A simple and accurate model for the design of public lighting with energy efficiency functions based on regression analysis

•New parameter relationships for efficient public lighting design were obtained.•A second-order polynomial simplifies the design of the lighting facilities using only one equation.•The procedure guarantees the maximization of energy efficiency of street lighting systems.•The results have been successfully tested with a well-known and reliable free software.

In this study, new relationships between the energy efficiency of street lighting systems, street width, and luminaire height were derived from the analysis of a large sample of outputs, generated with a software application widely used for lighting design. The result was a quadratic polynomial that perfectly fit the relationships obtained and whose coefficients characterize each type of luminaire. This greatly simplifies the design of lighting facilities because it only uses one equation, but at the same time, takes all necessary variables into account. The procedure maximized the energy efficiency of the street lighting systems, as far as conditions allowed, and greatly facilitated the calculation of the parameters of a basic lighting installation, according to CIE (International Commission on Illumination) recommendations.