Month: March 2017

For an optimal street lighting project, choose a quality lighting audit with Goodwork

At Goodwork we have been designing LED street lighting projects for municipalities for many years. And we always do it through the latest technology and innovation and, together with a team of professionals who advise and accompany each step of the process, being aware of the vital importance of lighting over people’s lives.

We are at the forefront in the optical and light sector designing projects ranging from consulting, lighting and design, installation and maintenance.

We are experts in energy efficiency and through public lighting we can bring to the city not only economic and ecological benefits (Goodwork LED reduce consumption by 80% and do not emit harmful agents into the atmosphere), but also for the health of plants, animals and people.

WHAT IS A LIGHTING AUDIT?

Do you ask yourself what a lighting audit is? In order to carry out a street lighting project, a series of very specific requirements and regulations must be fulfilled: lighting levels according to road types, levels of light pollution, etc., which are often overlooked because they have not been previously optimal lighting audit.

This series of parameters, added to the huge number of luminaries in any municipality, make it necessary to use the appropriate tools to facilitate the data collection of each point of light. In this way, it will be possible to carry out a complete and exhaustive study of the whole municipality.

At Goodwork we use in situ photometric measurement systems. In order to manage and analyze all this amount of data we have developed a mobile unit that, circulating through the municipality like any other vehicle, captures all the necessary data to carry out the complete study and in record time.

The mobile unit consists of:

– High precision GPS Navigator
– Spectrometer
– Stereographic camera
– Luxometers
– Data storage system

The data collected by the mobile unit are processed by specialized personnel using its own software that allows to elaborate:

1) Luminosity map of the municipality, with spot value of luminance and GPS position

2) Map with the mean values of:

– Luminance

– Minimum lighting

– Maximum ilighting

– Medium uniformity

3) Map with lighting types (HPS, HQI, Halogen …)

4) Map of evaluation of the routes according to the class of lighting.

5) Inventory of points of light:

– GPS position
– Height of the luminaire
– Type of lighting

6) 100% inventory: parks, gardens, pedestrian zones, stairs…

7) Exportable data in SHP (GIS), Excel and KML

NEEDS FOR A PROPER LIGHTING AUDIT

In order to carry out an adequate lighting audit, an action methodology must be followed to achieve an effective result.

The first thing to keep in mind is that the circulation routes are classified into different groups, each one being assigned photometric requirements that take into account the visual needs of the users as well as the environmental aspects. Therefore, a prior classification of these tracks is necessary before the lighting map is made.

In order to achieve adequate energy efficiency in outdoor lighting installations, they must comply with at least the following requirements:

1. The lighting levels of the installation must not exceed that established in ITC-EA 02 supplementary technical instruction, except in exceptional cases, which require prior authorization from the competent body of the Public Administration.
2. For road lighting, the minimum energy efficiency requirements established in ITC-EA-01 must be met. For the rest of lighting installations, the requirements of factor of use, losses of the equipment, factor of maintenance and others established in the corresponding technical instructions must be fulfilled.
3. Where required, a system for actuation and regulation of the luminous level must be available, as shown in the ITC-EA-04 technical instruction.

In addition, it is envisaged in the Energy Efficiency Regulation, in outdoor lighting installations, that the entire outdoor lighting installation must comply with ITC-EA-02, with which the information obtained must be checked (if discrepancies exist, it is necessary to remedy the defect).

In addition, there are a number of parameters to consider:

1. The luminance measurement: according to the standards: EN 13201-4 and RD 1860/2008 and by means of a proprietary method and patented by two groups of luxometers at the rear and front of the vehicle, corresponding luminance measurements are obtained with the grids defined by the corresponding regulations.

2. Continuous light maps:
Average Illuminance (Em)
Illumination average uniformity (Um)
Minimum lighting Level

3. Precision inventory of light points: the light points are positioned by a 3D system formed by two cameras and the vehicle’s GPS, which allows to calculate the position and the distance of the points of light.

4. Identification: the identification of the type of illumination is carried out thanks to a spectrometer that allows measuring the wavelengths emitted by the light source and which are compared with the database of the different types of lamps used in the market: incandescent , Halogen, fluorescent, CFL, HPS, HQI, etc.

5. Visualization of the results: the management software allows to visualize the results.

Depending on the type of track, the parameters to be considered are:

1. For ME series of lighting class for dry vials type A and B and MEW series for wet vials types A and B:

A. In dry road:

Average lighting
Global Uniformity
Longitudinal Uniformity

B. In wet road:

Global Uniformity
Disturbing Dazzle (TI Threshold Increment (%))
Surround Lighting (SR Surround Ratio)

2. For S series of lighting class for C, D and E type vials:

Average lighting
Minimal lighting

3. For CE series of lighting class for type D and E type vials:

Average lighting
Average Uniformity

Now that you know the importance of a correct lighting audit for the success and achievement of your street lighting project, do not hesitate any more and go to LED with Goodwork.

Lighting that inspires you to enjoy more your city: Cambrils Port

Cambrils has always been a strategic point for tourism on the Costa Dorada in Spain. It is located in a privileged environment and is one of the most populated municipalities of the province of Tarragona.

Based on the importance of this city as a tourist destination and with the desire to create a more intelligent, comfortable and accessible city for all its citizens, the City of Cambrils was concerned about the improvement of its infrastructures and entrusted to Goodwork the task of renewing the existing public lighting, paying special attention to the port area.

Goodwork is already a reference when it comes to thinking about LED street lighting with projects such as the walled area of Morella, a municipality that was awarded the title of “The most beautiful town in Spain“, after being lighting by Goodwork.

On this occasion, we focus on common leisure and entertainment areas of the port of the city of Cambrils. Apart from the marina and the nautical club, all the beautiful and wide promenade of 9 km includes bike path and arrives to Salou.

Replaced existing lighting by high-quality LED technology and energy efficiency, attractive and modern fixtures were used while maintaining the charm of the place. Energy-efficient lamps with simple installation and maintenance such as GW Eco Street Light, GW LED Flood Light and GW Lira Street Light.

Conventional lighting was also replaced by high-quality LED technology with our GW LED Street Plate. A light source with only 40W reaches the same output as a conventional 150W sodium vapor lighting system. GW LED Street Plate offers long durability (over 50,000 hours), a low heating rate and is ecological and environmentally friendly, as it does not emit harmful agents into the atmosphere. So it is the ideal lighting for nature areas and parks. In addition, thanks to its 120º opening, no shadow cones are generated, resulting in even and uniform lighting.

The end result is a lighting that enriches the visibility of the environment making it more comfortable and attractive. An illumination that meets the highest requirements of energy efficiency, considerably reducing the consumption of light consumption for the municipality. Something basic to take into account in programs of energy saving and thinking of face, not only to the future, but to the present, in terms of sustainability and optimization of resources. This is, above all, an illumination that satisfies the needs of safety and comfort, both of travelers and drivers.

Thanks to Goodwork street lighting, the neighbors of Cambrils can enjoy walking and doing sports near the sea, also at night, feeling more comfortable and safe. The homogeneity provided by our lamps inspires and motivates all types of users: walkers, cyclists, runners, drivers … live your city more. Because what we care about are people.

Do not hesitate and go to the quality LED with Goodwork.

Human centric lighting: a generation of light to improve human experiencie

At present, it is very common to hear about LED lighting, its low consumption and great savings, that are the most sustainable light bulbs that exist and those that least damage the environment, etc. But … is it known to what extent LED lighting has advantages in our health and our behavior?

Research in Human Centric Lighting is based on the adaptation of light to the corresponding needs of the user to achieve a maximum quality of lighting. Light serves not only to orient us visually and to move us in the world in which we live. Some wavelengths in the light spectrum have a significant influence on our physiology. Concentration ability, productivity and performance, circadian rhythms and, in general, our well-being, can be altered by inadequate lighting.

Since today the benefits of LED are more than proven, advances in this technology can focus on providing real value to improve the quality of life of people, going beyond economic, energy and environmental reasons. That is, to influence aspects that have to do with comfort, behavior and human health through the exhaustive studies about intensity, spectrum, spatial and angular distribution… among other things.

It is a very broad and yet unexplored field since our brain consists of a really complex structure and processes and manipulates sensory responses with great mastery. We may become convinced that we feel in a certain way, when our body is actually telling us that it feels something completely different. In addition, it is known that there is an early response to the illumination that escapes our conscious control, since we can find it in primitive organisms that existed long before there were humans, or animals.

How does light influence people?

Light (both visible and invisible) influences the biochemistry of the brain, endocrine systems and metabolic processes, so you have to move towards the goal of achieving a generation of light that improves the human experience.
Studies at Human Centric Lighting base their efforts on three closely related aspects that can not be studied in isolation: the visual, non-visual and emotional effects of light.

1. Visual effect: to make the light visually effective to achieve what we want: highlight a particular area, achieve homogeneity, etc.

2. Non-visual effect: imperceptible to the human eye, but perceptible to our brain. Light can have an activating or tranquilizing effect that regulates our biological rhythms.

3. Emotional Effect: undoubtedly light generates emotions in the human being. That’s why, when the sun feels more cheerful and when it rains several days in a row, we feel more dull and melancholy. LED lighting can induce controlled and very precise, certain emotions in us.

Scientific studies in Human Centric Lighting are basically focused on the development of psychological and physiological benefits in humans through the design of various types of lighting:

– Circadian lighting:

The spectral composition of natural light changes throughout the day with the passage of hours. This change is what makes our biorhythms, our circadian rhythms stable. Let us wake up when the sun rises and we go to sleep when it is night.
A lighting design adapted to the circadian rhythms will offer us the possibility to control the spectral composition during the course of the day in analogy to daylight (a colder light is the hours of activity and a warmer light in the previous relaxation hours To sleep).

– Dynamic Lighting:

Light with cold white tint (with a high blue component) has an activating effect on the organism. Increases performance, productivity and concentration.

– Relaxing Lighting:

Light with warm white hue (with a high red component) has a relaxing effect on our body.

– Emotional Lighting:

Light warm white, cold white, natural white or color. The needs, tastes and perceptions of the people are very personal and also depends on their situation. That is why the lighting must also be able to adapt to the atmosphere, the moment and the mood.

Do not hesitate and move to LED with Goodwork.