CRITERION 6

ENHANCE OUTDOOR LIGHTING SYSTEM

EFFICIENCY AND USE RENEWABLE ENERGY
SYSTEM FOR MEETING OUTDOOR LIGHTING
REQUIREMENTS

CRITERION 6 ENHANCE OUTDOOR LIGHTING SYSTEM EFFICIENCY

AND USE RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM FOR MEETING OUTDOOR
LIGHTING REQUIREMENTS
COMMITMENT
Meet minimum allowable luminous efficacy (as per lamp type) and make
progressive use of a renewable-energy-based lighting system. (3 points)
OPTIONAL CLAUSE
Luminous efficacy of 100% of lamps used in outdoor lighting to meet the
corresponding lamp luminous efficacy as mentioned in Table 6.1, as per GRIHA (1
point).
Responsibility: Electrical Consultant
Automatic controls for 100% of outdoor lights, as per GRIHA (1 point).
Responsibility: Electrical Consultant
Percentage of total outdoor lighting fixtures with solar lighting system, as per
GRIHA (a minimum of 25% of total number or 15% of total connected load,
whichever is higher) (1 point)
Responsibility: Electrical Consultant

CRITERION 6 ENHANCE OUTDOOR LIGHTING SYSTEM EFFICIENCY

AND USE RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM FOR MEETING OUTDOOR
LIGHTING REQUIREMENT
OBJECTIVE
Enhance energy efficiency of outdoor lighting and promote usage of renewable forms
of energy to reduce the use of conventional/fossil fuel based energy resources.
COMMITMENT
1. Luminous efficacy of external light sources used for outdoor lighting shall
equal or exceed as specified.
2. All outdoor lighting to be fitted with an automatic on/off switch.
3. A minimum of 25% of the total number or 15% of the total connected load of
outdoor lighting fixtures (whichever is higher) to be powered by solar energy.
Outdoor lighting system includes
(i) SECURITY LIGHTING,
(II) STREET LIGHTING,
(III) LANDSCAPE LIGHTING,
(IV) FAADE LIGHTING, AND
(V) PARKING LIGHTING.

COMPLIANCE
The following documents are to be submitted.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Luminous efficacy of each type of lamp used in outdoor lighting.

Luminous efficacy (lm/W) = {lamp lumen output (lm)}/{lamp wattage (W) +
ballast power loss (W)}.
Outdoor lighting layout with manufacturers details of lamps, ballasts,
luminaries, and automatic controls. Wiring diagram and placement of automatic
switch(es) for outdoor lighting.
Demarcate solar lighting systems for outdoor lighting in outdoor-lighting
layout and give details of the same.

APPRAISAL (maximum points 3)

1.
2.
3.

Luminous efficacy of 100% of lamps used in outdoor lighting meets the

corresponding lamp luminous efficacy as per clause 6.2.1 (1 point).
Automatic controls for 100% of outdoor lights, as per clause 6.1.2 (1 point).
Percentage of total outdoor lighting fixtures with solar lighting system, as per
clause 3 (a minimum of 25% of total number or 15% of total connected load,
whichever is higher (1 point)

visibility and are unable to serve the purpose. Therefore, it is important to

design outdoor lighting such that it provides required Illumination levels
during night.
Usually people relate quantity of light to safety; however, it is not the
quantity but the quality of light that gives rise to the feeling of
safety and security. In fact, excessive illumination or light that Is not
focused properly causes glare or high-brightness contrast, which results in
loss of visibility.
Prevalent notion of the brighter the better and general insensitivity of
people towards energy
wastage often results in high energy-consuming outdoor lighting schemes
with illumination levels that are much higher than what is necessary. Poor
maintenance and operation are other major factors contributing
towards energy inefficiency in outdoor lighting. Outdoor light switched
on during daytime is a common sighting in urban areas.
An efficient outdoor lighting scheme meets the desired level of lighting, but
also with optimum
utilization of energy.
Inappropriate design, use of inefficient lamps and poor operation of
outdoor lighting not only
result in wastage of light and poor illumination quality, but also
contribute to high electricity

Energy efficiency in outdoor lighting

Efficiency of external lighting scheme can be improved through optimum
design, use of efficient light sources, and by installing automatic lighting
controls.

LIGHTING TECHNIQUES
Outdoor lighting covers a wide range of applications, including parking
areas. pathways, walkways, parks, landscaped areas, water bodies,
The
following
is building
a description
of some of the common outdoor lighting
sculptures,
and
facades.
techniques.
1. PATH LIGHTING: It is specifically designed to light pathways and
walkways to provide security and visibility for walking. Usually, low-impact
lights are used, wh.ch are either installed next to the path facing down or
buried in the path Itself facing upwards.
2. DOWN LIGHTING: This technique is used for lighting-specific activity
areas. Light source is above the object that Is to be lighted like on a pole,
building, wall or tree.

3. UPLIGHTING: Uplighting Is used to highlight interesting features like

trees, fountains or sculptures. It involves lighting objects by placing light
source below them (like placed on a clamp on the ground or buried in the
ground).
4. SPREAD LIGHTING: Spread lighting is used in creating evenly distributed
low levels of circular light patterns to illuminate wide areas of ground cover
or landscaping.

5. FAADE LIGHTING: Faade lighting is used to accentuate building

faades by placing light source near the base and aiming it such that the
faade is bathed with light.
6. SECURITY LIGHTING: Security lighting is used to illuminate those areas
around the house that have the potential of becoming a hiding place for
Intruders. This can be achieved by using a combination of low-level lighting
and down lighting or spot lighting.

1. STANDARDS: Exterior lighting requirements specified by the Energy

Conservation Building Code
2007 of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. Government of India, should be
referred to while
designing outdoor lighting.
2. UNIFORM ILLUMINATION: Exterior lighting design should be such that it
provides uniform lighting and avoids pockets of insufficient or excessive
lighting.
3. GLARE CONTROL: Glare Is caused due to excessive luminance from
unshielded light sources at the eye level. Glare affects the visual performance
as sudden change in the brightness of visual held causes discomfort to the
human eye. Therefore, glare problems should be limited to appropriate
locations, shielding and selection of fixtures.
4. LUMINOUS EFFICACY Efficiency of lamps is measured in terms of their
luminous efficacy, which is the ratio of luminous flux (lamp lumen output) to
the power consumed by the lamp. It reflects
the energy conversion efficiency of a lamp for converting electricity to light
form. By specifying
minimum allowable values of luminous efficacy of lamps, the total power
consumption by
outdoor lamps can be optimized for required lumen output. Both these values
are mentioned
on the lamp packaging/wrapper and can be calculated very simply.
5. LIGHTING POWER DENSITY (LPD): This term refers to the maximum
lighting power required per unit area of a building (watts per square metre or

TYPES OF CONTROLS
TIMERS: These are the simplest type of controls and are most popular.
Some areas In buildings may require lighting for specific durations like
security lighting, landscape lighting or building floodlighting.Timers allow
this type of control by switching on and off as per preset times. These
can have one setting (same time) for the whole year or several (seasonal/
weekly/daily) settings to take care of the changing sunset times.
PHOTOCELL OUTDOOR LIGHTING CONTROL: This type of control turns
lights on and off by sensing daylight levels. Main application of these
controls is for security purposes where lighting Is required as in fig
1.Timer duration when enough daylight is not available.
These can be used In conjunction with the timer
controls for controlling lights that are required during dusk and can be
switched off at night.

STAND-ALONE SOLAR LIGHTING

Use of solar energy to power outdoor lights using stand alone solar
photovoltaic systems, is a technology that has been successfully
demonstrated all over the world. Solar lights are a commercially available PV
technology n Indian market. A typical commercially available solar light
system in India comprises the following.

. 74 WP SOLAR PV MODULE
. 12 V, 75 AH TUBULAR PLATE BATTERY WITH BATTERY BOX
. CHARGE CONTROLLER-CUM-INVERTER (2035 KHZ)
. 11 WATT CFI LAMP WITH FIXTURES
. 4-5 METRE MILD STEEL LAMP POST ABOVE GROUND LEVEL
WITH WEATHERPROOF PAINT AND MOUNTING HARDWARE

Stand-alone solar lighting is a simple and safe method to power exterior lights as they
require no wiring or transformers.
The solar PV modules produce electricity during the day using energy from incident
solar radiation and charge the battery. This stored electricity Is then used to power
lights during evening or night time as required.
Solar-powered lighting can be used for building exterior lighting purposes like lighting
for
security, park, parking lot and walkways. Costs towards trenching and installation of
underground wiring, which is required in case of conventional outdoor lights
compensates to some extent for the higher cost of the solar lighting packs, thus making
them economically feasible. Currently LED- based solar-powered street lighting
systems for outdoor lighting are available in the market. These have high colour index
and operating life of more than 50000 hours.
Electricity generated by an on-site solar PV system can also be utilized to power
exterior light
fixtures of the required load. This solar PV plant can be designed exclusively for
providing electricity for exterior lights or else it can be sized for providing electricity
for other end uses as well.