The technical standards that underpin road lighting design and application in Australia and New Zealand are under review and being updated to encompass the latest LED lighting and control technologies and new research findings in white light and vision science.
The revision of AS/NZS1158: Lighting for Roads and Public Spaces will include the lighting design impacts of LED technology as well as the design, application and safety impacts of adaptive lighting – an energy-saving technique that uses autonomous or internet-based control systems to dim or brighten lighting levels in response to road or pedestrian traffic, including for example sporting events or weather conditions.
The AS/NZS1158 Road Lighting Standards Committee is currently focussed on the luminaire (light fitting) standard, AS/NZS1158 Part 6 Luminaires, and expects to publish the first of a two-phased update to permit the use of LED road lighting by early April 2014, explains Bryan King, Director of New Zealand consultancy Strategic Lighting Partners, and a member of the Standards Committee.
"Until the new Part 6 is published, the use of LED luminaires of any kind is not permitted in Australia and New Zealand, and Road Lighting Authorities are having to turn a blind eye to the Standards in order to implement LED lighting installations up and down the country," he says.
The update of AS/NZS1158 Part 6 to permit the use of LED road lighting will be followed by a second phase review process, which is likely to adopt a new performance-based approach to road lighting standards in Australia and New Zealand. As a result of the second phase review, the new Standards can be expected to incorporate road lighting performance requirements that reflect international best practice.
"Understanding and interpreting this fast-moving technology-rich business sector and the range of Standards that underpin it represents a real challenge for all – a challenge that is unlikely to become simpler anytime soon," says King. "Once mastered, the new technologies and the standards they govern will deliver increased energy efficiency, reduce maintenance, and improve the nighttime environment on our roads."
IPWEA is currently preparing a new Practice Note on energy-efficient street lighting, which is expected to be released in March this year.
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