When organizations think about energy efficiency, they often focus on heating, cooling, or large-scale equipment. But one of the biggest hidden sources of waste is far more ordinary: lighting.
Across nights, weekends, and off-hours, lights are frequently left on when no one is around. These small inefficiencies add up to significant costs and emissions. Yet because most facility teams lack visibility into where and when this waste is happening, the problem often goes unnoticed.
Why Lighting Waste is Hard to Catch
Lighting energy waste isn’t usually caused by a single mistake. Instead, it builds up gradually—empty floors left lit after hours, department areas running outside scheduled shifts, or fixtures left on during long weekends.
The challenge is fragmentation. Lighting data is often scattered across different systems or lost in incomplete reports, making it nearly impossible to see the full picture. Without that clarity, even diligent facility managers struggle to pinpoint where improvements can be made.
Bringing Lighting Data Into the Light
At Akila, we’ve developed a smart visualization tool designed specifically to surface these hidden inefficiencies. By unifying all lighting data into one platform, the tool makes it easy for facility teams to:
- Benchmark actual consumption against expected baselines
- Spot anomalies like off-hour usage or unusual spikes
- Unlock savings opportunities that would otherwise remain invisible
Instead of treating lighting as a static utility, facility managers can treat it as a dynamic, measurable resource—one that can be actively optimized.
Case in Point: A Medical Products Factory
Consider a recent deployment in a large medical products factory. Using Akila’s lighting visualization, the facility team uncovered a recurring pattern: significant energy was being consumed during non-working hours.
With this insight, the factory made a few straightforward changes—adjusting shift processes and reinforcing simple behavior changes with staff. The results were immediate and measurable:
- 7,207 kWh of potential annual savings identified
- 34.6% reduction in lighting energy use
- Waste during non-working hours virtually eliminated
This outcome demonstrates how visibility turns lighting from an invisible drain into an efficiency win. No major equipment overhaul, no disruptive retrofits—just data-driven insight leading to smarter operations.
From Insight to Action
Lighting may seem like a small detail in the broader energy picture, but as the factory case shows, small inefficiencies can have big impacts. By shining a light—literally—on hidden consumption patterns, Akila enables facility teams to reduce costs, cut emissions, and make their buildings more sustainable.
In the journey toward smarter buildings, visibility is the first step. And when it comes to lighting, what you can’t see can hurt your bottom line. With Akila, those blind spots disappear—making room for measurable, scalable impact.
