We could ‘batten down the hatches’ and try to survive the gloom by just ‘turning down’ levels of usage – straight forward ‘switch off to save’. This is not acceptable when energy is a required output of business for refrigeration or heating.
What about illumination? Blackpool Illuminations sees this English “seaside city of holiday” still buzzing with excitement and laughter long after other resorts have gone into winter hibernation. There will be over one million bulbs powering the Blackpool Illuminations, and this year is a special year for Blackpool. This year marks the centenary of the first public display of light in Blackpool. It was in May 1912, to mark the opening of a new section of the promenade by Princess Louise. 10,000 lights were festooned along the sea front. The lights were such a huge success that the following September Blackpool Chamber of Commerce were persuaded to stage the ´Illuminations´. This was the beginning of Blackpool Illuminations.
In these times of austerity, calls have been made for reductions to or even (surely not?) an end to the display of lights that have seen off two worlds wars and countless recessions.
In many cultures, the winter is celebrated with light to provide a contrast to the short dark winter days and long nights. The winter light does not shine bright; it is soft and pastel, creating a warm and pleasant feeling. This period is a time for celebration in many cultures and the optimism of ‘lighting the dark’ is a powerful metaphor for business – ‘light at the end of the tunnel’, ‘lighting the gloom’ etc.
In Blackpool, the foresight and planning requires smarter use of lighting – energy saving measures and smart sensors are just a part of the plan that Blackpool puts into place. Budgets are squeezed and costs are assessed but the show must go on.
Not everything is taken as ‘on or off’ binary values.
That thought is the one I want you to think about in your business – are you thinking ‘on or off’ with energy conservation or actually thinking smart?
Maybe you should be thinking Smartcool
