Signify Unveils White Paper With Climate Group

• Signify and Climate Group urge policymakers and businesses to unlock Negawatts¹—the untapped potential of energy savings through efficiency—to meet projected 34 percent rise in energy demand by 2050.
• Focusing on lighting alone could save €600 billion annually and 1,402 TWh of electricity², equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of India.
• In support of COP28 goals, the white paper calls for change and offers urgent, actionable guidance for governments, cities and businesses to double efficiency rates by 2030.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands – Signify and Climate Group are urging world leaders to leverage Negawatts, the energy savings unlocked through efficiency, whilst 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 EUR 600 billion per year in unrealized savings.

This amount of electricity could:

• Run 300 million heat pumps³
• Power 349.5 million homes⁴
• Eight times the electricity used by all U.S. data centers in 2023⁵

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, said: “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 then⁶ , 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 Lighting remains a powerful but overlooked solution; by simply upgrading outdated systems to LED, we can rapidly cut energy use and emissions.”

Despite advances in lighting technologies, at least half of the global lighting stock still relies on outdated, inefficient systems, and lighting alone accounts for 2% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.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 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 2019⁷, 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.

“The enormous potential of energy efficiency is underscored by Climate Group’s corporate EP100 members,” said Helen Clarkson, CEO, Climate Group. “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.”

“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 Global data presented here is based on the latest from the International Energy Agency in simulation with the framework of the Green Switch conventional light point conversion model, which is a program run by Signify to help its customers accelerate the switch to energy-efficient lighting products, systems and services. All figures and data presented here are illustrative and based on forecasts and assumptions.
³ The annual operation of a heat pump requires 4,000 kWh.
⁴ Calculation based on one onshore wind turbine generating 6M kWh of electricity annually, enough to power 1,500 homes.
⁵  DOE releases new report evaluating increase in electricity demand from data centers *Note: The original press release cited the equivalent of 14M hyperscale data centers based on IEA’s ‘Understanding the energy-AI nexus‘. While factually accurate, the data point was changed for enhanced reader clarity.
⁶ AI is set to drive surging electricity demand from data centres while offering the potential to transform how the energy sector works – News – IEA
⁷ Signify Annual report 2024