Renewing existing systems ecologically, economically and in a standard-compliant manner.
Technological modernisations bring complex challenges with them. From the use of existing infrastructure, the definition of the required project partners and concrete project-engineering phases, through to the actual specialist planning and product delivery, we offer our customers a well-rounded portfolio of services and products.
A sound strategic plan and preliminary study forms the basis for successful project development. In doing so, we gain an initial overview of the existing system, involve all relevant stakeholders and decision-makers, and create clarity about the framework conditions as well as the further procedural process.
We record the existing situation precisely, develop professional plans and create transparent foundations for an economically and technically comprehensible award of contract.
We ensure the implementation of the planned lighting solutions through to successful commissioning and beyond. Through coordinated material deliveries, professional support of the executing companies as well as structured quality controls, we ensure efficient implementation and a transparent after-sales service.
Energy-efficient lighting solutions make an important contribution to sustainability and are frequently supported by various funding programs. We assess the funding eligibility of projects and support our customers in selecting suitable programs as well as in their complete and correct handling.
A refurbishment starts with what is already there: support systems, cabling and controls. Whatever can be reused saves material and installation time, and whether funding is an option has to be clear before anything is ordered.
We record every light point, measure the existing lighting and assess it against the standards, including operating hours and connected load. In doing so, we check which support systems, cables and control components can be reused.
Based on the existing installation we develop variants and calculate the energy demand to SIA 387/4, the investment and the payback for each. At the same time we check whether the key figures are sufficient for ProKilowatt or Lightbankplus.
We calculate the chosen variant to SN EN 12464-1 and define light points, controls and luminaire layout plans. We deliberately avoid oversizing, because for funded projects ProKilowatt allows no more than 20% above the standard values.
If funding is an option, we prepare the data for the application and support the submission. Orders are placed only once the funding decision has been issued, because placing the order already counts as the start of implementation.
The refurbishment runs in stages, hall by hall or zone by zone, coordinated with the users and the installers. We deliver according to a project-specific parts list and brief the installers on site.
After commissioning we measure the installation and record the values in a signed measurement report. For funded projects we take care of the final submission, with the final report due no later than six months after completion.
Installations designed before the 2021 edition are based on EN 12464-1:2011 or an earlier version. We therefore assess the existing installation against SN EN 12464-1:2021, the edition in force today. Alongside the required illuminance it includes a modified value, and the values for walls, ceilings and cylindrical illuminance appear directly in the tables for each type of area. We have summarised the differences from the 2011 edition in an article.
We verify the energy demand of the new installation to SIA 387/4 and compare it with the consumption of the existing one. The same standard is also the benchmark for ProKilowatt, which derives its maximum value for indoor lighting from it. Measurements follow the guidelines of the Swiss Lighting Society (SLG). For outdoor refurbishments, SN EN 12464-2 for outdoor workplaces and the recommendations of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) on light emissions also apply.
ProKilowatt, the federal funding programme, supports lighting refurbishments with up to 30% of the investment. The grant must be at least CHF 20,000, the payback period (the investment divided by the annual electricity cost savings) must be at least four years, and cost-effectiveness must not exceed 8 Rappen (centimes) per kilowatt hour. After refurbishment, indoor lighting must be below the ProKilowatt maximum value, which is set halfway between the limit value and the target value of SIA 387/4:2023. At KWC Group, ProKilowatt covered 30% of the investment.
The pitfalls lie in the procedure: ordering before the funding decision means losing the grant, and an application that is not funded cannot be resubmitted in the same year. Illuminance may exceed the standard by no more than 20%, and if the savings turn out lower than applied for, the grant is generally reduced. Other funding for energy or CO2 savings cannot be combined with ProKilowatt. Our article covers the ProKilowatt conditions and pitfalls in detail. For smaller refurbishments there is Lightbankplus, running until the end of 2027 with up to 30% of the investment or CHF 30,000 per project.
On the KWC Group site in Unterkulm we recorded every light point and refurbished the lighting hall by hall during ongoing operations, reusing the existing infrastructure. With 40% fewer light points, energy demand falls by 344 MWh a year, and ProKilowatt funded 30% of the investment.
In the Textron Aviation service hangars in Kloten we renewed the lighting and reused the existing support systems while servicing of the aircraft continued. For the Ex zones we engineered a dedicated mounting unit. The 480 luminaires across 6'200 m² manage with 42% fewer light points and pay for themselves in under five years.
Michael Etter looks after refurbishment projects from the initial survey to the final report. This includes the preliminary study with its economic viability calculation, the funding eligibility check and coordination with installers and users, so that operations can continue during the refurbishment.