Keyways to save costs on your streetlighting network

Did you know you may be able to save thousands by making simple changes to your streetlighting assets? Managing, tracking, and reporting on streetlighting assets can seem like a daunting task. Particularly if your current asset data is inaccurate or your network is made up of inefficient luminaires. But what about ensuring you are getting the most out of your streetlight network? The below steps could help you reduce your streetlighting energy usage and maintenance requirements, saving you thousands of dollars per year. Outlined below are three keyways to save costs on your streetlighting assets.  

LED Lighting 

A crucial step in saving energy on your streetlighting assets is through upgrading your streetlights to LED lights. Depending on the application a specific LED light can be chosen to suit your network, with energy efficiency in mind. In comparison to incandescent lights, much less energy is used as LEDs offer much greater control over where the light falls. LEDs have great energy and cost-saving potential which outweigh the initial investment.

LED bulbs can last three to five times longer than fluorescent lights and 30 times longer than incandescent ones, therefore improving the longevity of streetlights in your network. This reduces the frequency with which bulbs need replacing, reducing long-term maintenance costs.  

Central Management System

Deploying an intelligent CMS to your network will allow complete control of your streetlight assets. This will enable you to control energy usage whilst maintaining real-time status visibility of your assets. Your streetlighting contractor can support you in selecting a CMS that is appropriate for your network. A light point controller installed on your LEDs or luminaires will connect to the CMS and enable control over the lighting profile. The result is a controllable asset with round-the-clock monitoring capability.  

A CMS can decrease light levels with dimming functions. This allows for reduced nightglow and further energy savings during off-peak hours. 

Additionally, the CMS can provide your contractors with crucial information on streetlight asset status, enabling you to quickly identify and fix problems. This enables a more efficient maintenance regime, which can in turn save costs.  

Data Management  

By utilising a road assessment and maintenance management system, you can ensure you record and hold all streetlight asset data, such as condition assessments and survey reports. By maintaining an accurate RAMM database, contractors can easily monitor streetlight condition and maintenance requirements, ensuring efficiency when replacing lights and poles. Additionally, when assets are replaced the same type of asset can be installed to ensure it complies with the lighting regulations. 

Contractors can use the system to conduct asset verification surveys to solve data discrepancies, inspections and tests of assets, and document replacements or maintenance activity. Utilising a contractor that understands data management will ensure that your streetlight data is captured accurately.   

By maintaining an accurate streetlight database in RAMM, you can use the data to make informed decisions regarding your network. For example, you might use RAMM to identify that your fluorescent or incandescent lights are requiring three times the maintenance of your LEDs, which may prompt you to complete an upgrade.  

This is an essential step in enabling smart decision-making with the long-term goal of implementing cost-effective decisions around lighting assets and maintenance schedules.  

Check out our streetlight energy savings infographic below, for a comparison between incandescent and LED lights 👇 

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