Signify, a global leader in lighting, and Climate Group, an international non-profit organisation aiming to accelerate climate action, are urging world leaders to leverage ‘negawatts’, the energy savings unlocked through efficiency, whilst adding more megawatts 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. By 2030, a switch from conventional to energy-efficient LED lighting could save 1,402 TWh of electricity annually, equivalent to €600 billion per year in unrealised savings.
This amount of electricity could:
- Run 300 million heat pumps
- Power 349.5 million homes
- Match the electricity consumed by 14 million hyperscale data centres
Alice Steenland, Signify’s Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer, says, “At COP28, governments pledged to double energy efficiency improvements and triple renewable capacity by 2030. With Artificial Intelligence now expected to double electricity demand by then, it has become urgent to unlock negawatts through energy efficiency. Lighting remains a powerful but overlooked solution; by simply upgrading outdated systems to LED, we can rapidly cut energy use and emissions.”
Despite advances in lighting technologies, at least half of the global lighting stock still relies on outdated, inefficient systems, and lighting alone accounts for 2% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.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 decarbonisation” emphasises that switching all homes, businesses, and cities to LED lighting could cut these emissions in half.
Alice adds, “Signify has already reduced absolute emissions by 60% since 2019, and we’re committed to working together with non-profit organisations 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.
Helen Clarkson, CEO at Climate Group, comments, “The enormous potential of energy efficiency is underscored by Climate Group’s corporate EP100 members. Combined, EP100 members have to date reduced emissions by 450 million metric tons of CO₂e, more than the annual emissions of Brazil in 2023. Signify has also been at the forefront of our energy efficiency work through Climate Group’s Renovation Revolution initiative, which seeks to increase renovation rates in Europe’s commercial and public buildings. In the coming years, global electricity demand is expected to rise by an average of 3.4% annually and as this white paper explains, facing up to this challenge requires collective action. With commitment and innovation, we can achieve meaningful progress for the planet and future generations.”
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