Modernising street lighting with LED and intelligent controls
Modernising street lighting follows two equally valid routes. Existing LED luminaires that are technically suitable are retrofitted with an EnvioLux node and become controllable. Legacy or unsuitable luminaires are replaced by the EnvioLux system luminaire, which always ships together with a node and the EnvioTerminal lighting management platform. Either way you end up with an installed base that is centrally controllable, measurable and can be extended step by step.
- Retrofit or replace, decided per light point
- Compatible with Zhaga Book 18 & D4i
- No civil works at the light point
- One operating model for the whole estate
The starting point in a municipal estate
Most municipalities operate a mixed estate: some sodium or fluorescent technology, some LED luminaires from different procurement years, plus varying mounting heights, luminaire shapes and switching circuits. That mixture is exactly what determines the sensible route. Whether retrofitting or replacing works out better cannot be answered without a survey.
We therefore start with a structured inventory: luminaire types, power draw, year of installation, condition, existing interfaces, switching groups and the function of each street. The result is a light point list that carries a recommendation for every luminaire.
Route 1: retrofit suitable LED luminaires with nodes
Where an existing LED luminaire is in good condition and offers a suitable interface, retrofitting is usually the fastest and most resource-efficient route. The EnvioLux node is fitted at the light point and takes over control, communication and data capture. The luminaire itself stays in service.
In practice that means short installation times per light point, no intervention in the pole or cabling and no change to the street situation. The luminaire becomes dimmable, controllable individually or in groups, and reports operating data to the lighting management platform.
When retrofitting is the better choice
- The LED luminaire is not near the end of its service life and suits the street situation photometrically.
- A suitable interface for a node exists or can be created.
- The estate was procured only a few years ago and should not be replaced.
- The first priority is controllability and transparency rather than new luminaires.
Route 2: replace legacy luminaires with a smart LED system
Where the estate has not yet been converted to LED, cannot be retrofitted or has reached the end of its service life, we replace the luminaire with the EnvioLux system luminaire. In our system offer it always ships smart, with a node and a connection to EnvioTerminal. That avoids a second modernisation step that would otherwise have to follow later.
Replacement is planned photometrically rather than swapped watt for watt. The basis is the function of the street, the geometry of mounting height, spacing and carriageway width, and the project-specific requirements for uniformity and glare.
When replacement makes sense
- The luminaire still uses sodium, mercury vapour or fluorescent technology.
- There is no suitable interface and no economical way to create one.
- Optics, gaskets or control gear have reached the end of their service life.
- The light distribution no longer matches how the street is used today.
Combining both routes in one estate
In practice the answer rarely lies with one route alone. A typical project retrofits the newer LED areas and replaces the legacy stock. What matters is that both routes lead into the same operating model: every light point appears in EnvioTerminal, regardless of whether it was retrofitted or replaced.
That has a practical benefit for the administration. There is one interface, one data set and one fault-reporting process, instead of separate systems per procurement lot.
How a modernisation project runs
- Inventory: Survey of light points with luminaire type, power, condition and switching groups, as the basis for every later decision.
- Assessment per light point: A retrofit or replace recommendation, documented and traceable street by street and section by section.
- Lighting design: Layout based on street function and geometry, with calculations for the project-specific requirements.
- Control concept: Switching groups, calendars, dimming profiles and optional sensor-based scenarios are defined before installation.
- Delivery: Installation through partners, node commissioning and onboarding into the lighting management platform, section by section rather than all at once.
- Operation: Operating data, fault reporting and profile adjustments during live operation, with support from Germany.
What ENVIOTECH contributes
We do not only supply hardware, we deliver the complete system of luminaire or node, lighting management and implementation. Design, funding guidance, installation through partners and subsequent operation stay within one project. For a municipality that means one point of contact instead of separate trades.
ENVIOTECH is vendor independent by design: EnvioTerminal can hold light points from different manufacturers on a shared data layer. Developed in Germany, data in Germany, support from Germany.
Products used in this route
Different building blocks apply depending on how a light point is assessed. Lighting management is included in both routes.
EnvioLux Core Kit
Nodes and gateways for retrofitting suitable LED luminaires, making existing lighting controllable and measurable.
EnvioLux system luminaire
LED street luminaire for replacing legacy stock, always with a node and a connection to EnvioTerminal.
EnvioTerminal (IMS)
The lighting management platform where all light points come together, whichever route was chosen.
Frequently asked questions about modernisation
- Does the entire estate have to be modernised at once?
- No. A phased rollout is sensible: start with a clearly defined area and carry the lessons learned into the following sections. All sections still come together in the same interface.
- How much energy can be saved?
- That depends on the existing estate, operating hours and the control concept, so it can only be quantified per project. The configurator gives you a first order of magnitude based on your own figures.
- Are civil works required?
- Not for retrofitting at the light point. Nodes communicate wirelessly, so no additional control cable is laid. Whether building work is needed depends solely on the condition of the pole and supply cable.
- What about luminaires from different manufacturers?
- EnvioTerminal is designed as a cross-vendor data layer. What matters is the interface available at each light point, which we check during the inventory.
Related solutions
Checklist: retrofit street lighting
Nine checks from light-point records through to the rollout decision, to prepare your project.
Lighting design and tender support
From inventory through to tender-ready documentation, commissioning and handover.
Zhaga and D4i explained
What the two specifications actually cover and how to check retrofit suitability in practice.
One-stop shop
Design, funding, supply, installation and operation delivered as a single project.
Assess your starting point together
Send us your light point data or an extract from it. We will assess which areas can be retrofitted and where replacement is the better route.