Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, and Climate Group are urging world leaders to leverage Negawatts, the energy savings unlocked through efficiency, while adding more ‘Megawatts,’ renewable energy capacity, to the grid.
The white paper cites the LED transition in lighting as a tangible path to reduce global energy demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, two of the most pressing global challenges of our time. By 2030, a switch from conventional to energy-efficient LED lighting could save 1,402 TWh of electricity annually, equivalent to nearly $700 billion per year in unrealized savings.
This amount of electricity could:
Converting all homes, businesses and cities from conventional to energy-efficient LED lighting is one of the fastest and least disruptive interventions available today to ease demands on energy grids, unlocking Negawatts.
Alice Steenland
Signify’s Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer
Despite advances in lighting technologies, at least half of the global lighting stock still relies on outdated, inefficient systems, and lighting alone accounts for 2% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Published today, the white paper “Unlocking negawatts: The role of lighting in energy security and decarbonization” emphasizes that switching all homes, businesses and cities to LED lighting could cut these emissions in half.
Steenland adds: "Signify has already reduced absolute emissions by 60% since 20196, and we're committed to working together with non-profit organizations like Climate Group, governments and business leaders to accelerate the transition away from legacy lighting systems and toward smarter, more efficient solutions. Notably, we’re calling on governments to set bold energy efficiency targets at COP30 and accelerate the shift to smarter, low-carbon lighting.”
With less than six months until COP30, only 10% of countries have submitted their updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), of which over one-quarter (28%) do not have energy efficiency measures as part of their plans. The white paper calls on governments, cities and businesses to act with concrete guidance on effective interventions to harness Negawatts. Signify’s call to action is supported by Climate Group, a non-profit working with businesses and governments to drive climate action.
Helen Clarkson, CEO, Climate Group said: “The enormous potential of energy efficiency is underscored by Climate Group’s corporate EP100 members. Combined, they have reduced emissions by 450 million metric tons of CO₂e to date."
Helen Clarkson
CEO, Climate Group
"Unlocking negawatts: The role of lighting in energy security and decarbonization" is available on Signify’s website.
1 'Negawatts' in the context of energy efficiency is a term coined by Armory Lovins, physicist and co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute.
2 The annual operation of a heat pump requires 4,000 kWh.
3 Calculation based on one onshore wind turbine generating 6M kWh of electricity annually, enough to power 1,500 homes.
4 Understanding the energy-AI nexus – Energy and AI – Analysis - IEA
About Climate Group
Climate Group drives climate action. Fast. Our goal is a word of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with greater prosperity for all. We focus on systems with the highest emissions and where our networks have the greatest opportunity to drive change. We do this by building large and influential networks and holding organisations accountable, turning their commitments into action. We share what we achieve together to show more organisations what they could do. We are an international non-profit organisation, founded in 2004, with offices in London, Amsterdam, Beijing, New Delhi, and New York. We are proud to be part of the We Mean Business coalition.
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals, consumers and the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact systems and data-enabled services deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. In 2024, we had sales of EUR 6.1 billion, approximately 29,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for eight consecutive years and have achieved the EcoVadis Platinum rating for five consecutive years, placing Signify in the top one percent of companies assessed. News from Signify can be found in the Newsroom, on X, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors is located on the Investor Relations page.
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