Luminaires

• Design features
• Light output performance
• How does good light output performance reduce energy use?
• Standard luminaires
• Non-standard luminaires
• Why are standard luminaires more energy efficient?
• Suppliers

The luminaire (light fitting or lantern) is the device which houses the lamp, operating equipment, reflector and visor. It directs the light output to the desired direction and protects the internal equipment from damage. This page provides a basic introduction to luminaires and advice in choosing an energy efficient luminaire. In short, a luminaire should be selected for ease of handling, endurance, light output performance, and ability to maximise the pole spacing.

All luminaires intended for use in Category V (major road) and Category P (minor road) lighting schemes must meet the requirements of the Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1158.6:2004, such as electrical safety requirements. A sustainable luminaire should incorporate the following design features:

• Easy to install - distribution companies strongly prefer luminaires which are easy to install or change
• Easy to maintain - that is, to change the lamps and photoelectric (PE) cells inside
• Have a minimum service life of 20 years
• Maintain an International Protection (IP) rating of not less than IP54 for the lamp chamber for the life of the luminaire, and preferably 65 or higher. The International Protection (IP) rating is a two-digit number measuring the ability of an enclosure to prevent the intrusion of dust and water. The first digit refers to dust ingress protection, the second to water ingress protection. The higher the digits the higher the protection. Most luminaires have two enclosed areas, the lamp chamber and the terminal block area (or control gear chamber). The ballast and control gear is often situated in the terminal block area. The lamp enclosure usually has a higher IP rating than the terminal block enclosure. If the luminaire uses an electronic ballast, ensure that the ballast is also housed in an IP65 enclosure, so that it lasts 4 years.
• Ruggedness, or ability to deal with heat, cold, vibration (which can be significant, both from traffic and winds) and rough linesmen.
• Ability to house energy efficient lamp and control gear – see Standard Luminaires section

The light output performance determines how effectively the luminaire transfers the light output from the lamp it holds into useful roadway lighting. Good lighting performance is defined as:

• Compliance with the relevant Australian Standard, which for this aspect of luminaires is AS/NZS 1158.3.1 for Category P lighting and 1158.1.1 for Category V lighting. This is about getting the best possible spread of light along the road.

• Reducing light pollution, including obtrusive light onto neighbouring properties, spill light into the night sky and glare.

Given the same lamp, a luminaire that has good light output performance will maximise pole spacing. The greater the distance between poles, the less energy used (because fewer lights are needed). As well as reduced CO2e emissions, this reduces energy bills, capital costs and ongoing maintenance needs. See the Poles page for more information about pole spacing.

Some of the ways a luminaire can improve light output performance include reducing glare with increased mounting height, increased visor (diffuser) surface area, and opaque lamps. Note that aeroscreen diffusers, typically used on higher power luminaires in the vicinity of airports, stop any light from going upwards but also limit the useful sideways throw of the lamp unless mounted on a very high pole. However aeroscreen luminaires tend to require closer pole spacings, which increases the energy used per linear metre of road.

Maximum light/pole spacing along a street can be determined using a lighting design program such as Perfect Lite and photometric data (ie light performance data) supplied by the luminaire manufacturer.

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A standard luminaire provides the most even light distribution across the road for the greatest distance, and can be installed at greater pole spacings because of their superior light output performance; hence they require fewer lights per linear metre.

As well as reduced energy costs, they also have cheaper capital and operational costs per linear metre of street, as compared with non-standard luminaires. Non-standard lighting with reduced mounting heights and inefficient luminaires can increase energy requirements per linear meter of road by around 15-30% compared with standard lighting. 

If a non-standard luminaire must be installed, install one with high light output performance. Request your lighting designer to supply pole heights and spacings, and compare them with those of a standard luminaire (see the Sustainable Design and Maintenance Guidelines 2008 produced by NAGA).

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• Sylvania supplies a number of luminaires, including the Urban, a relatively new standard luminaire that has been used as a substitute for the B2224 in spot replacements and new developments throughout Australia. It also stocks the Suburban, a slightly smaller version of the Sylvania Urban, which is low energy.

• Pierlite supplies the Greenstreet engineered/standard luminaire.

In addition, there are many suppliers of decorative luminaires.

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