LED and smart controlled public lighting technologies have advanced greatly in recent times and provide many features and advantages for improving amenity, safety and financial outcomes in towns and cities. 

Smart public lighting and controls provide cities, suburbs and rural communities with many important benefits including:

1. Efficiently maintain important safety infrastructure (public lighting) through computerised asset management techniques 
2. Tailor lighting levels to the precise requirements so that excess lighting is reduced and any harmful or unwelcome effects are minimised
3. Reduce electrical energy usage at times when less lighting is required
4. Precisely measure the electrical energy consumed (in contrast to the current practice which is not metered) to capture the benefits of tailored lighting levels and off-peak dimming and switching
5. Provides a network infrastructure for sensors and smart devices to improve community liveability and resilience

However, the features that provide these benefits also add complexity to the specification and procurement process, with which the market is unfamiliar. This means there is a strong need for a guiding suite of Model Specification documents to help achieve best practice.

The objectives to the soon-to-be released suite of Model Specifications for LED Lighting, and its companion, the Model Specification for Public Lighting Controls Systems is to be:

• Technically robust and current
• Accommodating of a modular procurement approach where each technology level – possibly provided by separate vendors - is interoperable with the other, or conversely a turnkey approach where the whole system is provided by a single vendor. 
• Compatible with AS/NZS standards and specifications and addressing gaps where AS/NZS guidance does not exist or is not suitably current;
• Written concisely in easy to understand language;
• Applicable to large and small projects in urban and rural applications;
• Structured to include a range of selectable options to be chosen by the user to deliver a customised specification meeting their needs;
• A living document, subject to ongoing review as the technology and market evolves; and
• Widely and freely available to reduce barriers to uptake of controls and dramatically increase the likelihood of procurement and application (you just need to register on the SLSC website – no charge)

The Model Specifications have been funded by the Australian Federal Government, Department of Environment and Energy, to improve energy, environmental, economic and social outcomes. 

The specification suite will be made available free-of-charge to SLSC supporters (simply opt-in to the free SLSC newsletter) around mid-July with “How to Use” free webinars being held on 20th and 27th July. Details available at www.slsc.org.au. Note: the first webinar is already booked out, and the second has only three places remaining. You can register your interest for additional webinars.