

An alternative to FL tubes, also known as fluorescent tubes, is the LED tube. This can be a direct replacement, but still has a wide variance in terms of efficiency. Conventional LED tubes can achieve energy savings of around 40-50 percent. However, innovative lighting solutions can already achieve a reduction in energy consumption of around 90 percent and meet the new efficiency requirements without further adjustments, as they precisely calculate the required luminosity and adapt it to the surroundings, for example.

Companies are not immediately obliged to replace the fluorescent tubes they use. However, fluorescent tubes that no longer work must be disposed of as hazardous waste and new, more efficient light sources must be used. Instead of switching to a new, complicated lighting system in a few years’ time, it is probably worth taking this step today: Although it may initially sound like a complicated as well as costly and time-consuming task, depending on the system, this can actually be done in the “blink of an eye”: The old T5 or T8 tubes can simply be replaced with highly efficient and intelligent LED tubes, as LEDCity, for example, relies on a manufacturer-independent standard that is compatible with the existing sockets. The only thing that needs to be removed is the ballast, as this can significantly reduce energy consumption even further and prevent future failures.

Even though we have often seen a trend away from replaceable tubes towards complete luminaires recently, such a modular system still makes perfect sense. Despite the significantly longer service life of LED tubes compared to classic FL tubes, they still need to be replaced every five to ten years, depending on the quality of the product. If you can do this yourself in a few simple steps and do not need to call in a specialist, this will also be reflected in your budget. For a complete LED luminaire that has failed, you will need to call in an electrician to replace it, but you can replace a failed LED tube yourself in 10 seconds.

At a glance: Advantages of switching from FL to LED:

• High efficiency
• Long service life
• Low operating and maintenance costs
• No switch-on delay
• Easily controllable and dimmable
• Insensitive to vibrations
• No hazardous pollutants contained in the tube
• Low heat emission
• Lower air conditioning costs
• No flickering (with good quality light sources)