Planning & Design

• Understanding lighting design
• What are the key design considerations?
• Tool: Sustainable Public Lighting Developers' Guidelines and Checklist, 2004
• Tool: Carpark Lighting Design Checklist & Template, 2006
• Tool: Land Developers' Guide to Solar Public Lighting
• Action checklist

It is essential to understand lighting design to be able to properly design new lighting schemes. It is strongly recommended that Councils use Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia and New Zealand (IES) accredited designers or train staff to this level.

Often a poor understanding of design principles leads to overlighting to compensate for lack of knowledge. Effective lighting design means using the right type and amount of light in the right location – saving energy, maintenance requirements and money.

Details of training courses running in Australia and New Zealand can be found at the IES website.

Public lighting design should be based around achieving maximum energy efficiency while meeting local lighting requirements such as:

• light distribution
• light depreciation of the lamp over time (and whether it meets the Australian Standards)
• the 'life' of the luminaire and other components (lamps, control gear, PE cells)
• maintenance requirements
• cost effectiveness
• aesthetics
• minimising vandalism of lights
• minimising light pollution
• the preferred 'colour' properties of the light output
• compliance with the Australian Standards which provide recommendations about public lighting in Australia.

Further information is available in the Technologies section.

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The Developers' Guidelines and Checklist advise councils on how to incorporate sustainable public lighting outcomes into the planning process for new subdivisions. Developers, planners, engineers and lighting designers may also find them useful.

• Developers' Guidelines Part A (Word document, 187KB) – outlines pertinent public lighting information; and
• Developers' Guidelines Part B (includes checklist) (Word document, 140 KB) – contains the provisions that apply to the installation of new public lighting.  Part B also contains a checklist of the requirements for new public lighting installations.

The Developers' Guidelines and Checklist were prepared by Banyule City Council in collaboration with the Northern Alliance for Greenhouse Action (NAGA), as part of the former Sustainable Energy Authority Victoria's 2004 Sustainable Public Lighting Initiative.

All care has been taken to ensure that the information in the Developers' Guidelines and Checklist is accurate and useful, however, councils are encouraged to review, use and adapt it to suit their needs. For more information, email Paul Brown.

The Carpark Lighting Design Checklist and Template were developed as part of the Energy Efficient Lighting Design Concept for the Brentford Square Carpark in the City of Whitehorse.

The Checklist provides guidance to councils in developing an energy efficient lighting design for carparks. The template assists councils to quantify the energy savings of sustainable lighting designs for car parks and pathways. The template is a guide only and should be used in conjunction with the carpark lighting design checklist above. It is recommended that a lighting consultant is used to assist in determining the lighting design and energy saving potentials.

The Webb Australia Group developed the Energy Efficient Lighting Design Concept for the Brentford Square Carpark in the City of Whitehorse as part of the former Sustainable Energy Authority Victoria's 2004 Sustainable Public Lighting Initiative. The proposed concept included:

• Replacement of the existing pole mounted floodlights inside the carkpark with new pole mounted, high efficiency T5 fluorescent luminaires.
• Replacement of the existing pole mounted luminaires around the perimeter of the carpark with new decorative, high efficiency, pole mounted luminaires.
• Provide LED guidance lights at the kerbs of traffic islands throughout the carpark.

For further information about the Brentford Square project, the lighting design checklist, or the lighting design template, please contact Angelo Da Campo, City of Whitehorse, Engineering & Environmental Services, Ph: +61 (0)3 9262 6455, or Martin Butcher, Lighting Designer, Ph: +61 (0)3 9877 7722.

The Land Developers' Guide to Solar Public Lighting provides advice about the installation of solar lighting schemes in new subdivisions. It is is available in two parts:

• Outline to Land Developers' Guide to Solar Public Lighting (PDF document, 163KB)
• Land Developers' Guide to Solar Public Lighting  (PDF document, 772KB)

The Guide was developed by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council on the basis of its 12-month community and technical monitoring program at Orchard Grove, Hastings, Victoria. Orchard Grove was the site of the first grid connected solar street lighting system in a residential subdivision in Australia. For more information contact Rolf Freeman at Mornington Peninsular Shire Council.

1. Investigate options for street lighting management systems
2. Review current policy on non-standard luminaries; ensure it enables new technologies (e.g. T5 technologies need side-entry poles)
3. Consider specifying a short list of non-standard poles to ensure supply, longevity and price competitiveness
4. Develop guidelines, tools or mechanisms to help council planners, urban designers, and engineers use energy efficient lighting or use existing ones. Communicate to developers any alterations to specific guidelines and technology types
5. Amend planning scheme to include/specify energy efficient lights in new subdivisions