Guide for Energy Efficient street lighting

Guide for energy efficient
street lighting installations

2 Guide 2007

Huge savings potential
Huge saving potentials utilizing new technology. Outdated installations increase energy
costs and new technology represents a large cost cutting potential in the rehabilitation of
outdoor lighting installations. With new installations there is great saving potential when
employing new enriching adaptive lighting techniques which are possible with today’s
high technology.

Old installations inflict unnecessary yearly costs. When sending out a tender, there is today a
By correct investments and utilizing today’s public demand that all purchasing and contracts
technology it is possible to reduce today’s energy should be in accordance to existing laws of
consumption for street and road lighting by as public purchase. It is also important that the
much as approximately 60 %. For Europe as a tender gives a thorough description of what
whole, this stands for about 36 TWh a year. functional demands should be addressed in a
In addition, you also achieve a significant saving lighting installation, so that afterwards you can
on maintenance costs. choose the best total solution in terms of both
investment costs, running costs and main-
Recently there has been a tendency towards tenance costs (ref. LCC).
a shift in the responsibility for costs related to This booklet is meant for person-
installation and operation of street lighting As much as 50-70 % of the original energy nel with responsibility for outdoor
installations. In Norway this came as a law consumption can be saved by reinvesting in new street lighting, road keepers and
reform in 1991, the law stated that it is no technologies where old in-efficient luminaires advisers/ consultants.
longer allowed to make cross subsidies of street have been replaced, changed lighting arrangements
Crossover subsidies:
lighting within the electricity companies. and the introduction of stepless dimming in To transfer costs for running the
This means that the road keeper have to cover relation to adaptive lighting and as much as electricity grid to cover costs for
all the costs related to installation and operation 70 % in energy reduction has been achieved. installation and operation of street
of the street light. By replacing the luminaires only, between 40-50 % and road lighting installations.
energy reductions is achieved.
There are several factors that emphasize the LCC-calculations:
importance of a holistic focus when considering In addition, by implementing two way communication A calculation that show the result-
investments in these kinds of installations. (luminaires with built-in intelligence), ing cost over the installations
you achieve an accurate feedback on the lamps whole lifetime or a closer specified
time period.
Normally public authorities have two different condition and thereby reduce the need for
budgets for running and maintaining the manual control, and may plan maintenance in Objects /attributes:
installations as well as investing and construction. a cost effective way. To keep a better track of Information stored with a
This does not make it easy for overall consideration your installation and secondarily to optimize the registered geographical position
of the installations total economical aspects. priorities for the maintenance of the road, the such as a luminiare with attached
This is also applicable to adaptive lighting where road keeper should have an electronic record of GPS coordinates (X/Y).
re-investments, in some cases, can have a his installations, based on a digitalized mapping
“payback time” as short as 5 years or less. system where each component is registered as
individual traceable objects with a geographical
reference.

3

Organizing outdoor lighting
Road and street lighting place heavy demands on the public road budget.
Recent studies in Norway indicates that the daily costs represent about 20-40 % of the
total budget, half of this figure covers the energy costs and the other half goes to running
and maintenance.
Example: It’s important that the road keeper has control and energy measurements. (How will the energy
Trondheim municipality awareness of the costs. It’s being observed that consumption of the installation be measured?).
budget 2006: some road keepers try to reduce their costs by trans-
ferring the responsibility to private road keepers and With the rapid development of luminaries and light-
Luminiares: community associations. A complicating factor with ing control gear it is of great importance to keep the
1100 at highways
such a solution, is that many of these installations guidelines”up to date”.
2800 county roads
16600 mun. roads
are constructed and integrated with the main supply
300 parks grid. It can therefore be the case that one installation Accomplishing public demands
700 private roads contains several customers. For instance in Norway, To comply with the regulations concerning the
Total 21500 the Public Road Authority, (“Statens Vegvesen”) is the removal of hazardous PCB from lighting installations,
road keeper in all of the municipalities. it is especially important to emphasize to the
Budget: responsible authorities the energy saving potential
Run/maint: 925.000 Euro Road lighting guidelines that can be achieved by upgrading the technology
Energy: 950.000 Euro By writing such guidelines for the diversion of re- of their installations.
Reserves: 6.250 Euro sponsibility gives better control for your costs.
Total: 1.881.250
New installations have to comply with today’s
When introducing guidelines you should also regulations for lighting levels, electrical installation
consider making the establishment of road lighting regulations and environmental demands.
Road lighting specifications: an obligated part of the allowance for constructing The proposed EU “ECO-directive” also sets demands
Specific regional demands for build- roads in the municipality. for the “lifecycle analysis”, lead and mercury free
ing and erecting of road lighting, installations and a ban against ineffective electro-
here you can implement both tech- The guideline can describe the correct work method mechanically control gear. Let your new lighting
nical, esthetical and functional for securing quality and these should installation be a class A installation!
demands. As well as other guide- follow the municipalities’ general regulations of road
lines to be followed. construction. This paper will then represent By implementing these changes you prepare for
a minimum demand for (private) initiated install- future European recommendations and regulations
Examples of functional demands:
Lifetime
ations to be connected to the public grid. concerning the environment and the energy
Material reduction.
Colour The guideline should consider the following subjects:
Connection/interface * Description of public measures. Where the munici- Financial considerations
Maintenance need pality has made a political or administrative decision The calculation of return on Investment is impor-
Colour rendering for the initiator to include road lighting as an tant to identify today’s energy cost, including the
IP-classification obligated and included cost for the road construction, cost of both electrical power consumption and
the cost for new establishment will be transferred of energy used. Furthermore a lifecycle calcula-
to the initiator. tion will have to consider the future changes in
* The quality standards for luminaires and technical cost. The calculations will use the “present value
equipment must be described (see notes) method” with discounted cash flow or by the use
* The municipality should define the desired level of continuous cash flow analysis. For the calcula-
of lighting on the road in accordance with inter- tion of financial costs or of financial payback,
national and national regulations with recommend- the public rate of calculation should be utilized.
ations and set limits for the use of energy related
to defined luminaires. By utilizing new types of luminaires and control
* Considerations of light pollution issues should be gear you can prolong lifetime values so that the
described annual maintenance costs is reduced.
* Describe which parameters should dictate when to
switch on/off the luminaires and under which In total one could say that by reinvesting in new
conditions the installation should operate at technology and planning according to today’s
dimmed levels. lighting level demands, the road keeper will
* Where in the existing grid system it should derive achieve a payback on invested capital within a
power. For installations with two way communi- time period of 4-6 years depending on the initial
cation, describe the requirements for the situation; energy price level, and the level of main-
communication equipment and define the protocols tenance costs involved. (Whatever the situation
for communication to the administrative system. this is a short payback time compared with other
* Specifications of correct integration points for safety improvement measures.)
4

How to get started?
For existing installations it is of high importance to be aware and have control of the
existing installation. For new installations and refurbished installations one has to make
optimal lighting choices taking into consideration the roads complexity, traffic volume,
way of construction and the volume of pedestrians and cyclists.

Remember: The evaluation of alternative plan on the organization of the everyday running CIE - 115
solutions sets the groundwork for good results! and maintenance operations. Recommendations for the lighting
of road for motor and pedestrian
If there isn’t an already working guideline for the By calculating the costs for different solutions it’s traffic.
installation to comply with, the installation has important to know today’s cost for by instance
EN13201-2:
to be built according to the relevant national and each luminaires. If a higher financial investment
Road lighting. Performance
international regulations. Check whether today’s is made today so that stepless dimming is
requirements.
infrastructure (columns, electrical grid etc.) implemented, then this will lower energy costs
is still applicable? Is there a clear understanding and provide a potentially longer interval between Fleet administration:
between the road keeper, electrical supplier and each luminaires replacement. Furthermore, one Administrative data management
any other parties (phone company, estate owner will be able to plan and use personnel resources of operational tasks that makes
etc)? more efficiently by utilizing handheld computer economical overview related to
solutions such as so-called “fleet control”. planned actions possible.
In this concern there are several publications worth
considering (see notes). Eventually the installation One will also have to put some thought into how
has to be evaluated and designed with regard to to exploit the modern technology to reduce the
the technical specifications, both lighting values costs for everyday running and maintenance of
Do the old installations fulfil
and electrical requirements by using computerized the existing not upgraded installations. the current electrical guidelines?
programs.
There is therefore a need to use a calculation What is the average lifetime of the
Being aware the current technical developments model (LCC) that calculates the alternative luminiares?
you also should consider how your new install- solutions affects on equipment-, installation-,
ation should be monitored, controlled/regulated, energy-, running- and replacement costs, as well Is it possible to implement energy
and maybe integrated with digital maps. as the general maintaining costs. The respective measurements?
elements have to be calculated with its
It’s of great importance to make an overall strategy corresponding lifetime expectancy and cycles.

Light pollution:

Upgrading installations Too high levels of light or light in
areas where it’s not wanted.

Upgrading of outdated installations. Throughout Europe you find miles of outdated
installations. Today this represents an enormous energy saving potential, and at the same
time in many situations, do not solve the lighting task in a satisfactory way. New technology
represents new possibilities.

Remember: Retrofitting of old installations can the original lighting levels on the road.
utilize up to 50-70% energy reduction, in addition New luminaires contain both better optical systems
there are reduced running costs! and lighting sources that contribute to more light
for less electrical energy, and also contribute to less
Introducing new technology does not necessarily light pollution (obtrusive light) by directing more of
demand a reconstruction of the electrical supply. the light onto the road and not the surroundings.
For instance existing technology can utilize the An installation designed using the old standards,
existing power distribution grid for communica- also has a higher averagely lighting level compared
tion, in addition to radio and digital mobile to today’s needs. These improvements in techno-
communication (GPRS/GMS). logy allow us to consume less electrical energy
and at the same time to achieve adequate road
When new luminaires are retrofitted it is found lighting.
that lower power consumption is used to achieve

7

As the implementation consumes reduced energy by radio waves or by communication signals on the
then the existing electrical infrastructure is more existing power grid.
than capable of supplying the retrofitted luminaires.
Since the retrofitting does not involve the electrical The component located in the feeder cabinet can
grid, the implementation of a control system that be programmed to control and log every luminaries
demands a separate communication cable will on an individual basis (in some situations only the
result in a bad return of investment. component in the feeder cabinet can contribute to
a significant better control and feedback from the
On the other hand there are alternatives for the installation, without the upgrading of the luminaries).
feeding of communication. Both radio communica- With this technology one have the opportunity for
tion and the so called “PowerLine communication”, individual energy logging and updated information
are alternatives that do not require any physical on running/maintenance that will contribute to an
connections in addition to what already exists. easier planning of the daily maintenance.
A considerable reduction of the municipalities
Adaptive lighting: The main principal is to install a component in costs for running and maintaining the road
Description of a lighting instal- the feeder cabinet that communicates, two-ways, lighting installations will be the result of such an
lation that automatically adapts with each and every one of the luminaires either investment.
to the needs; for instance the
weather, road conditions or traffic
demands. For optimized usage it
takes built in intelligence in the
luminiares that makes two way
communication possible.

Intelligence:
Adaptive lighting
In this context means the “built in”
electronics in the luminiare that Adaptive road lighting. Road lighting is present to increase the safety of traffic and to
can measure and control the enhance the sense of security for individuals. Previous regulations and guidelines were
luminiare and makes two way designed to use the technology that was available at the time.
communication possible and
thereby achievement of “adaptive
lighting” (also called “intelligent The basis for all road lighting engineering has consumption and reporting from the lamp of
lighting”). been to maintain safety by being able to observe the current status. This gives better control of
objects on and beside the road. Important the installation and ensures that the equip-
factors are the roads geometrical design, ment actually delivers what is required to the
complexity, traffic volume and speed. customer which leads to an improvement of the
One also has to consider wet surfaces, the pre- quality of the delivered product, “road lighting”.
The future is adaptive lighting sence of pedestrian crossings, parked vehicles, This can be used to deliver higher quality form
schools etc. All installations were designed in the installer organisation. It also makes possible
Take control of your streetlighting the past based on the worst case scenario which to achieve better fleet management.
is still valid.
Public guidelines for purchasing Better control also gives increased predictabil-
have to be followed! The photoelectric detector was considered as a ity and secondarily it lowers maintenance and
revolutionary development at the time, and is running costs, by being able to achieve better
present in most road lighting installations today. planning and better implementation of error
As new technology can adapt the light levels corrections in the installations. Adaptive lighting
steplessly, new possibilities arise. introduces demands for better energy measure-
Modern technology for supervision of the traffic ments in the installations allowing the auto-
will optimize the lighting, it will also still need matic regulation of both electrical parameters,
to cater for the worst case scenario but should burning hours and light levels. This will call for
also be able to automatically adapt fully to the a demand for measured installations where
current needs. For example if the traffic flow is metering is not installed today. How this is to be
low during the night or if the traffic speed is low included must be a part of the agenda when an
during rush hours, or in snowy conditions the installation is being carried out. If the same sys-
reflection from the road surface is so high that tem implements the measurement function and
the need for lux levels is considerably lower than the control function then the communication
during wet or dry conditions and so on. expenses will be reduced, it will minimise the
number of components needed in the system
The obvious advantage of using adaptive light- so reducing costs and simplifying the operation
ing, with built in intelligence, is reduced energy and maintenance.

8

Purchase – an important function
Good planning will ensure the foundation for a good lighting installation. Your decisions
will have consequences for more then 20 years into the future, so this obligates a thorough
planning phase. This can mean the need for independent and high quality competence in Lighting measurements terms:
this phase.
Illuminance:
(Lux)
For new installations and refurbished installa- consumption, log the burning hours of each Is the total incident light (luminous
tions it is important to ensure that the tender lamp, link burnt out lamps to a superior map- flux) on a spesific surface, per unit
has an accurate and precise technical descrip- ping system and many other useful functions area.
tion that at the same time doesn’t favour any concerned with documentation and the daily
“brand specific” technology. At the same time running of a streetlight installation. Luminance:
it’s important to end up with an installation that [Cd/m2]
in the future can function well, without being Often it’s also the road keeper’s job to deliver Density of reflected or emitted
dependent of any single supplier or contractor. lighting for parks, pathways, floodlight tracking light from a surface in a spesific
direction, per unit area. In road
A good example is to use standard lamp sockets tracks and so on. It’s important to consider
lighting the important factors are
(by instance E27 or E40) and ballasts that can individual demands for these lighting tasks also. the roads reflecting ability and the
ignite different types of lamps (by instance both amount of incident light. This is
metal halide and high pressure sodium lamps). In Norway public purchasing is obligated to the most used quality criterion in
include a Life Cycle Calculation (LCC) when streetlighting today.
When the project initiator is provided with a deciding a purchase. The tender therefore has to
good description of the technical functionality specify clearly how these calculations are to be Glare:
this goal is obtainable. When carrying out large carried out. This will include information on the Light that either reduces the com-
investments and/or implementing a ”framework total efficiency of the system, power loss in the fort or directly reduces the vision.
agreement” it is also important to give the ignition system, efficiency of the lamp, expected Maximum requirements are given
for streetlighting installations.
administrative system some thought. decrease of maintenance costs due to extended
This system can embrace the control of the life times etc. Contrast:
installation, gathering of information on energy A measure of the visibility between
an object and the background
(or another object). The higher
contrast the higher visibility.

Lighting calculations Uniformity:
Relative number that indicates
the relation between the lowest
Lighting calculations can initially seem quite simple to perform using today’s computer luminance level present and the
average luminance level present
based calculation programs. But it takes an experienced lighting planner to make correct in a defined measuring field.
assumptions and premises, and also to interpret the results. Normally several adjustments Minimum requirements are given
have to be made before you receive an optimal result. for streetlighting installations.

It’s important to perform genuine calculations for When building new installations you are free to
your installation. optimize your installation dependent on lamp
height and relative placement of the columns.
During rehabilitation it’s important to consider
lamp heights and possible “extended mounting Which demands are to be met when carrying out
brackets”. By switching from old mercury lamps lighting calculations?
to high pressure sodium lamps it is often poss- • Independent of the supplier
ible to decrease one “step” of the installed lamp • Adjustments to the present road geometry
effect (W) and still provide for today’s demands and surface
for lighting. In these situations lighting calcula- • That it uses the same lamps in the in the
tions should be carried out with an independent planned installation as those used in the
counsellor. calculation.
With a new installation lighting calculations are
to be documented so that all demands are being When ownership is transferred/accepted, meas-
fulfilled. urements should be carried out on the installa-
tion to verify that the actual lighting level relates
to the deliverable lighting calculations!

9

Support schemes
For the financing of this kind of projects it is possible to gain financial support from both
national and international organisations. Below the European program IEE is shown.

Intelligent Energy – Europe (IEE) as part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Program (CIP) (2007-2013)

The objective of the IEE II Program is to contribute to secure, sustainable and competitively priced energy
for Europe, by providing for action:

• to foster energy efficiency and the rational use of energy resources;
• to promote new and renewable energy sources and to support energy diversification;
• to promote energy efficiency and the use of new and renewable energy sources in transport.

It will in particular contribute to the Commission’s proposed integrated energy and climate change
package including the renewable energy road map and the Energy Efficiency Action Plan.
Intelligent Energy – Europe II (IEE II) builds on the experience gained from its predecessor, the first
Intelligent Energy - Europe (IEE) Program running from 2003 to 2006. This Program has become the main
Community instrument to tackle non-technological barriers to the spread of efficient use of energy and
greater use of new and renewable energy sources. IEE II should also help with faster and smooth
implementation of energy-specific legislation.

For tender specifications and call for proposals visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/index_en.html

IEE:
Intelligent Energy Europe This brochure is translated by

on behalf of the E-Street project (www.e-streetlight.com)

Supported by
Special thanks to:
Mr Eirik Bjelland
Mr Odd Arnesen
The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors.
It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Communities.
The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of
the information contained therein.

10

scanpartner Trondheim 0394 Photo: Hafslund ASA

Guide for Energy Efficient street lighting

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