VOLT® Lighting, leading factory-direct lighting manufacturer, announces actions taken in support of the International Dark Sky Association and its conservation goals. A long-time supporter of the association, VOLT® Lighting recently renewed their corporate sponsorship and submitted about three dozen of their lights for Dark Sky’s ‘Fixture Seal of Approval (FSA)’ program. All fixtures were approved and can be located in the new Dark Sky Approved fixture category.

The International Dark Sky Association, a nonprofit organization founded in 1988, is dedicated to protecting the night skies for present and future generations. In addition, they are strong advocates for identifying and publicizing the negative effects of light pollution on humans and wildlife.

Working closely with lighting manufacturers (such as VOLT® Lighting), the Dark Sky group sets standards for fixture specifications and assigns their FSA certification for fixtures that comply. The group also develops standards for lighting designs (in cooperation with the Illuminating Engineering Society – IES) and incorporates them into Model Lighting Ordinances (MLOs).

Steve Parrott, VOLT® Communications Director, describes the company’s interest in Dark Sky efforts, “As a leading manufacturer of landscape lights, we work closely with lighting designers. These designers often work in municipalities that have adopted Dark Sky ordinances. The designer needs to know the types and models of fixtures he or she can use. We make that easy by incorporating Dark Sky principles into our fixture designs and certifying them through the Dark Sky FSA program.”

Dark Sky principles, as they apply to lighting fixtures, include energy conservation, preventing light spill, minimizing brightness and reducing the amount of blue light.

Energy Conservation is achieved by incorporating control devices into lighting systems. VOLT® does this by providing timers and photocells used to set on-off times. VOLT® also conserves energy by providing energy-efficient LED light sources – either integrated into fixtures or in replaceable lamps.

VOLT® prevents light spill by supplying many fixtures that are downward facing (full cutoff) so light does not spill into the sky. Most fixtures also feature glare shields that prevent unwanted light from spilling into viewers’ eyes (direct glare) and into neighboring properties (light trespass). These fixtures are also designed for minimal brightness – just enough to achieve the goals of safety and security – far less bright than typical flood or security lights.

The final Dark Sky principle is reducing the amount of blue light. This is a fairly recent addition to the guidelines – prompted by a growing body of research showing negative health effects from artificial blue lights. The IDA defines “blue light” as light greater than 3000K color temperature. The great majority of VOLT® LED sources are below that threshold – either at 3000K or 2700K – both colors characterized as warm white.

Summarizing VOLT’s Dark Sky involvement, Parrott continues, “Our interest in Dark Sky efforts is far more than just increasing sales. We have always been passionate about the environment and in promoting responsible practices in landscape lighting. Even before we supported the Dark Sky Association, we advocated conserving energy, reducing glare, using warm white light, and minimizing light levels as much as possible – that’s just good design. Clearly, sponsoring the work of the Dark Sky Association is very much aligned with who we are and what we do.”

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