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A Village in a Garden By Avery Harden
Outdoor lighting Outdoor lighting is another important aesthetic issue. Glare and trespass glare is like second-hand smoke. It is discourteous to put a light up outside without the slightest thought of how it will affect the neighbors. There are plenty of options in lighting to get the effect you need and want without putting glare into the eyes of your neighbors. Lighting is important. Lighting is the night landscape. We need more lighting for convenience, aesthetics and security. We just need better-designed lighting. The key is to use light fixtures with "cut-off" elements. Glare reduces visibility. Glare is an aesthetic nuisance. Quality lighting provides light on the intended target while minimizing the glare from the source of the light. Always consider the glare; always consider what you are unilaterally forcing your neighbor to look at. Floodlights should not be used in townhome situations. Flood means what it says, it floods the neighborhood with glare. Cutoffs put the light on the target and not in the neighbor’s eyes. Cutoffs put just as much light on the ground target as floodlights without the glare. Cutoffs hit the target with at least 90% of their output. This also makes them more energy efficient to use which helps to compensate for their slightly higher initial cost. Front and back porch lights are the number one source of glare. The larger the globe around the bulb, the less the glare. Several small bulbs inside a globe produce less glare than one larger bulb. The larger globe with several smaller bulbs diffuses the light thus reducing glare. Frosted glass also helps. A cheap quick fix for a serious glare issue is to put black motor paint on the side of the globe where glare is a problem. The parsonage of the church across the street from me has a very bright, single glaring light that I have been meaning to speak with the pastor about. It is very intense. That fixture results in only 40% of the light output actually hitting the target on the ground while 60% is wasted as glare into the eyes of the nearby neighbors. That black paint would do wonders for that fixture unless the church might be willing to change it out for a cut-off fixture. The cut-off costs a little more but the energy savings would easily compensate. The County streetlight 60-feet away from me is another significant source of glare. I very much appreciate the benefit of that light in the street but that benefit can be had without all of the glare. Once I get the gumption up to take a petition around to my neighbors that are also affected by that glare, I understand the County will either change that particular outmoded fixture for one with a cutoff feature or put a shield on it. Then I’ll be able to take my sunglasses off at night. |
