Industry giant Royal Philips Electronics recently announced its acquisition of lighting controls manufacturer Dynalite. The move is indicative of the extent to which lighting jobs in this country are encouraged to become more energy-efficient.

?The acquisition of Dynalite enables us to further strengthen our offering of integral energy management solutions to major corporations, property developers and hotel groups,??? explained Rudy Provoost, chief executive of Philips? Lighting. The company further urges those with lighting jobs to capitalise on the growing demand for energy efficiency. The goal is to catch up to trends towards net zero CO2 buildings and the accelerating global switch to green and energy-saving solutions.

It is estimated that by opting for energy-efficient lighting, ?120 billion could be saved on electricity worldwide. A total of 630 million tonnes of CO2 could also be saved around the globe, which is the equivalent output of 600 power plants or 1,800 million oil barrels in a year. Such is the opportunity for those with lighting jobs to advise businesses, municipal authorities and other owners and operators of buildings to cut back on energy consumption.

According to ?Transforming the market: energy efficiency in buildings???, the final report by the four-year Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EEB) research project, those with lighting jobs can help building owners and operators benefit significantly from the adoption of energy-saving lighting technologies. By simply switching to energy-efficient lighting, energy consumption in buildings could be reduced by 60 percent by 2050.

Specifically, lighting accounts for approximately 19 percent of electricity use around the world. By helping their clients adopt modern energy-efficient lighting solutions, those with lighting jobs could save an average of 40-percent electricity. Even better, building owners and operators can benefit from better quality lighting, while the environment can benefit from lower energy usage and lower carbon emissions.

Finally, those with lighting jobs would be glad to know that an accelerated switch to energy-efficient lighting would increase competitiveness within the economy. As more corporations, property developers and hotel groups opt for efficient energy usage, employment in renovation and infrastructure projects could be considerably stimulated. It is a win-win situation.