A Road-Segment-Level Energy Classification Framework for Public Lighting: From Algorithmic Assessment to Voluntary Energy Labels for Municipal Action

Public lighting can account for nearly 40% of municipal energy consumption in some European cities and plays a vital role in road safety, mobility, and the quality of public spaces. Despite notable efficiency gains from the widespread adoption of light-emitting diode (LED) technologies, the technical outputs of standards-based and installation-level assessment methods are not usually simple and communicable energy-performance labels for municipal decision-making. This study addresses this issue by introducing an algorithm-based framework for classifying energy performance in public lighting at the road-segment level. This approach translates existing lighting standards and efficiency indicators into a straightforward and understandable energy label, adapting the energy labelling concept, commonly used for buildings and appliances, to public space infrastructure. This framework is implemented through a national digital platform for public lighting classification, which has already attracted formal interest from more than 100 municipalities, indicating strong institutional uptake. The results indicate that road-segment-level energy classification is feasible and scalable as a voluntary tool to enhance municipal accountability and support informed decision-making. This study concludes that algorithmic energy labels for public lighting can support sustainable urban governance transparency, comparability and decision-making capacity, with future research aimed at building capacity for large-scale implementation and incorporating environmental, human health, and ecological impact considerations into the classification system.