YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Together we can keep our dark skies shining.

HOW DO I KNOW?

STEP 1: AUDIT YOUR RESIDENTIAL LIGHTING

Not sure where to begin? Start by using Dark Sky International’s Home Lighting Assessment. You can inventory your home lighting and audit your own property to see if positive changes can be made. You can even submit your results and receive a DarkSky Friendly Home Certificate!

Ask yourself:

  1. Does the light serve a clear and necessary purpose?

  2. Does the light fall only where needed?

  3. Is the amount of light appropriate for the intended task?

  4. Is the light connected to active controls?

  5. Is the light source warm in colour?

STEP 2: MAKE SOME CHANGES WHERE YOU CAN

  1. Replace fixtures for dark sky-friendly alternatives as appropriate.

  2. Add timers or motion sensors to outdoor lights.

  3. Keep outdoor lights turned off when they are not necessary.

  4. If building a new home, design outdoor lighting with dark skies in mind.

  5. Ask your friends and neighbours to do the same!

HOT TIP!

Download the free “Lux Light Meter Pro/Free” smartphone app for iPhone or Android. Use these apps to determine the illuminance (foot candles or lux) emitted by a light.

RESOURCES AND INSPIRATION

DARK SKY FRIENDLY Outdoor lighting choices

Dark Sky Naramata has partnered with ROBINSON Lighting & Bath PENTICTON to provide a curated collection of locally available, dark sky-friendly exterior lighting options that will inspire you.

There are many more dark sky options to explore at Robinson Lighting!

Contact or visit Penticton ROBINSON Lighting & Bath to inquire about dark-sky-friendly lighting or to request help specifying dark-sky-compliant fixtures for your home. 

Psst! Mention the “Dark Sky Naramata” initiative for special discounts.

WALL MOUNT

CEILING MOUNT

PATHWAY AND POST

STEP LIGHTS

RECESSED POT LIGHTS

SECURITY

HELPFUL DEFINITIONS

Reference: Dark Sky Friendly Home Lighting Program, Dark Sky International

FIXTURE

An electrical device used to create artificial light through the use of an electric lamp. A fixture may house one or more lamps which can be either built-in or manually replaceable (i.e. bulb).

LAMP

The bulb or other light-emitting portion of a fixture. This may include light-emitting elements built into a fixture (i.e. built-in LEDs) but is not inclusive of any reflective materials used to direct light.

SHIELDING

The portion of the lighting fixture that the fixture’s lamp(s). A fully-shielded fixture is a fixture constructed so that in its installed position, all of the light emitted is projected below the horizontal (90-degree) plane passing through the lowest light-emitting part of the fixture. Essentially, the shield is built so the fixture’s lamp is not visible at all below the shield.

CCT

A measure of the colour properties of light emitted by lamps, being equal to the temperature, expressed in kelvins (K), of a blackbody whose spectrum best approximates the spectrum of the light source in question. The higher the temperature in Kelvins, the “cooler” (bluer) the light is. CCT values are typically provided in lighting manufacturer data sheets or are printed onto LED light sources.

LUMENS

The SI unit of luminous flux, equal to the amount of light emitted per second into a unit solid angle of one steradian from a uniform source of one candela. The higher the number of lumens emitted, the brighter a source will appear.

ACTIVE CONTROLS

Any electronic or mechanical device that is attached to a fixture which is meant to dynamically control the duration, intensity, spectrum, or area illuminated by the lighting fixture. These can include timers, motion sensors, dimmers,