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By: Edna Schack

With shorter days and the end of daylight savings, most all of us flip the light switch to bring artificial light to our surroundings so we can read, work, eat, or play into the night. Outdoors, we have streetlights and floodlights and entryway lights to help guide us through the darkness. Artificial light is a necessity in a modern world if we want to work and play 24/7.

Have you ever noticed, though, that some of the light from many outdoor lighting fixtures doesn’t shine down where we need it, but up into the sky where it is wasted or into your eyes, creating glare that limits your vision? Would you tolerate your water faucet wasting 30% of the water? Probably not, but 30% of the light from many outdoor fixtures is wasted by shining in unnecessary directions. Many solutions to excessive and inappropriate use of artificial light are simple and cost-effective. Frontier Housing is taking a step to improve residential outdoor lighting by using The GlareBuster GB-2000 (http://theglarebuster.com/), an outdoor lighting fixture that is both an ENERGY STAR® qualified and International Dark-sky Association (IDA) approved fixture, in its new construction.

Lighting efficiency can be improved in two fundamental ways. The first, using high efficiency light sources such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), was discussed in my October 10 column. Using lighting fixtures designed to aim light where and when it is needed can also achieve energy efficiency, especially outdoors. Local examples of energy efficient outdoor lighting fixtures can be seen at the new Wal-Mart and McBrayer Elementary parking lots. They have no direct uplight and minimal glare. If you look around town, though, it won’t take long to find examples of lighting fixtures that are not energy efficient - sending light in unnecessary directions, often producing glare that limits the vision of drivers, affecting safety. Shielding retrofits to improve existing lighting can be found at http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/visitors/lighting/nema.html

Rowan County Senior High School Y Club students, Claire Schack, Andi Sharp, and Adam Pinks, with the support of Frontier Housing, are writing a mock bill to address the need for improved outdoor lighting. The goal of the mock bill is to require new commercial and government construction to use ENERGY STAR® qualified and IDA approved fixtures in all exterior applications. The students will present their bill to approximately 1000 students attending the 2008 Kentucky Youth Assembly Conference to be held in Louisville, KY November 23-25. They have prepared brochures, speeches, and a display to inform the participants of the benefits of improved outdoor lighting.

The obvious benefits are the energy and financial savings. Other benefits include increased safety by minimizing glare, happier neighbors by decreasing light trespass on other’s property and a positive impact on wildlife whose natural habits are adversely affected by artificial light. There is even recent evidence that excessive artificial light might adversely affect humans by decreasing melatonin levels that are triggered by darkness. Melatonin may be connected to sleep patterns and cancer occurrence. IDA approved fixtures are designed to maximize these benefits. More information about benefits and best lighting choices can be found at http://www.darksky.org/mc/page.do . Families and teachers will find the activities under the Educators/Kids tab interesting to try out. Other activities about the night sky can be found at the GLOBE at Night website: http://www.globe.gov/GaN/ .

Together, we can all make a difference whether it is to save money, save energy, or protect the environment. Frontier Housing and the Rowan County Senior High School Y Club students are taking steps to make a difference. This effort is funded by a 2008 Change a Light, Change the World – Start with ENERGY STAR® Mini-Grant. The award is sponsored by The Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence and the Kentucky NEED (National Energy Education Development) Project. In addition Big Four Lumber Company, in cooperation with Lighting by Branford/The GlareBuster, has made a generous donation to Frontier Housing to support Frontier’s effort to include GlareBuster GB-2000 light fixtures on their new construction homes. You can take the ENERGY STAR Pledge at
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=globalwarming.showPledge&cpd_id=1349
and join with millions of others to make a difference.

By Edna O. Schack, MSU Professor on sabbatical with Frontier Housing,
Fall 2008

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