Artificial lighting consumes energy and 30%
of every household’s contribution to CO2 emissions comes from lighting and
appliances. Street lighting is also a substantial consumer of energy. If you
look at a satellite image of the UK taken at midnight you will see a pattern of
urban light visible from a substantial height above the planet. Many people
regard this as a form of pollution.
It is argued that too much lighting may
affect human health and may cause disruption to animal and plant life. Much
lighting is certainly misdirected or excessive. On the other hand, street and
security lighting can help community safety.
Sustainable construction should reduce the
use of artificial light, maximise the use of natural light, minimise light
pollution, but also ensure community safety.
- Has the development, including landscaping, been
designed to make best use of natural light whilst ensuring that passive solar
gains are not excessive?
- Have external lights been installed which prevent the
emission of light above the horizontal? (eg with full cut-off or ultra
low-profile housings)
- Have automatic on/off switching systems and intensity
controls for internal and external lighting been installed in the building(s)?
- Has a policy to use low energy light bulbs been adopted?
- Has ‘overlighting’, particularly during night hours,
been avoided?
- Appropriate use of natural light will improve the
performance of a building over its lifetime
- Energy bills and CO2 emissions will be reduced
- Appropriate, but not excessive, levels of lighting will
still provide adequate safety
- Use of natural light is likely to provide a better
working and living environment and protect human health
- Haute Vallee School, St Helier, Jersey - use of wind
towers, thermal mass, passive solar heating, external shading and good
daylighting (architecture plb - www.architectureplb.com)
- O’Sullivan House, Salcombe, Devon - use of natural light
and ventilation (Stan Bolt Architect)
- Weil Hackett, Mylor Creek - large areas of glazed wall
and roof (Poynton Bradbury Wynter Cole Architects)
- Tolvaddon Energy Park, Cornwall - use of low energy
lighting systems (Contact RDA - www.southwestrda.org.uk)
- BRESCU Guide 1999
- Countryside Commission/DETR, Lighting in the Countryside
- Towards Good Practice, 1997
- Dept. of Transport - ‘Road Lighting and the Environment’
- Institution of Lighting Engineers, Guidance Notes for
the Reduction of Light Pollution,1997 and Urban Lighting Guide: A Guide to Good
Urban Lighting. (n/d)
- British Astronomical Association’s Campaign for Dark
Skies, Incorporating Lighting Clauses in Your Local Plan
- RTPI Introductory Guide to Planning & Environmental
Protection at www.rtpi.org.uk/eandp/pub/environment/guide/index.html
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