Public lighting accounts for around 3% of the total energy consumption in Croatia. Public lighting is usually owned by the local units and its maintenance and upgrade is financed form the local budgets. Solely by different control (reducing the intensity) of public lighting, it is possible to save as much as 50% of energy, and the remote control and monitoring system can significantly reduce maintenance costs. On the other hand, the replacement of lamps and adjustment of luminaries can also provide significant savings. In the areas where public lighting systems are not sufficiently developed or there is no connection to the electricity grid, it is possible to combine public lighting with renewable energy sources.
Basic recommendations for efficient public lighting and dynamic savings include the use of energy efficient lamps (advanced technologies – not necessarily only LED), use of energy efficient luminaries (in order to avoid light pollution), public lighting design which complies with the standards (application of EU standards, e.g. EN 13201, UNI 10819), efficient public lighting control, monitoring of public lighting costs and consumption (drawing up the register of luminaires, selection of the appropriate tariff scheme) and regular maintenance. Numerous projects financed with support from the Fund have been implemented in Croatia, some of which were financed according to the ESCO model.
The Fund also financed energy audits, design documentation (in the case of construction of the new public lighting or extension thereof) with the cost estimate for equipment and works, disassembling of inefficient and non-environmentally friendly equipment, the purchase and installation of appropriate equipment and material, shaded luminaires (lamps) with all the necessary accessories, high-pressure sodium lamps (light sources), public lighting control system (switching on and off during the whole night, part of the night, halving the source of light, dimming and brightening light intensity…) with all the necessary equipment, systems for independent measurement of electricity consumption with all accompanying equipment, free-standing distribution cabinets, testing and commissioning, and other equipment used for system operation.
Thus far, the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund has co-financed 310 energy efficiency projects for the public lighting systems, whose value totals more than HRK 257 million, of which the Fund participated with more than HRK 123 million. The annual savings achieved with these projects exceed HRK 26 million per year, while CO2 emissions were reduced by more than 10 thousand tonnes.
Apart from public lighting, the Fund was also co-financing public lighting owned by public institutions and other budgetary and extra-budgetary beneficiaries that own public lighting systems. In addition, the preparation of the final/detailed design for the reconstruction/construction of environmentally friendly and energy efficient public lighting systems was also co-financed, all in compliance with the Building Act and technical guidance of the Fund.