Lighting Design and the Dark Sky

When I was growing up on eastern Long Island, we spent hours looking up at the night sky, trying to pick out the constellations. My back yard was wooded, so the view we had was limited, but we could still see the Big and Little Dippers, and easily pick out the North Star, and often saw shooting stars. Today, I have a hard time picking out the largest constellations to show my children, even in wide open areas.
-- Mark Elkins

Good Lighting Design
As an electrical contractor, I have always tried to use best practices that include good lighting design. That means putting the light where it is needed or wanted, but not anywhere else.

Outdoor lighting is to exploding everywhere. However, good lighting design does not seem to be catching on as quickly. Poorly designed outdoor lighting can be expensive in terms of installation, in terms of energy use, and in terms of quality of life. Lighting the sky not only obscures the stars, it wastes your money and creates needless pollution. So does lighting the tops of trees, lighting your neighbor’s house, or lighting that shines in your face, instead of what you are looking at. When choosing lighting fixtures and fixture placement, especially outdoor fixtures, be sure to choose fixtures for function, not just appearance.

Here are a few tips:
If the fixture is mounted near eye level, and you can see the bulb, you will have glare.
Mounting lights high, and aiming light down, reduces glare, and allows for more uniform light distribution. When a fixture produces glare, a higher wattage lamp will only decrease visibility.

Properly focusing light allows you to reduce the lighting wattage.
Instead of using flood lights or bright coach lights to light your yard, consider using low voltage path lights. Path lights create an excellent visual effect, and use very low wattage lamps. They are easy and safe to install, since they typically run on only 12 volts.

For lighting your doorways, consider using Dark Sky rated fixtures. These fixtures place light where it is needed thereby reducing glare and lighting trespass, and saving money. They look even better at night than they do in the day time.

If the design of your house allows it, using recessed lighting in the porch roof or overhang is an excellent way to provide high quality, sky friendly lighting outside your home. You will love the way it looks.

Turn lights off or dim them down when not needed. There is no reason you can not put a dimmer on outdoor lighting just as you would indoor lighting. There are also a wide variety of products available that can automate the process.

Considering Security
If you are lighting for security, remember, criminals will not be dropping in from the sky. Lighting facing upward will not make you any more secure. Glare gives criminals a place to hide. Bright lighting makes it easier for them to hid in the shadows. Take a look at your home from the street at night. If the lights are shining in your eyes, a police patrol would have a hard time seeing someone trespassing on your property. The glare can also adversely effect passing motorists. Flood lighting should mounted as high as possible and always directed facing down. Cutoff fixtures that reduce light shining up and out help keep the sky dark, your electric bill low, and your nieghbors happy.

The Lighting Fixture Company has a wide variety of Dark Sky and sky friendly path lighting fixtures. Need help choosing? Contact us for help!

Dark Sky Society

International Dark Sky Association

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