SA Affordable Housing November / December 2017 // Issue: 67 | Page 21

FEATURES
Standards have been set on how to install comfortable lighting for communities and homes.
Part O of the ‘new’ SANS were published in January 2011
after substantial updates by the South African Bureau of
Standards (SABS) in collaboration with Agrément South
Africa, the South African Institution of Civil Engineering
(SAICE), as well as the South African Refrigeration and Air
Conditioning Contractors Association (SARACCA).
Requirements specified in the SANS include:
• general requirements
• requirements relating specifically to lighting
• requirements relating specifically to ventilation
• requirements for designated smoking areas and
smoking rooms
Electrical Standard SANS 475 and SANS 62031 only
mention conforming to safety specifications. However,
organisations like the Green Building Council of South
Africa (GBCSA) and Solid Green encourage contractors and
electrical consultants to opt for LED solutions from a
sustainability perspective.
LIGHTING AND VENTILATION REQUIREMENTS
Changes to Part O of the NBR (when the legislation was
updated a few years ago) include a welcome move from WC
(short for water closet – and a Victorian term) to ‘toilet’.
There are also quite substantial changes to this section
of the regulations. While the lighting and ventilation
regulations are generally ‘deemed to satisfy’ if they quite
simply meet the requirements of SANS 10400-O, the NBR
states that if there is not sufficient natural light from
windows in habitable rooms, as well as corridors, lobbies
and on staircases, artificial lighting should be provided.
Reasons for inadequate lighting may be due to:
• the size or shape of the room or space; or
• the use of thick, patterned or opaque glass for windows,
which prevents natural light from illuminating the room.
Similarly, if there is insufficient ventilation, artificial
ventilation must be installed. The SANS10400 website
notes rooms that may be dangerous for health and safety
or occupants or a room where natural ventilation is
inadequate may require artificial ventilation.
LIGHTING AFFORDABLY
Ops360 suggests implementing LED lighting and basic
Clipsal 2000, or Redisson plugs and switches that are the
most affordable and locally produced fixtures on the
market. For affordable homes, 5W LED bulbs or panels are
most affordable and priced very similarly to current
compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) ‘energy saver’ bulbs while
saving more than 50% of electricity consumption and
lasting more than twice as long.
Ogle says that electrical consultants and electrical
installers are comfortable installing CFL energy savers as
many do not understand the benefits of LED, which include
costs, quality and lighting that LED has over conventional
CFL bulbs.
“LED lighting conventionally is 5W for most applications
as opposed to CFL which use 11W or 14W while providing
the same output lumens (around 450 lux),” says Ogle. This
means LED has the benefit of a similar investment amount
to energy savers, longer lifespan and a ‘brighter’ effect in
the home for cool white lighting. And this isn’t the only
misconception that he has seen in the industry.
AFFORDABLE
SA HOUSING
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2017
19