Citation: Spunei, E.; Frumus
,
anu,
N.-M.; M˘aran, G.; Martin, M.
Technical–Economic Analysis of the
Solutions for the Modernization of
Lighting Systems. Sustainability 2022,
14, 5252. https://doi.org/10.3390/
su14095252
Academic Editors: João Carlos de
Oliveira Matias and Paolo Renna
Received: 23 March 2022
Accepted: 22 April 2022
Published: 26 April 2022
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Article
Technical–Economic Analysis of the Solutions for the
Modernization of Lighting Systems
Elisabeta Spunei
1
, Nătălit
,
a-Mihaela Frumus
,
anu
2,
* , Gheorghit
,
a Măran
3
and Mihaela Martin
4
1
Department of Engineering Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University,
400028 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; elisabeta.spunei@ubbcluj.ro
2
Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration,
Babes-Bolyai University, 400028 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
3
Faculty of Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, 400028 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
gheorghita.maran@stud.ubbcluj.ro
4
Department of Public Administration and Management, Babes-Bolyai University,
400028 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; mihaela.martin@ubbcluj.ro
* Correspondence: natalita.frumusanu@ubbcluj.ro; Tel.: +40-0724089870
Abstract:
In the context of the electricity crisis, measures are needed to reduce energy consumption.
The case study was conducted on the lighting system at a university sports hall. To determine the
efficiency and quality, the lighting systems and technical characteristics of the sources used were
identified, lighting level measurements were made, the luminotechnical coefficients and the power of
the whole lighting system were calculated and the results were compared to the values set out in the
standards. Following analysis, the lighting system was found not to meet the quality requirements
and was energy inefficient. For financial efficiency, only the replacement of lighting was sought,
keeping the same equipment and granting the same facilities to the building users. Some lighting
source options were analyzed and the option to have the highest luminous efficacy and the highest
energy class was chosen. The analysis shows that the investment is amortized within a maximum of
17 months. The innovative aspect is based on linking the measurements with the determination of
power and the proposal of modernization solutions, which shows the need for investments to ensure
the quality of the system and the increase in energy efficiency.
Keywords: technical–economic analysis; energy efficiency; lighting systems; cost accounting
1. Introduction
The European and global energy crisis, as well as the continuing rise in the price of
electricity, are leading to a slowdown in activity, especially for large energy consumers,
thus having a negative impact on the workforce [
1
]. This requires measures for the rational
use and optimization of energy consumption.
In Ghana, the energy crisis between 2012 and 2015 led consumers to find new energy
sources, and, respectively, to find sustainability solutions by reducing electricity demand in
the long term [
2
]. In the case of household consumers, reducing the demand for electricity
can be carried out by using sustainable and energy-efficient systems.
Worldwide, the energy consumption from the use of lighting sources represents about
19% of total consumption [
3
]. In some cases these light sources are high consumers of
electricity and lead to alterations in the quality of the electricity by the deformation of
the voltage and current waveform [
4
] caused by the introduction of harmonics. These
reduce the power factor [
5
] and cause reactive energy costs. To reduce power consumption,
current sources have been replaced by LED sources; they also have the advantage of a
longer lifetime and a higher luminous efficacy [
6
]. Optimal operating solutions are also
implemented to reduce power consumption (dimming depending on a pre-set timetable [
7
],
Sustainability 2022, 14, 5252. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095252 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability
