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Public lighting: choosing between electrical cabinet or light point management
Effectively managing public lighting is a major challenge for local authorities, both in terms of ensuring public safety and meeting the requirements of the energy transition. Faced with these challenges, managers have two main methods at their disposal: centralised management via an electrical cabinet and/or individual control at each light point. The choice depends above all on the specific needs of each local authority.
When should management be prioritised over electrical cabinets?
Cabinet management involves controlling all the lights in a given area from a single electrical box. Thanks to socio-astronomical clocks (the Radiolite range) or supervision modules (e.g. BH Gate), streetlights can be programmed to switch on and off according to schedules or footfall.
This method of managing public lighting is ideal when:
- The public lighting network is dense and uniform, for example in a residential area.
- Maintenance should remain simple: the entire sector can be checked in a single action.
- Customisation requirements are limited, as all street lamps follow the same lighting scenario.
Examples of benefits:
- Substantial energy savings thanks to precise programming.
- Significant reduction in maintenance costs, as control is centralised.
- Integrated management of secondary networks such as festive or architectural lighting.
So why control public lighting at light points?
Public lighting management at light points allows it to be adapted to each area or even each streetlight, via communication devices such as the BH Node on a mesh network. This approach opens the door to advanced customisation: adapted time slots, selective switching off, and emergency switching back on in the event of an incident to enhance safety.
Light point management should be prioritised when:
- Areas require a high degree of flexibility (sensitive areas, roadways, public parks).
- User safety must be guaranteed, in particular the ability to automatically restart in case of need.
- Local authorities are seeking to maximise savings by adjusting lighting only where it is truly useful.
Examples of benefits:
- Precise control of consumption, thanks in particular to lighting level adjustment and reduction of the energy footprint.
- Optimised safety thanks to the ability to instantly switch the lighting back on.
- Tailor-made response to the needs of each neighbourhood or each user.
Scalable public lighting management, tailored to each municipality
BH Technologies propose des solutions modulables qui s’intègrent facilement dans les infrastructures existantes, qu’il s’agisse de gestion à l’armoire électrique ou aux points lumineux. Cette approche évolutive favorise une transition vers des villes plus intelligentes et responsables, tout en maximisant les différents bénéfices pour les collectivités et leurs habitants.
In summary, the choice between cabinets and light points will depend on the type of network, local authorities' energy efficiency goals, and the importance placed on safety.
Focusing on connected solutions, particularly fleet monitoring such as Lucescalable and centralised solutions often prove to be the best compromise for combining performance and efficiency in public lighting management.
Contact us for a demonstration of our public lighting solutions.
