Light Pollution Solutions
CHARACTERISTICS AND USE OF LUMINAIRES:
The criteria to follow in choosing the luminaires to achieve efficient outdoor lighting, can be summarized in these three basic rules:
NEVER BE LIGHT FROM THE MOUTH OF EXCEL REFLECTOR
The beam of light produced should not extend outside the area that we need light, as it is energy that is lost, causing glare, eyestrain, etc..
CLOSING THE GLASS MUST BE FLAT AND TRANSPARENT
Convex or prismatic glass scatters light to produce significant energy loss and glare.
THE MOUTH OF THE REFLECTOR MUST always points towards the ground, SHUT THE GLASS IN HORIZONTAL POSITION.
When the center of the illuminated area is displaced from the vertical fixture, use an asymmetric reflector, which produces a horizontal beam inclined to maintain the mouth of the reflector.
Another acceptable solution, if the lamp reflector is symmetrical, is to provide it with a cage or a visor to cut the top and side flow, reflected back into the ground, trying to further that his inclination not exceeding 45 ยบ.
A simple way to ensure that the model is efficient luminaire to choose is limited to making the choice between those in the extensive list of certified lighting of different makes and models, which facilitates the Technical Office for the Protection of Sky Quality, the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands, plus much other interesting information about this issue (this has been our main source for the realization of the Newsletter and this page).
LAMP
The main features to consider when choosing a lamp,
than the voltage, the total power consumed and the color of light produced (spectrum) are:
*Light output: The amount of light produced for each watt of electricity consumed (expressed in lumens per watt or candelas per watt).
*TIME OR HALF-LIFE: The time that, on average, we will take the lamp to function and is expressed in hours.
PRICE: By itself it should not be decisive, since a high-performance lamp, having lower power and longer battery life, it is cheaper in the long run although their initial cost is higher.
REDUCE THE LEVEL OF LIGHT FROM MIDNIGHT
By turning off some of the luminaries who in many cases are completely unnecessary to be almost no movement of people, is another measure that contributes significantly to reducing energy consumption and light pollution.
To this must be taken into account when installing, which is fitted with dual circuit wiring that allows us to turn off or on half of the lamps (even and odd lights or lights with double lamp).
OPTIMIZATION OF A LIGHTING INSTALLATION:
In addition to the above aspects, there are others that should be taken into account to optimize performance and cost of an outdoor lighting installation, such as, for example, the recommended light level depending on the way to illuminate the height above ground to the luminaire or the distribution of light they provide, not to mention aesthetic commitment to efficiency-sometimes you have to go and the reduction of architectural barriers or obstacles (avoid poles on the sidewalks when the lights can installed on the facades).
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