More and more municipalities are replacing their street lighting with dynamic street lighting. Understandable given the many benefits. In the context of the objectives in the energy agreement, this is the time to take action. Thinking on a large scale and looking to the future is recommended. Robert Tissing, director of Luminext, explains.
Public lighting is the biggest energy user for most municipalities. So saving energy is valuable. With the implementation of dynamic lighting and LED a municipality saves on average over 60 percent. Less costs, customized lighting, simpler and more efficient management: dynamic lighting has a long list of advantages. “And yet municipalities still regularly wait with a large-scale rollout,” says Robert. “We notice that people find it difficult to make a well-considered choice. Which technical solution do you choose, when do you step in? ”
It’s time for an overview. Public lighting can be roughly divided into four levels:
"Think carefully about your future steps but do not wait."
Of the 3.5 million public lampposts in the Netherlands, about 30% is equipped with LED. 8% of the public lighting is dynamically controlled. In short, there is work to be done, because the benefits are so great that we cannot ignore them. But how do you get from traditional street lighting to a future-proof solution?
“Skip the static dimmers and opt for dynamic lighting right away,” advises Robert firmly. “Think big and think ahead. The technology has now been proven to be reliable and cost-effective and an open system can be used flexibly, so you can go in all directions with regard to the choice of suppliers and links to IT systems. ” Moreover, you earn back the investment in a few years. ”
Tissing continues: “And if you don’t have a management software platform yet, which is absolutely the foundation for smart lighting, then implement Luminizer. That is really a no-brainer. It really is the central cockpit for managing and controlling all public lighting. It costs little and delivers immediate results. ” Robert counts on his fingers: “You have insight into the installations, you know what the contractor is doing, you can better answer questions from the Council and residents. And you remain flexible at all times because Luminizer can handle almost all existing systems and suppliers. So there is no vendor lock-in.”
The next step is to tackle the lighting itself. “The best thing is to draw up a plan for making all public lighting smarter in one go and to implement it in phases, given the annual budgets. It is best to do this within a relatively short period of time, because the more lighting that is fitted with smart lighting technology, the greater are the benefits in terms of operational cost savings and energy savings. You only really benefit from automatic fault detection if the entire area is actually equipped with OLCs. If a part isn’t smart yet, you still have to go out at night to check. ”
He continues: “Start with the installations with the highest capacities in the busiest places. Dimming is cost-efficient and can therefore be rolled out broadly immediately. Special applications for dimming local street lighting on demand can be used in specific locations. For example using motion sensors on a dark cycle path on the outskirts of the city. In this way you can enjoy the benefits of large-scale smart lighting with smart, customized functional applications where that is needed. ”
Robert Tissing has a strong vision that results in well thought-out, future-proof solutions. “Think carefully about the future steps but don’t wait,” Robert concludes. “Don’t wait another five years for some sort of big bang, in the hope of an ultimate smart city total solution. Really, that’s not going to happen. And why should you, the benefits of dynamic light are already available today. ”
We will be happy to give you advise. Please contact Robert Tissing and ask your questions.
General Director
