BS EN 13201-3:2015

What is BS EN 13201-3-Calculation of performance in road lightings about? 

BS EN 13201-3 is a European standard that serves the calculation of performance in road lightings, ensuring uniformity in the design and performance in road applications. BS EN 13201-3 specifies the conventions and mathematical procedures to be adopted in calculating the photometric performance of road lighting installations designed in accordance with the parameters described in EN 13201-2 to ensure that every lighting calculation is based on the same mathematical principles. 

The design procedure of a lighting installation also requires the knowledge of the parameters involved in the described model, their tolerances and variability. These aspects are not considered in BS EN 13201-3, but a procedure to analyze their contribution in the expected results is suggested in EN 13201-4, and it can also be used in the design phase. 

Who is BS EN 13201-3-Calculation of performance in road lightings for? 

BS EN 13201-3 on the calculation of performance in road lightings applies to: 

• Manufacturers and suppliers of road lightings 
• Dealers and importers of road lightings 
• Contractors and infrastructure developers 
• Construction, civil and design engineers 
• Road maintenance authorities 
• Inspection and quality assurance services 

Why should you use BS EN 13201-3-Calculation of performance in road lightings? 

By allowing pedestrians and automobiles to see each other, road lighting promotes safety. A lighting class is defined by a set of photometric requirements aiming at the visual needs of certain road users in certain types of road areas and environments. Assessment of performance ensures safety and visibility in road applications. 

The calculation methods described in BS EN 13201-3 enable road lighting quality characteristics to be calculated by agreed procedures so that results obtained from different designers will have a consistent basis. 

BS EN 13201-3 provides users guidance on mathematical conventions, photometric data, calculation of I(C, γ), calculation of photometric quantities, and quality characteristics, ensuring the efficiency and performance in road applications. With obedience and compliance of BS EN 13201-3, users can accurately measure the performance metrics, enabling users to develop, design and assess road lightings to ensure stable operability and prevention of accidents. 

What’s changed since the last update? 

BS EN 13201-3:2015 supersedes BS EN 13201-3:2003, which is now withdrawn. Changes in BS EN 13201-3:2015 include  

• In the veiling luminance calculation, Lv, there is no more test about the contribution of at least 2 % of the next luminaire in the row to end the calculation before reaching a distance of 500 m (this is to avoid ambiguous interpretations that can produce different results from different software) 
• The default option is about 500 m, but an alternative is to retain only the luminaires of a shorter installation. This last case should be mentioned in the lighting design by the number of luminaires involved in the calculation of fTI 
• There is a new formula for calculating veiling luminance Lv, for a wider range of θ values. Thus, the case where luminaires could be very near to the axis of vision of the observer: 0.1°< θ < 1.5° can be evaluated with Formula (38)