Life cycle assessment of a fluorescent lamp luminaire used in industry – a case study

Abstract

Environmental impacts of light sources and control gears have been analysed in several life cycle assessments (LCAs). In contrast, this paper analyses the environmental impacts of an entire fluorescent lamp/luminaire combination. The environmental impacts of a fluorescent lamp luminaire with two T5 lamps and an electronic ballast are analysed in a variety of potential environmental impacts. The results show that the energy consumption during use dominates the total environmental impacts by 93% on the average, while manufacturing accounts for 7% and end-of-life less than 1%. The importance of energy consumption is dependent of the used energy source. Compared to a previous LCA of fluorescent lamp luminaire, the division of the results into life cycle stages is similar but there are differences in the numerical results.