The Government is being urged to consider compulsory lighting control in all non-domestic buildings to achieve immediate - and significant - cuts in energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

David Kidney MP, the Minister at the Department of Energy responsible for Energy Innovation and Technology, visited lighting control specialists Ex-Or to find out more about the environmental benefits of lighting control.

He learned that a minimum of 30 per cent of the energy consumption accounted for by lighting in industrial and commercial buildings could be saved using existing control technology which automatically turns off the lights when space is unoccupied.

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The visit by David Kidney to Ex-Or's Haydock site is the latest stage in a campaign by Ex-Or, part of Honeywell E D & S, for mandatory lighting control in all non-domestic buildings. They are also pressing their case through trade associations including the British Electrotechnical Allied Manufacturers' Association (BEAMA) and the Energy Services and technology Association (ESTA).

Ex-Or General Manager John Forsyth said: "The Government is extremely active in looking at supply side solutions to CO2 emissions such as 'new nuclear' and renewables, but these are long term solutions with considerable implementation barriers and lead times.

"The demand side needs to be tackled as well, and automatic lighting control using proven technology has an immediate effect on CO2 emission reduction. We demonstrated our products and the technologies employed to the energy minister.

"We showed how office lighting can be automatically dimmed or switched off completely in areas of a building that are either unoccupied, or sufficiently lit by natural daylight alone. We had a most positive reaction from David Kidney who was most interested to learn how easy and cost effective it is for building owners and managers to make use of this tried and tested technology."

(GK)