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  • 1.  Street Lighting Update

    Posted 25-08-2014 19:49

    I wanted to update you on important LED lighting developments in New Zealand that have relevance to the IPWEA Practice Note on Street Lighting and our upcoming workshops.

    The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has, in recent weeks, made a series of announcements that put New Zealand on a path to widespread deployment of LED street lights on all classes of roadways from local roads to freeways.  NZTA has concluded that LED lighting is, "... now proven and technically mature" and that LED lighting, "...is proving to be the lowest whole of life cost lighting option in almost all situations." 

    NZTA, the equivalent of the NSW RMS or other State Road Authorities, manages a subsidy scheme that provides funding to New Zealand councils covering roughly half the costs of lighting residential and main roads. Adherence to its guidelines and specifications is a requirement for local councils to receive this funding. NZTA is also directly responsible for just under 10% of all the road lighting in New Zealand through its ownership and management of lighting on state highways and freeways.

    Recently, after extensive consultation, NZTA released a new Specification and Guidelines for Road Lighting Design and a list of (currently 15) accepted LED luminaires from seven manufacturers. This new specification will most likely have the effect of halting almost all non-LED lighting installations on New Zealand roadways. From now on, New Zealand councils will only be eligible for the NZTA subsidy if they follow the new specification for new and replacement lighting. Non-LED solutions are only permitted,"...if superior whole of life cost can be demonstrated." There are nonon-LED products on the list of accepted luminaires.

    The new NZTA Specification & Guidelines as well as the list of Accepted Luminaires can be found here: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/consultation/specification-and-guidelines-for-road-lighting-design/index.html

    Another recent statement on LED lighting by the NZ Transport Agency and the NZ Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority can be found here: http://emanz.org.nz/system/files/LED%20statement%20for%20SOLGM%20questionnaire.pdf

    There is certainly a lot happening but this is a particularly important step as it is the first jurisdiction in the ANZ and under AS/NZS 1158 to clearly go all LED.

    Thank you to Graham Mawer for this update. Graham Mawer is from Next Energy and the principal author of the IPWEA Practice Note on Street Lighting.

    You can download a free copy of the IPWEA Practice Note at http://www.ipwea.org/PN11.

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    Chris Champion
    CEO, IPWEA
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    Pathway