Unlike conventional control options for street and amenity lighting, StreetLux will switch lighting off for pre-set periods of time during the night (e.g. midnight to 5.30 am), simply by using solar calculations. As such it is a highly cost-effective alternative to battery powered timers or other expensive and high-maintenance controls.
How it works
When first installed, StreetLux acts like a normal photocell for the first 2-3 days while also ‘remembering’ the hours of darkness and whether these are increasing or decreasing. For instance, a 6 hour, 10 minute period of darkness will occur twice a year but the increasing or decreasing trend over two or three days enables the unit to determine not just the month but also the day of the month.
This information enables the unit to refer to a pre-loaded database, accurately predict the hours of darkness for future nights and initiate the pre-set switch off/on times. In typical street lighting applications StreetLux will reduce street lantern running time by around 2,000 hours per annum, per light, as indicated on the bar chart. For a 70W street lantern with circuit watts of 90W including ballast losses, this would equate to an annual saving of 180kWh per light, per annum. The StreetLux itself only consumes around 0.25W when operating.
Click to view the Streetlux data sheet!
● Enables on/off switching during the hours of darkness without timers or complex controls
● Proven in many thousands of street lights in the UK
● Significant savings in energy and emissions
● Fast payback, typically two years in street lighting applications
● Typical street lighting savings 180kWh per light per annum
● Automatic switching between GMT and BST
● Suitable for use with all light sources
● Easy and quick to retrofit
● Wide range of street and amenity lighting applications
● Minimal maintenance requirements
● U.M.S.U.G. Approval code 9400011
| Type |
Electromechanical |
| Voltage |
230V +/- 10% Vac 50Hz |
| Switching Levels |
Per customer specifi cation
(Default : 70 lux ON, 35 lux OFF) |
| Sensor |
SI-NPN Phototransistor |
| Sensor Drift |
Zero Over 6 year |
| Spectral Drift |
+/- 10% evening to evening |
| Switching Technology |
Relay with Zero crossing switching |
| Wavelength Sensitivity |
Peaked at 570 nm |
| Load Handling |
3 x 400W HID* |
| Operating Temperature Range |
-20°C to +60°C |
| Load Current Capacity |
1000W Tungsten
1800VA Inductive Load |
| Switching Delay |
Per customer specifi cation
(Default: 20 seconds) |
| Enclosure Material |
UV Stabilised Polycarbonate
Circuit Power |
| Consumption |
0.25 Watt |
| Power Loss During Load Handling |
Negligible |
| BS Standard |
BS 5972-80 |
| Mechanical Connection |
Twist-lock NEMA Socket |
| Sealed Housing |
IP67 |
| Mechanical Construction |
Fig 2 - Electromagnetic |
| Interference |
Design to comply with
EN50082-1 & EN55014 |
| Test Standard |
ASTM.953-77 & G53-84 |
| Plastic |
BS 5972., BS 5225 part 1 photocell |
| linearity/Response U.M.S.U.G. Approved |
Approval code 9400011 |
*Total capacitance load <120μf
Order code
The night-time data is based on a central line through Britain so the influence of geographical location will be very slight, amounting to just a few minutes.
StreetLux also re-evaluates the patterns of darkness every seven days to re-confirm its settings and will automatically switch between Greenwich Mean Time and British Summer Time.
A typical switching pattern could be on at dusk, off at midnight, on at 5.30 am, off at dawn. During any intermittent interruptions to this pattern, such as heavy cloud, eclipses or power cuts, the unit will act like a normal photocell and then revert to its programme.
During the summer months when dawn is earlier than the programmed switch-off time, the photocell will override the programme to ensure no energy is wasted.
“For minimum production runs, Chalmor can customise the switch off and switch on times to suit a organisations particular needs”
Installation is very quick and simply requires replacing the existing photocell using the standard twist-lock connection. Where there is no existing photocell, StreetLux can be wired into the circuit to add this extra level of control. Consequently, StreetLux is ideal for use in a wide range of applications including roadways, pedestrianised areas, car parks and exterior floodlighting.