AS/NZS 1680.

0:1998

Australian/New Zealand Standard™

Interior lighting

Part 0: Safe movement

primary referenced Standard
Building Code of Australia
Accessed by AURECON PTY LTD on 01 Apr 2009
 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998

This Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard was prepared by Joint Technical

Committee LG/1, Interior Lighting. It was approved on behalf of the Council of
Standards Australia on 2 September 1998 and on behalf of the Council of Standards
New Zealand on 14 September 1998. It was published on 5 November 1998.

The following interests are represented on Committee LG/1:

Association of Consulting Engineers Australia
Australian Building Codes Board
Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association
Department of Public Works and Services, New South Wales
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority of New Zealand
Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia and New Zealand
Ministry of Commerce New Zealand
Property Council of Australia
University of Sydney
WorkCover New South Wales

Review of Standards. To keep abreast of progress in industry, Joint Australian/

New Zealand Standards are subject to periodic review and are kept up to date by the issue
of amendments or new editions as necessary. It is important therefore that Standards users
ensure that they are in possession of the latest edition, and any amendments thereto.
Full details of all Joint Standards and related publications will be found in the Standards
Australia and Standards New Zealand Catalogue of Publications; this information is
supplemented each month by the magazines ‘The Australian Standard’ and ‘Standards
New Zealand’, which subscribing members receive, and which give details of new
publications, new editions and amendments, and of withdrawn Standards.
Suggestions for improvements to Joint Standards, addressed to the head office of either
Standards Australia or Standards New Zealand, are welcomed. Notification of any
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inaccuracy or ambiguity found in a Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard should be made

without delay in order that the matter may be investigated and appropriate action taken.

This Standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR 97393.

 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998

Australian/New Zealand Standard™

Interior lighting

Part 0: Safe movement

First published as AS/NZS 1680.0:1998.

Accessed by AURECON PTY LTD on 01 Apr 2009

Published jointly by:

Standards Australia
1 The Crescent,
Homebush NSW 2140 Australia

Standards New Zealand

Level 10, Radio New Zealand House,
155 The Terrace,
Wellington 6001 New Zealand
ISBN 0 7337 2252 0
 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998 2

PREFACE

This Standard was prepared by the Joint Standards Australia / Standards New Zealand
Committee LG/1, Interior Lighting, in response to a request from the Australian Building
Codes Board for requirements suitable for reference in the Building Code of Australia
covering lighting for safe movement.
The level of lighting specified in this Standard is in close agreement with that required for
the same purpose by Clause G8, ‘Artificial Light’, of the New Zealand Building Code.
This Standard forms part of the AS/NZS 1680 series, which will progressively replace the
AS 1680 series. The existing Standards in the AS 1680 series* are to be revised and
reissued as Joint Australian/New Zealand Standards within the AS/NZS 1680 series†.
The objective of this Standard is to set out the minimum requirements for electric lighting
systems within publicly accessible areas of buildings so as to provide visual conditions
that facilitate the safe movement of people in the normal use of the building.
It should be noted that a lighting system that satisfies the requirements of this Standard
will not necessarily provide an environment suited to the performance of specific work
tasks, e.g. office tasks. General recommendations for the creation of visual conditions
conducive to the efficient and comfortable performance of work tasks are set out in
AS 1680.1. Recommendations appropriate to specific tasks and activities are set out in the
AS 1680.2 and AS/NZS 1680.2 series.
The lighting specified by this Standard represents the minimum necessary for compliance
with regulatory requirements; however, attention is drawn to AS 1680.2.1, which sets out
recommendations for the lighting of building areas of the same general type that represent
‘good practice’.
The terms ‘normative’ and ‘informative’ have been used in this Standard to define the
application of the appendix to which they apply. A ‘normative’ appendix is an integral
part of a Standard, whereas an ‘informative’ appendix is only for information and
guidance.
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* As at the date of publication of this Standard, the Standards existing in the AS 1680 series are as follows:
AS 1680.1—1990 Interior lighting—Part 1: General principles and recommendations
AS 1680.2.1—1993 Interior lighting—Part 2.1: Circulation spaces and other general areas
AS 1680.2.2—1994 Interior lighting—Part 2.2: Office and screen-based tasks
AS 1680.2.3—1994 Interior lighting—Part 2.3: Educational and training facilities
AS 1680.3 — 1991 Interior lighting — Part 3: Measurement, calculation, and presentation of photometric
data
† As at the date of publication of this Standard, the Standards existing in the AS/NZS 1680 series are as
follows:
AS/NZS 1680.0:1998 Interior lighting—Part 0: Safe movement (this Standard)
AS/NZS 1680.2.4:1997 Interior lighting—Part 2.4: Industrial tasks and processes
AS/NZS 1680.2.5 : 1997 Interior lighting—Part 2.5: Hospital and medical tasks
 3 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998

CONTENTS
Page
1 SCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2 APPLICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4 DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5 BASIS OF COMPLIANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
6 MINIMUM ILLUMINANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
7 ILLUMINANCE UNIFORMITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
8 LAMP COLOUR RENDERING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
9 CONTROL OF GLARE FROM ELECTRIC LIGHTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

APPENDICES
A LIGHTING FOR THE PARTIALLY SIGHTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
B REDUCTION IN ILLUMINANCE OVER THE MAINTENANCE CYCLE . . . 11
C MEASUREMENT OF ILLUMINANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
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 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998 4

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA / STANDARDS NEW ZEALAND

Australian / New Zealand Standard

Interior lighting

Part 0: Safe movement

1 SCOPE This Standard sets out the minimum requirements for electric lighting
systems within publicly accessible areas of buildings so as to provide visual conditions
that facilitate the safe movement of people in the normal use of the building. The
Standard does not apply to the provision of the visual conditions necessary for the
performance of specific work tasks.
NOTES:
1 Electric lighting alone, no matter how well designed, cannot provide visual conditions that
will ensure safe movement. Other factors, such as the use of interior surface finishes of
appropriate colour and reflectance, and the avoidance of excessive contrasts in brightness of
surfaces in the field of view, e.g. windows and luminaires, can significantly enhance the
visual environment for safe movement. For persons with impaired vision, additional special
factors may be of importance for safe movement (see Appendix A).
2 General recommendations for the lighting and visual conditions necessary for the
performance of work tasks are given in AS 1680.1. Recommendations appropriate to
specific tasks or activities are set out in the AS/NZS 1680.2 series.
3 Attention is drawn to the AS/NZS 2293 series of Standards, which set out requirements for
the design, installation, operation and maintenance of emergency evacuation lighting for
buildings.

2 APPLICATION
2.1 In Australia The requirements of this Standard are intended to apply to classes of
buildings and to the specific areas of such building as prescribed by the Building Code of
Australia.
NOTE: Specific exemptions may be permitted where application of the lighting required by this
Standard will have a detrimental effect on the function or essential character of the interior
space. See the Building Code of Australia for details.
This Standard will be referenced in the Building Code of Australia by way of BCA
Amendment 4 to be published by 1 January 1999.
2.2 In New Zealand The requirements of this Standard are intended to apply to classes
of buildings and to the specific areas of such buildings as prescribed by the New Zealand
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Building Code.
This Standard may be called up by the Building Industry Authority in the New Zealand
Building Code Handbook, Approved Document for Clause G8, ‘Artificial Light’, replacing
NZS 6703:1984 as a verification method of compliance with the New Zealand Building
Code.
3 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS The following documents are referred to in this
Standard:
AS
1680 Interior lighting
1680.1 Part 1: General principles and recommendations
1680.3 Part 3: Measurement, calculation and presentation of photometric data

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 5 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998

1852 International electrotechnical vocabulary

1852.845 Chapter 845: Lighting
3665 Simplified definitions of lighting terms and quantities
AS/NZS
2293 Emergency evacuation lighting for buildings (all Parts)
3827 Lighting system performance — Accuracies and tolerances
3827.1 Part 1: Overview and general recommendations
3827.2 Part 2: Compliance requirements
CIE*
13.3 Method of measuring and specifying colour rendering properties of light
sources
ABCB†
BCA Building Code of Australia
BIA‡
New Zealand Building Code

4 DEFINITIONS For the purpose of this Standard, the definitions given in

AS/NZS 3827.2 and those below apply.
NOTE: Definitions of basic lighting quantities are of the simplified form given in AS 3665,
which are intended to convey a general understanding of the concepts involved. For the more
precise primary definitions of these terms, reference should be made to AS 1852.845.
4.1 Average illuminance — the arithmetic mean of the values of illuminance in a
horizontal plane at floor level, either calculated or measured, for the grid of points at
which such calculations/measurements are conducted to assess compliance with this
Standard.
4.2 CIE general colour rendering index — the measure of the degree to which a set of
eight standard surface colours, illuminated by a given light source, conform to the colour
appearance of the same standard surface colours under a reference light source.
Symbol: R a.
NOTES:
1 The CIE general colour rendering index is expressed on a scale having a maximum of 100;
the higher the value of the index, the better the colouring rendering. The CIE also
designates a number of lamp colour rendering groups, in terms of ranges of R a values, viz.
1A, 1B, 2, 3 and 4, respectively covering the highest to lowest values of R a. For further
information see Section 7 of AS 1680.1.
2 The procedure for determining the CIE general colour rendering index is described in
CIE Publication No. 13.3.
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4.3 Glare — the discomfort or impairment of vision experienced when parts of the field
of view (e.g. lamps, luminaires) are excessively bright in relation to the general
surroundings.
NOTE: The degrees of discomfort or impairment of vision that can be anticipated in any given
situation may be described or measured respectively as ‘discomfort glare’ and ‘disability glare’.

* International Commission on Illumination (CIE), Vienna.

† Australian Building Codes Board.
‡ Building Industry Authority, New Zealand.

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 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998 6

4.4 Illuminance — the luminous flux arriving at a surface divided by the area of the
illuminated surface.
Unit: lux (lx). Symbol: E.
NOTE: 1 lx = 1 lm/m 2.
4.5 Luminaire — equipment which houses the lamp(s) and directs the light in desired
directions. It includes items necessary for fixing, protecting and operating the lamp(s).
4.6 Luminance — the physical quantity corresponding to the brightness of a surface
(e.g. a lamp, luminaire, sky or reflecting material) in a specified direction. It is the
luminous intensity of an area of the surface divided by that area.
Unit: candela per square metre (cd/m 2). Symbol: L.
4.7 Luminance limit (for a luminaire) — the specified value of average luminance for
the light emitting or reflecting parts of a luminaire, for a given angle of measurement, that
should not be exceeded in order to restrict glare from the lighting system to tolerable
levels.
4.8 Luminous flux — the measure of the quantity of light. For a lamp or luminaire it
normally refers to the total light emitted irrespective of the directions in which it is
distributed.
Unit: lumen (lm). Symbol: φ.
4.9 Luminous intensity — the concentration of luminous flux emitted in a specified
direction.
Unit: candela (cd). Symbol: I.
4.10 Minimum illuminance (at a point) — the lowest value of illuminance provided at
any time on a horizontal plane at floor level, at any of the grid points for which
illuminance calculations or measurements are conducted to assess compliance with this
Standard.
NOTE: The expression ‘minimum illuminance’ differs from the expression ‘maintained
illuminance’ which is used elsewhere in the AS/NZS 1680 series and is essentially the lowest
value of the average illuminance that should apply at any time in the life of the lighting system.
4.11 Reflectance — the ratio of the total luminous flux reflected from a surface to the
total luminous flux which arrives at the surface. It is usually expressed as a decimal in the
range of 0 to 1, but may also be expressed as a percentage.
Symbol: ρ.
4.12 Regulatory authority — a body having statutory powers to administer an Act of
Parliament, or the regulations of such an Act, pertaining to any matter covered by this
Standard.
4.13 Uniformity of illuminance (illuminance uniformity) — the ratio of the minimum
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illuminance to the average illuminance on a given plane within the calculation or

measurement area, determined in accordance with this Standard.
Symbol: UE.
NOTE: In this Standard, the uniformity of illuminance is assessed on the horizontal plane at
floor level, within the limits of the space for which illuminance calculations or measurements
are conducted. Also, the minimum illuminance is taken as the lowest of the illuminances at any
of the grid points adopted for the calculations or measurements (see Clause 4.10).

5 BASIS OF COMPLIANCE Lighting calculations and measurements conducted for

the purpose of demonstrating compliance with this Standard shall comply with the
requirements set out in AS/NZS 3827.2.

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 7 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998

A report verifying compliance of the lighting system with the requirements of this
Standard shall be provided in accordance with AS/NZS 3827.2. Where compliance with
Clauses 6 and 7 is based on illuminance measurements, the verification report shall
include the information specified in Paragraph C5, Appendix C.

6 MINIMUM ILLUMINANCE
6.1 Applicable requirement A minimum illuminance of at least 20 lx shall be
provided throughout the space.
NOTE: The minimum illuminance of 20 lx represents the lowest value that should be provided
within the space at any time through the life of the lighting system. For design purposes, it will
be necessary to select an initial target value of average illuminance that is significantly higher
to allow for the variation in illuminance within the space and the progressive loss of light that
will occur over time as a result of —
(a) the ageing of the lamps; and
(b) the deposition of dirt on lamps, luminaires and room surfaces.
See Section 12 of AS 1680.1 and the illustration provided in Appendix B of this Standard.
6.2 Assessment of compliance Compliance with Clause 6.1 shall be assessed on the
basis of either calculations or measurements of illuminance.
Where compliance is assessed on the basis of illuminance calculations, the following
requirements shall apply:
(a) Photometric data used in the illuminance calculations shall comply with AS 1680.3.
(b) Calculations shall be made for a grid of equally spaced points, the number of points
being not less than that required in Appendix C for illuminance measurements.
Where compliance is assessed on the basis of illuminance measurements, such
measurements shall be made in accordance with the procedures of Appendix C.
Uncertainties of the illuminance calculations or measurements shall be taken into account
in the assessment of compliance, as specified in AS/NZS 3827.2.
NOTE: Appendix B of AS/NZS 3827.1 provides advice on methods of determining uncertainties
and their use in comparing measured and calculated values of lighting parameters.

7 ILLUMINANCE UNIFORMITY
7.1 Applicable requirement The uniformity of illuminance within the space, on a
horizontal plane at floor level, shall be not less than 0.3.
7.2 Assessment of compliance Compliance with this requirement shall be assessed on
the basis of either calculations or measurements of illuminance, and the following
requirements shall apply:
(a) The same conditions as specified in Clause 6 shall apply, including the same grid
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points used for illuminance calculations or measurements.

(b) The minimum illuminance used in the assessment of uniformity shall be taken as the
lowest illuminance, calculated or measured as applicable, for any of the grid points.
(c) The assessment shall include any lighting that is switched on as part of the normal
lighting but shall exclude the influence of specific task lighting or special lighting
effects, e.g. the highlighting of an architectural feature.

8 LAMP COLOUR RENDERING

8.1 Applicable requirement The type of lamps used to light the space shall have a
CIE general colour rendering index (Ra) of not less than 20, when determined in
accordance with CIE Publication No. 13.3.

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 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998 8

8.2 Assessment of compliance Compliance with Clause 8.1 shall be assessed on the
basis of the data on the applicable lamp published by the lamp manufacturer.

9 CONTROL OF GLARE FROM ELECTRIC LIGHTING

9.1 Applicable requirement For the control of glare within the space, the luminance
of the light emitting or controlling elements of the luminaires (e.g. lamps, reflectors,
diffusers, refractor panels) shall not exceed 25 kcd/m 2 for angles at and above 70° from
the downward vertical axis through the luminaire as installed.
NOTE: The above requirement is deemed adequate for the control of glare from electric lighting
in spaces where transitory or short-term viewing applies. However, where the space includes
specific workstations or work locations that involve prolonged visual tasks, e.g. reception desk,
the visual environment from the normal direction of view should be controlled in accordance
with AS 1680.1.
9.2 Assessment of compliance Compliance with Clause 9.1 shall be based on
luminance measurements conducted in accordance with AS 1680.3.
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 9 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998

APPENDIX A
LIGHTING FOR THE PARTIALLY SIGHTED
(Informative)

A1 CAUSES OF LOW VISION Partial sight or low vision is a common but often
unrecognized condition that can occur for a variety of reasons, viz.
(a) In children, low vision arises mostly from congenital abnormalities such as
cataracts, nystagmus, or ‘nodding’ of the eyes, and refractive anomalies. The effect
is relatively stable throughout life.
(b) In adults of working age, low vision usually results from hereditary conditions such
as retinitis pigmentosa or high myopia, systemic diseases such as diabetes, or
trauma, and can be a progressive loss leading to severe impairment or blindness.
(c) In the elderly, low vision is most common, and arises from degenerative ageing
changes such as cataracts, glaucoma and, most importantly, age-related macular
disease where the central vision is lost because of vascular disease affecting the
most sensitive part of the retina.

A2 HOW PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED Low vision is assessed clinically by

determining impairment, in terms of —
(a) the reduction of visual acuity (the ‘acuteness’ of vision) for both distance and near
resolution of detail;
(b) the limitation in visual field (loss of either central or peripheral visual field); and
(c) the impairment of sensitivity to objects of low colour or luminance contrast.
These three impairments disable a person’s ability to perform certain activities of daily
living that ordinarily we expect not to be difficult, and thus greatly impinge on
independent living. If impairment is a clinical concept, disability is related to the task a
person wants to perform, and the prescription of magnifying devices by ophthalmic
practitioners is always directed at improving performance on particular tasks. Magnifying
lenses suitable for reading may not be appropriate for other tasks where the viewing
distance or the visual field requirements are different.
Handicap is a societal concept and is related to the way in which society responds to the
needs of its disabled members. Impairment, disability and handicap are not synonyms, but
refer to different aspects of partial sight.

A3 THE ROLE OF LIGHTING Age-related impairment of visual function is

becoming more common as our population is ageing, and between the years 1998 and
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2025 is expected to double in prevalence. Lighting plays a pivotal part in the management
of visual disability, particularly for the elderly. If it is said that the lighting needs of the
visually normal person increase by a factor of threefold between the ages of 20 and 60
years (as a result of a tendency for eye pupils to become smaller with age and a gradual
clouding of refractive media such as early cataract changes), these needs become even
more demanding in the 70s and 80s.
Every day optometrists are consulted by patients who say that they can read without
glasses in good lighting, but cannot manage to read at night. This occurs in part because
of smaller eye pupils and lower retinal illuminance, but it also occurs because of a loss of
contrast sensitivity that can occur with medial haze in the eye (disability glare) and a
lower retinal ‘gain’ in aged and diseased eyes.

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 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998 10

Improvements in the quantity and quality of lighting are important ways of improving
retinal function and making tasks easier to see. For people with low vision, it is common
to prescribe small telescopes and other devices such as stronger reading glasses and
magnifying lenses. Some of these devices have local lighting built in, such as small torch
bulbs to illuminate the page, where large increases in task illuminance can be provided
conveniently and at modest cost, and without the worry of reflections from lens surfaces.
Improvements in the quality of lighting by any means usually do not alter the contrast of
the task, but increase the response of the eye in a way that brings the object to be seen
more definitely into a domain of contrast and image size where its detail can be
identified. In circumstances where the lighting is already adequate and glare is minimized,
changes to some tasks can greatly improve their visibility. An example is the contrast
presented by descending steps — this is a task of large visual angle (so magnification is
not the issue) but often low contrast, where one tread merges into the next lower tread.
The use of a contrasting nose to stair treads, as required by AS 1428.1, will improve the
visibility of steps.
Considerable attention has been paid to the provision of quality lighting for people with
low vision, providing safer and more comfortable living environments principally for the
elderly. However, lighting alone is not a panacea for the vision impaired, and for some
people the impairment may be so severe that alternative rehabilitation strategies become
necessary. The provision of high contrast in work areas, at handrails, door openings, floor
edges and steps, as well as signage of bold size and contrast, are important
accompaniments to good architectural and engineering design in the provision of task
illumination. In this way a pleasant and functional environment can be created in which
judicious use is made of energy resources.

A4 SOURCES OF FURTHER INFORMATION The following are important

reference sources for advice on lighting and the visual environment for the partially
sighted:
(a) International Commission on Illumination. CIE Publication No. 123 Low vision —
Lighting needs for the partially sighted. Vienna: CIE, 1997.
(b) Barker, P., Barrick, J. and Wilson, R. Building sight: A handbook of building and
interior design solutions to include the needs of visually impaired people.
London: HMSO in association with Royal National Institute for the Blind.
(c) A design guide for the use of colour and contrast to improve the built environment
for visually impaired people. Edited by K. Bright, University of Reading, United
Kingdom.
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 11 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998

APPENDIX B
REDUCTION IN ILLUMINANCE OVER THE MAINTENANCE CYCLE
(Informative)

Figure B1 illustrates the progressive reduction in illuminance that will occur over the
maintenance cycle. The curve shown is indicative only and represents the combined light
loss resulting from ageing of the lamps and from dirt deposition on the lamps, luminaires
and room surfaces. It illustrates the need for higher illuminances to be provided initially
to ensure compliance with the minimum illuminance at all times through the maintenance
cycle.
Furthermore, when selecting an initial target value of average illuminance for design
purposes, account should be taken of the variations in illuminance throughout the space,
to ensure compliance with the minimum illuminance, which applies at any point.
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FIGURE B1 ILLUSTRATION OF REDUCTION IN

ILLUMINANCE OVER THE MAINTENANCE CYCLE

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 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998 12

APPENDIX C
MEASUREMENT OF ILLUMINANCE
(Normative)

C1 SCOPE This Appendix sets out the conditions to be observed and the procedures
to be followed when taking measurements of illuminance to assess compliance with the
limiting values of minimum illuminance and of illuminance uniformity specified in
Clauses 6 and 7 respectively.
NOTE: Section 7 of AS/NZS 3827.1 lists potential sources of error in lighting measurements
and gives advice on the procedures that should be followed to minimize uncertainties of
measurement.

C2 MEASURING CONDITIONS The photometer used for illuminance measurements

shall —
(a) have a spectral response that closely matches the CIE spectral luminous efficiency
(Vλ) curve over the entire wavelength range;
(b) be corrected to take account of the effects of light falling on it at oblique angles, i.e.
cosine-correction; and
(c) have been calibrated for the type of light source used, within a period of not more
than 12 months prior to the date of carrying out the illuminance measurements.
Before taking readings, the photocell shall be exposed to the approximate illuminance to
be measured until the reading becomes stabilized. Care shall be taken not to cast a shadow
on the photocell when taking a reading.
Measurements of illuminance shall be made either after dark or with daylight excluded
from the interior. When necessary, allowance shall be made for the effect of any
extraneous light sources, e.g. from adjacent road lighting.
NOTE: Allowance cannot be made for the effects of daylight due to the significant variability in
daylight illuminances.
To ensure stability of lamp operating characteristics, lamps of new lighting systems and
existing systems where a group lamp replacement has been made, shall be aged by
operation for at least 100 h for discharge lamps, including fluorescent lamps, and at least
10 h for incandescent lamps.
Prior to the measurements being taken, the lighting system shall be operated for sufficient
time to allow the light output of the lamps to stabilize, usually 1 h for discharge lamps.
Airconditioning or ventilation systems in the interior shall be operating normally.
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C3 MEASUREMENT POINTS Measurements of illuminance shall be made in a

horizontal plane at floor level for a grid of points uniformly distributed within the
interior. The interval between the measurement points, in longitudinal and transverse
directions, shall be as near to equal as is practicable, but shall be not more than 1 m.
The selected measurement grid shall differ from the luminaire spacing, in all directions.
NOTE: The objective is to avoid the coincidence of measuring points with luminaire locations.
Where illuminance measurements are made to verify values resulting from design
calculations, the grid points used shall be those adopted in the design.

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 13 AS/NZS 1680.0:1998

Irrespective of the measurement grid adopted, the first row of measurement points shall be
as close as practicable to, but not less than 0.5 m from, the wall. However, for narrow
corridors or the like, less than or equal to 1.5 m in width, illuminance measurements shall
be made for a single row of points down the centre-line of the space.
For spaces having a floor area of less than 4 m 2, a single illuminance reading may be
taken as near as practicable to the centre of the area.
For large areas of buildings where the design is of a consistent or repetitive basis,
measurements need not be conducted for the entire space, provided that a representative
area, comprising at least 20% of the total, is measured.

C4 EVALUATION OF MEASURED DATA Before any comparisons are made with

the values specified in Clause 6 or Clause 7, the illuminance readings taken at each of the
measurement points shall be —
(a) adjusted for any calibration corrections applying to the photometer; and
(b) the adjusted values rounded;
in accordance with the procedures specified in AS/NZS 3827.2.
When comparing the adjusted and rounded values with the requirements of Clauses 6
and 7, the uncertainties of measurement shall be taken into account. Values that are
‘indeterminate’ shall be deemed to comply with the specified requirement provided that
the residual total uncertainty of measurement does not exceed ±10%.
Example
Assuming a residual total uncertainty of measurement of ±10%, the following
interpretation of the adjusted and rounded values would apply in relation to the
minimum illuminance specified in Clause 6:
≥22 lx (20 ÷ 0.9) — Pass
≤18 lx (20 ÷ 1.1) — Fail
>18 lx and <22 lx — Indeterminate, but deemed to pass.
For the determination of compliance with the illuminance uniformity in Clause 7 —
(i) the lowest of the adjusted and rounded illuminance values shall be taken as the
minimum illuminance; and
(ii) the arithmetic mean of the adjusted and rounded values for each of the measurement
points shall be taken as the average illuminance.

C5 VERIFICATION REPORT The report verifying compliance with the

requirements of Clauses 6 and 7 shall include the following:
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(a) Specific photometer used, including the date of the last calibration.
(b) Plan of the area involved, identifying the specific measurement locations and the
illuminance readings applying to each location, highlighting the minimum
illuminance reading and its location.
(c) Any calibration factors or other relevant adjustments applied to the measured values.
(d) A statement of the residual total uncertainty of the measurement procedure.
(e) Supply voltage to the lighting system at the time of measurement.
(f) Luminaire and lamp type.
(g) Description of the condition of the lighting system, covering the following:
(i) Reflectances of the interior surfaces.

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(ii) State of maintenance, including the last cleaning date.

(iii) Operated hours of the lamps.
(h) The status of the verifier with regard to experience and competence in the discipline
of illuminating engineering.
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