Dark Sky Compliance: Why Does it Matter?

Dark sky compliance has lately become a trend in the lighting industry. This is due to the efforts of the dark-sky movement that attempt to ‘reclaim the sky.’

But what is dark sky compliance and what is the dark-sky movement?

The goal for both is to reduce light pollution.

Poorly designed lighting fixtures are primarily responsible for light pollution. Here at LED Lighting Supply, we believe in the importance of reducing light pollution by providing well-designed LED lights to help reverse its effects on our environment.

Here’s our guide to ensuring that modern outdoor lighting is dark sky compliant.

What is Dark Sky Compliance?

An outdoor lighting fixture achieves dark sky compliance when it receives the IDA (International Dark-Sky Association) Seal of Approval.

The IDA is the voice for light pollution. By educating manufacturers, designers, local governments, and the public about minimizing light pollution. The IDA believes the way to protect the natural night environment is to manage outdoor lighting.

Compliance with Dark Sky standards typically involves the following:

• Fixtures with top and side shield
• Warm Color Temperatures – usually around 3000K
• Control over light levels – dimming
• Controls – motion sensors, and photocells are commonly used

Why is Dark Sky Compliance Important?

The purpose of dark sky compliance is to limit the amount of blue light at night.

What’s so bad about blue light?

Our circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles. It helps our bodies know when to carry out essential functions. Light is the most critical factor in aligning our circadian rhythms. Humans and animals align these rhythms with sunrise and sunset.

We’re exposed to more artificial light through electronics. They disrupt our circadian rhythms before we go to sleep. All types of light can affect your circadian rhythm but it’s blue light that has the most considerable impact.

As humans, we receive most blue light exposure from the sun. Blue light activates and stimulates parts of our brain that make us feel alert. This increases our heart rate and body temperature. It improves our attention span and productive performance.

This should also aid us by tiring us out and helping us to get a good night’s sleep after the sun goes down. But if we are still using blue light at night this will disrupt our need for rest and recovery. This is because blue light blocks the melatonin hormone that makes you sleepy.

High levels of blue light impact sleep quality. This is due to our insatiable demand for more device screen time. This limits our outdoor lighting fixtures. And thus, reducing blue light is a perfect solution.We’ve seen that these lights affect wildlife reproduction and behavior.

For example, the purpose of a street light is to illuminate the ground beneath the light. Yet, it’s considered light trespass when a street light ‘trespasses’ into a neighbor’s yard. The light is shining where it does not need to be and is spreading unnecessary light rays.

Artificial lighting, whether blue or not, disrupts the natural ecosystem of local wildlife. Animals become uncertain about when daylight begins and ends. When this happens with small animals, they’re put at a higher risk of larger predators.

Increased light pollution will also make it more impossible to see the stars at night. You may be asking, why should all this even matter?

What are the Benefits of Dark Sky Compliance?

Dark Sky Compliance contains more benefits than you might think.

Safety and Security

Dark-sky lighting still provides light when and where we need it. But it reduces the area and distance where light travels.

For instance, it decreases dangerous glare for drivers and pedestrians. White light from headlights often blinds oncoming traffic or pedestrians.

Too much light (especially bright, white light) can make it harder to see and make us feel less safe. Because it creates dark shadows where others can hide while you are ‘exposed’ in the light.

However, brighter does not always mean safer. In the UK, research concluded that there was little evidence of an increase in traffic accidents or crime after reduced lighting.

Wildlife

Darkness at nighttime is vital to Earth’s ecosystem. Bright, artificial lighting disrupts plants and animals. They depend on natural light rising in the morning and setting at night.

Particularly for nocturnal animals, this can have a devastating impact. They rely on the night to survive against larger predators that occupy the daylight.

Dark-sky lighting (especially those with an amber or orange glow) does wonders to help protect our precious wildlife.

Health

Blue light at night (from white LEDs, laptops, and smartphones) can harm our health by disrupting our circadian rhythms. And thus it contributes to health conditions. These include insomnia, obesity, cancer, diabetes, and even heart disease.

For good health, we need sunshine and vitamin D. Still, we also need exposure to darkness. Darkness at night aids in supporting our circadian rhythm. It regulates our sleep cycles so we can repair our bodies from the rigors of daily living.

Our Planet

Dark-sky lighting not only protects the planet’s wildlife but the planet itself. The United States wastes about 30% of all outdoor lighting and $3.3 billion a year is spent on this wasted light. By only using the amount of light necessary, all the planet’s inhabitants can reduce energy consumption.

Rest and Recovery

Nighttime is resting time. Amber (or warmer) dark-sky lights use colors that look like candlelight and sunsets. This is different from the blue and white colors that appear on our screens and TV standby lights.

Not only do blue and light colors delay us in getting to sleep, but they may also even wake us up during our sleep! Hence, an amber light will aid you in not only feeling sleepier but will rarely wake you up during your valuable rest periods.

Our Stars

Have you ever looked up at the sky during nighttime and searched for the stars yet only seen bleary light instead? If so, what you are witnessing is light pollution.

What you will notice most about light pollution is that it makes the stars disappear. Researchers estimate that by 2025 only a few dark-sky places will remain in the United States. As more of the buildings around us illuminate the skies, the stars become dimmer in the night sky. Almost becoming dark themselves.

Five Practical Tips for Becoming Dark Sky Compliant

The dark-sky movement wants to make the night sky more visible. They want to help cut down on the amount of energy used and reduce unnatural light’s impact on the environment.

Here are our five practical tips for ensuring outdoor lighting is dark sky compliant.

1. Use LED

Most of us are familiar with fluorescent or incandescent light bulbs for indoor lighting. However, most of us believe that lighting fixtures should be more industrial light sources for outdoor lighting.

Outdoor lighting has come a long way. LEDs are an excellent option when white light is needed. Because they’re energy-efficient, cutting down on energy waste. Dimmable LEDs can reduce light levels and thus are a perfect option for outdoor use.

Because of their reported long life and energy efficiency, the use of LEDs is becoming widespread, replacing the existing lighting in many cities.

2. The Correct Color Matters

Blue light is harmful to nature, the wildlife in it, and to humans. While LEDs are great energy-efficient lights. They contain a more significant amount of blue light.

You should select a color temperature of no more than 3000K if you seek the ‘warm’ glow or an amber-looking light. This lower color temperature and looks and ‘feels’ like a low-spectrum LED.

3. Always Reduce Light Waste

Reduce light waste by only lighting the areas that you need to. Reducing light waste means turning your lights on only when required. Or configuring them with a timer or sensor to help decrease the amount of light waste.

The Department of Energy also proves that businesses can calculate energy savings to minimize light waste. You can reduce the amount of light that impacts you and wildlife. You can also make significant savings on commercial transactions, too.

4. Install Lights and Light Fixtures That Use Shields

Always choose shielded modern outdoor lighting fixtures so the light points downward. This minimizes glare, reduces light pollution, and facilitates better vision at night.

Installing lighting that keeps the sky dark by shielding the light source on the top and sides. The light is directed downwards instead of upwards and through the sides. This removes excess glare hiding the stars in the sky.

5. Never Use More Brightness than You Need

Ensure your outdoor lights aren’t unnecessarily bright. First, decide whether you need such bright outdoor fixtures. Then consider whether you need 3,000 Kelvins or 5,000.

Make sure you strike the right balance between navigating outside and getting a good night’s sleep. Ensure that the lighting you choose meets the basic requirements both.

Now you know the practical part, let’s move on to what dark sky compliant fixtures look like.

Four Dark Sky Compliant Lighting Fixtures You Can Buy

There’s no better expert on LED lighting than Dwayne Kula.

So, we asked him – what fixtures do you recommend when a customer asks for dark sky compliant lighting? Here’s what he said:

“Dark sky-friendly fixtures distribute light down where it’s needed and not upwards or outwards”. At LED Lighting Supply here are our most popular DSC fixtures:

1. Wall Packs: Full Cutoff Wall Packs, by design, limit upward and horizontal light pollution.
2. Shoebox (Parking Lot Lights): By design, these lights only point downwards (or should only point downwards).
3. Street Lights: By design, these lights only point downwards (or should only point downwards).
4. Sconces: By design, these lights only point downwards with no upward or horizontal light pollution.

FAQ

How Do You Get Dark Sky Compliant?

These are the main steps to get Dark Sky compliant

• Research and understand the standards set by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA).
• Choose the right fixtures, that possibly include side and top glare shields, and 3000K color temperature. Cutoff fixtures like full-cutoff wall packs are a better option than forward-throw wall packs.
• Make sure the fixture has only the light output you need and not more
• Add motion sensors and photocells if you can
• Install the lights properly and ensure they are pointing parallel to the ground

What BUG Rating is Dark Sky?

BUG is a rating that determines light leakage from a fixture. B is for backlight, U is for uplight and G is for glare. Ideally, a good BUG rating for dark sky compliance is 1-0-1.

What is the Color temperature for Dark Sky Compliance?

Warmer color temperatures are better, so 3000K and lower is the best option.