Street Light Height: How to calculate appropriate lamp post height?

Life is improving day by day and the demand for lighting is also increasing day by day. Not only indoor lighting but village roads, alleys, hamlets, residential roads, national highways, highways, etc. are also illuminated with electric lights so that road users can easily observe and ensure safety when traveling. in the evening.

So what is a street light? What color is light and what types are there? All will be answered in the following Street Light Height article. Consolidate your knowledge to answer questions about street lights.

What Is A Street Light?

Street Light Height
Street Light Height

Whether you are in the city or the countryside, every night when you go out, you will see a lot of electric light. It can be light from roadside houses or restaurants, but the main light source is from high-pressure street lamps. Roads as bright as day help people participate in traffic safer, making the scene more sparkling when night falls.

However, many people do not know about them and often ask very easy questions such as: what is a street light? What color is it?…

And when asked like that, you can answer briefly as follows: “Street lights are lights that use electricity to illuminate the street. It is the light emitted from the lights that will help us see things more clearly, and participate in traffic safer.

What color is the street light?

Depending on the situation or space, the light will have different colors. What color are the street lights?

Street lights are yellow. The light emitted by the street lights is mostly yellow or yellowish. This is a color that is considered to have good penetration ability, especially when the sky is cloudy and obstructs the view of road users.

Light emitted by the street lights is mostly yellow or yellowish
Light emitted by the street lights is mostly yellow or yellowish

The yellow light will help the growth and development cycle of vegetation and animals not be affected. Safe for human health because it does not emit blue light.

It is the above factors that the construction and installation units of street lights use yellow light, not blue or white light.

What type of street light is most used?

There are many different types of lights used to illuminate the road. However, some common types of lights are used the most, which are: LED street lights, halogen lights, incandescent lights, etc. LED street lights: Very energy-saving, high luminous intensity, wide diffuse light, age-long life, … but the biggest disadvantage of this type of lamp is the high cost.

***Refer to more: Best Outdoor Lights For Coastal Areas: Top 6 Expert’s Picks

Street Light Height: How Tall Is A Street Light?

Depending on the area of ​​each space as well as the purpose of lighting, the height of the lamp pole is also somewhat different. Lamps poles are usually divided into several main height levels as follows:

  • Street light with a height of 6m
  • Street light with a height of 7m
  • Street light with height 8m
  • Street lights with a height of 10m
  • Street lights with a height of 12m
  • Street lights with a height from 12 to 35m
  • Single-body steel street light pole with a height of over 50m
Street light height
Street light height

#1. Based on research and survey, there are standards for lighting poles

  • Specially designed to be able to pull the average pole head 150kg. Qualified masts must also be able to withstand wind pressures up to 125daM per square meter (wind speed approximately 45m per second).
  • The design stage, as well as the manufacturing stage of lighting poles, will be carried out according to EN 40 – European quality standards. Accordingly, the EN 40 standard stipulates that the lamp post must be protected with a layer of hot galvanized.
  • Lamp plating must also meet lighting standards BS 729, ASTM A123. The material for making the column body must also be by the center’s measurement standards.

#2. The above standards are based on the following lighting pole height regulations

The height of the column is regulated by the area and needs of the space used. Poles that are too high will not take advantage of the light of the lights, columns that are too low may interfere with user activities.

In addition, lighting standards must ensure compliance with regulations on lighting standards for different locations. With each group of construction works, there are different standards of color, space, illuminance, and aesthetics.

How to calculate the appropriate street light height?

Factors to calculate appropriate street light height?
Factors to calculate appropriate street light height?

The height of the light pole is calculated based on some factors as follows:

  • Placement of poles: Light poles placed in wide areas such as medians, highways, or overpasses will have a larger height than those for neighborhoods, garden lights, etc.
  • Geographical area: The column height is also calculated to suit each location. Type 1, urban 2, airports, highways, wharves… will have separate heights.
  • Power load: How many kW can the transmission line be. Are there many substations in the area?
  • Standard wind pressure: This is the average wind pressure calculated for each specific geographical area.
  • Expected lighting capacity: Lamps with strong power are often installed on high poles and vice versa.

***Refer to more: Lighting distribution types: Useful and updated knowledge for you

What Should Be The Pole Height And Distance Between Poles In Street Lighting?

#1. How to determine the distance of two street lights

Determine the distance of two street lights
Determine the distance of two street lights

The distance between street lights is determined according to the nature of the road, such as factory road, rural road, and urban road. The power of street lights is 50W, 100W, 150W. The width of the pavement and the height of the street light poles determine the distance between the street lights.

Under normal circumstances, the distance between street lights on urban roads is from 25 meters to 50 meters. If it is installed with landscape lights, garden lights, and other small street lights when the light source is not very bright, the distance can be shortened a little, and the distance can be about 20 meters. The specific situation should be based on customer needs or design needs to determine the size of the gap.

The street light should be 0.6-1m away from the cliff, the elevation angle on the horizontal line of the street light should be 5 degrees, and the road brightness should not be less than 1CD/m2. For outdoor luminaires, separate short circuit protection should be placed at each lamp post. The ratio between minimum illumination and maximum illumination should be from 1:10 to 1:15.

Outdoor lighting should be controlled remotely in the duty room or substation room, and some lights may be turned off at night. When three-phase power distribution is used for outdoor lighting, it is advisable to maintain a three-phase load balance in different lamp control modes. The placement of light poles in the outdoor parking lot does not affect traffic. The light source with high color rendering and long service life can be used to illuminate the parking lot square.

#2. Lighting layout

Lighting layout
Lighting layout
  • When the width of the road is less than 10m, one side lighting is usually applied.
  • When there are shops or high-brightness windows on both sides of the street, the central light distribution can be applied. When there are upper and lower lanes on a wide highway, a central light distribution system can also be used.
  • If there are electric poles on both sides of the road, a steel cable can be pulled to hoist the lights above the center of the road. For grade 2 and grade 3 roads with a width of 10-15m, the centerline is usually used to distribute light. The advantage is that the illumination is relatively uniform. The disadvantage is that the maintenance of lamps and lanterns in the roadway is not very convenient.
  • When the roadway is wider than 15m, there are many vehicles and pedestrians, focusing on aesthetics, lights can be arranged alternately on both sides or symmetrically on both sides.
  • If the light distribution at the intersection is a fork, then lights should be arranged at the opposite end of the road, which can not only illuminate effectively but also help drivers recognize the end of the road.
  • It is better to place street lights on the right side of the driver’s line of vision in the direction of the vehicle moving forward so that the driver can easily see pedestrians or vehicles crossing the intersection.

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Conclusion

Through this article, perhaps you have gradually understood all you need to know about the Street Light Height. If you have any questions or need advice on the height of street lights, please contact us for advice and solutions most appropriately and effectively! See you in the nearest posts.