A few weeks ago, we posted a blog bulleting “What’s new for LED lighting in 2020?” There, we noted that we are becoming more aware of light pollution in the environment. According to Oxford’s definition, light pollution is the brightening of the night sky caused by streetlights and other man-made sources, which has a disruptive effect on natural cycles and inhibits the observation of stars and planets. To better our nighttime environment, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) was formed in 1988. IDA is now seen as the authority for protecting the night sky from light pollution.
Dark sky compliance is a designation given to outdoor lighting fixtures by the IDA. The municipality in which the lighting will be installed, often dictates that outdoor lighting meet specific requirements to minimize light pollution, light trespass, glare, and offensive light sources. There are two key requirements to have a fixture certified by IDA as Dark Sky Compliant.
- The color temperature must be 3000K or below
- There must be no uplight from the fixture and it must be classified as a “U0” rating in the Backlight, Uplight, Glare (BUG) rating system.
Dark sky compliance is sought out more and more by people looking to upgrade their exterior lighting to LED. Our EnergyLite exterior product families are dark sky compliant as well as DLC and DLC Premium listed. Check out more about all our product families to see what fits into your projects! (Link to the main ENL product page instead of specific family)