Following a tour of the factory, Martin Thompson, the Academy’s Training Manager was able to show Fiona the lighting application areas and indoor and outdoor product displays including a demonstration supermarket and classroom, as well as floodlights for outdoor sporting events. 

Fiona, who wrote the European Parliament’s ‘Action Plan for Energy Efficiency: Realising the Potential’ in January 2008, and who is currently leading the negotiations for the recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive for the Liberal and Democratic group in the European Parliament, was eager to know how the company has reacted to the challenges of meeting new European and domestic legislation on energy efficiency. She met with Lou Bedocs and Peter Thorns - the Strategic Lighting Applications Managers at Thorn to discuss their concerns and priorities.  

With buildings responsible for 27% of the UK’s energy consumption and carbon emissions both Fiona, Lou and Peter agreed that there existed a significant potential for reducing consumption and acknowledged a need for stricter controls to reduce energy waste in buildings. One way of doing this is through the systematic integration of environmental aspects at a very early stage in the product design. They agreed that the most significant energy efficiency problems are not to be found in new builds, but existing buildings, many of which are currently great energy wasters. 

Said Fiona: “If we are to achieve significant improvements in energy efficiency and slash our CO2 emissions, both new and old buildings must be brought up to the highest efficiency standards. Lighting in Europe accounts for 14% of electricity use so it has an important and highly visible role to play in driving down energy consumption

“Research and development in lighting is moving at a fast pace. What was regarded as the most up to date lighting scheme ten years ago is inefficient and outdated by today’s standards. High sustainability criteria will continue to drive design and development in the future. 

Thorn's Lou Bedocs believes the EuP directive will push for more efficient new products, but warns if these are not put into service correctly all the benefits will be lost. Says Lou: "Fiona is very committed to ensure that suitable EU regulation will be produced to drive efficiency into lighting scheme design, installation and operation. Such schemes will not only provide good quality lighting to CEN standards, but will make substantial reduction in energy consumption. It is clear that to restrict installed lighting power demand will curtail flexibility of the scheme operation. More installed lights does not mean more use of energy, in fact it lets the user use the right light in the right place at the right time.”