- Will HISLAT® save me money?
A HISLAT® survey will not normally save a road controlling authority, RCA, money. However it is a system that can be used to assure RCA’s that the level of service they are paying for is being delivered. In an increasingly litigious society. Incorporating HISLAT® surveys as part of the management process will protect against claims that poor street lighting was a contributing factor to accidents or other events. Where poor performance is widespread, HISLAT® provides a means of establishing a “worst first” upgrade programme that can spread capital expenditure over several years without risking complaints from residents that their area should have been given priority over another.
- Areas where HISLAT® could save money would be:
- Determination of Bulk Lamp Change period. Rather than rely on published lamp survival data, a change could be deferred until survival actually reaches a pre-determined limit appropriate to the installation. Lamp manufacturers are continually improving their products, so why not take advantage of those improvements?)
- With an assurance from a HISLAT® survey that design performance is being achieved, more energy efficient designs can be used. If a standard maintenance factor of 70% could be lifted to 85% in an optimised design, then an immediate energy saving of over 17% is achievable. There will also be savings in infrastructure capital costs and on going maintenance costs plus reduced accident risk as fewer poles will have been used.
- Where poorly performing lights provide a level of service acceptable to stakeholders, the installation can be redesigned and monitored to maintain that level using appropriate energy efficient luminaires.
- In some jurisdictions we expect energy performance benchmarks to be set, above which carbon charge penalties will apply and below which, carbon credits will be claimable.
- Is Bulk Lamp Replacement the answer?
Bulk lamp replacement is widely recognised as an effective maintenance methodology. It is particularly useful for major highways where significant traffic management costs are incurred to allow maintenance work to be carried out. Some public lighting codes set specific intervals between planned changes, which usually err on the conservative side.
Bulk replacement eliminates the historical problem of mercury vapour lamps being left in service well beyond the time at which lumen output has degraded below acceptable levels. For modern lamps, timetabled bulk replacement relies on lamp mortality figures supplied by manufacturers. However improved quality control and manufacturing processes, combined with specific operating conditions could mean that a bulk change based on reaching a threshold mortality figure could extend the period between changes.
For major highways bulk lamp replacement will almost always provide the least overall cost, but for residential areas where only limited traffic management is needed, the advantages may not be as well defined. Where a good asset management database with lamp change dates is available, best use of a maintenance crew’s attendance to an area could be to adopt a partial replacement policy such that when in a particular area for any reason, for example to replace a reported fault, as many of the oldest lamps in service in the area would be replaced on that day before returning to the depot. Basically the contractor makes sure that a full day’s work is completed in an area before returning, and trips to replace single lamps are not sanctioned.
- Can HISLAT® identify Energy Efficiency Opportunities?
If there are good records relating to a lighting inventory, energy efficiency opportunities can be identified by analysis. The first check should be on whether traffic densities are appropriate for the selected lighting category. If a downgrade is warranted, a HISLAT® survey will identify whether the existing installation is operating sufficiently below design expectations to make the change unnoticeable to residents. This is something alluded to in a report from the Australian Greenhouse Office when recommending consideration of the AS/NZS 1158 P5 category when upgrading lights in residential areas.
Where the records are limited, and do not include luminaire mounting geometry, then a “first cut” analysis can be undertaken using HISLAT® survey data, followed by on site confirmation of findings.
Other energy efficiency opportunities not generally recognised are dimming and part night switching which may be acceptable where stakeholders agree. Part night switching trials appear to have been successful in many parts of Essex, UK, which cover non essential lights between residential intersections and dimming of main road lighting when traffic flows reduce have been implemented in parts of Belgium. | |
- How is HISLAT® survey data presented?
The common cliché is that a picture tells a thousand words. Hence we normally provide clear annotated graphs and a concise road-by-road report of your inventory. Graphical reports for each road section include displacement to enable accurate positioning and the reports include approximate initial and lower maintenance factor illuminance limits for luminaires, with the average for each luminaire shown as a stepped graphical output. Areas where performance is below the allowable maintenance factor limit are quickly identified.
We also provide a prioritisation spreadsheet that allows you to plan your maintenance and capital expenditure over several years on a “worst first” basis.
- Who Undertakes HISLAT® surveys?
In New Zealand, Odyssey Energy Ltd have run all the surveys but in Australia we have recently formed a partnership with Australasian Traffic Surveys to complete future surveys. Survey customers have generally been road controlling authorities, but enquiries are now being received from some maintenance contractors keen to provide assured service.
Odyssey Energy are happy to fly to your area with a survey kit that can be temporarily installed on a hired or client owned vehicle.
In the future ownership of HISLAT® will be in a separate company that will license the system to any interested parties. Odyssey Energy will become one of these licensees. The establishment of this system is dependent on finding sufficient resources which we are currently seeking from the NZ investment community. If you are interested in becoming a founding licensee, please contact our managing director Roger Loveless. By using licensees, travel time to survey areas will be reduced.
- What If We Don’t Have A Lighting Database?
Odyssey Energy can carry out, or organise a full physical survey and populate a complete database for you.
We have completed several full and partial surveys for database verification and compilation. |
