Street lighting helps reduce accidents at night by improving visibility. It can reduce pedestrian accidents by about 70%. Street lighting helps people feel safe at night. Street lighting is needed along the road for safer, comfortable, convenient and efficient movement of vehicles at night.

A standard LED street light operates about 10 to 12 hours per day and the lifetime of the light source is about 100,000 hours of operation.

Today, street lights are being retrofitted with energy-efficient LEDs to improve their functionality.

Without adequate lighting, it is much more difficult for drivers to see potential road hazards, road signs, other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. In addition, poor lighting can exacerbate certain hazards. Street lights should be placed in a way that is beneficial rather than harmful.

LEDs are energy-efficient because they emit very little heat, so they require much less energy to emit the same amount of light as their conventional equivalents. In comparison, incandescent bulbs give off 90% of their energy as heat, and fluorescent lights give off about 80% of their energy as heat.

LED street lights can help cities become more sustainable by reducing their carbon footprint through lower energy consumption. LED lighting systems can also be integrated with smart technologies to cut costs, save energy and make street lighting infrastructure more versatile, flexible and efficient.

Energy efficiency of LED street lights

LEDs are energy-efficient because they emit very little heat, so they require much less energy to emit the same amount of light as their conventional equivalents. In comparison, incandescent light bulbs give off 90% of their energy as heat and fluorescent lights give off about 80% of their energy as heat. LED lights are 50% to 70% more energy efficient than traditional lighting technologies.

Fewer emissions

One of the advantages of LED streetlights is lower energy consumption: LED streetlights generate fewer carbon emissions than their conventional equivalents.

Longer lifespan

Another benefit of LED street lights is longer lifespan: LED lighting products have a longer lifespan than conventional lights. For example, LED luminaires can last three to five times longer than fluorescent lamps and 30 times longer than incandescent lamps.

High color rendering

The high color rendering is close to natural light and presents colors more realistically. This helps drivers and pedestrians better identify objects at night, improving traffic safety and road conditions.

Quick start

LED lights take only tens of nanoseconds to turn on, there is no waiting time to restart and they can operate normally in a continuous on/off state.

Street lighting facilitates safer navigation and promotes a sense of security for people who work and live in the area. Here we discuss the six things you should know about street light poles before replacing or installing them.

1. Column height

The street lighting pole must be the correct height to ensure adequate lighting density. In most cases, street pole heights range from 6 to 12 meters.

2. Light consistency and installation intervals

Street lights are meant to illuminate the road for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. However, if an area is well lit and the adjacent area is dark, it creates room for accidents as the eyes have to adjust. Street lights should be placed at constant intervals.

3. The environment in which they are installed

You will need to pay attention to the area where the street lighting poles are installed. For example, in a coastal region, poles are susceptible to corrosion from salt water. You may therefore need poles and luminaires with a high degree of protection against salt corrosion.

4. Light distribution

Although a street may be adequately illuminated as per SR13201 of 2015/2016, there are factors such as trees or tall buildings that could create dark areas. This defeats the purpose of installing street lights. It is vital to take such features into account when designing how the street lights are placed.

5. Street lighting poles for aesthetics

Most city spaces today are defined by the quality of decorative lighting and street lighting columns. In the recent past, we have seen the emergence of decorative lighting columns that are used to highlight aesthetic elements such as statues, gardens and fountains. This street lighting concept has an exciting appeal and can aesthetically transform an otherwise boring city space.

6. Street lighting maintenance

A standard LED street light operates approximately 10 to 12 hours per day, and the lifespan of LED street lights is about 100,000 hours of operation. As such, it is vital to replace lighting fixtures equipped with conventional light sources with LED light source fixtures for more efficient lighting. Also, the poles used should be sized according to the luminaire mounted on it.