• About Us
    • — About Digitized House
    • — Editorial Guidelines
  • Policies
    • — Ad Policy
    • — Privacy Policy
    • — Cookie Policy (US)
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Digitized House Reviews
  • Alexa
  • Apple HomeKit
  • Google Home
  • SmartThings
  • Smart Components
    • Security Cameras
    • Security Systems
    • Smart Displays
    • Smart Door Locks
    • Smart Lighting
    • Smart Plugs
    • Smart Product Round-ups
    • Smart Shades
    • Smart Speakers
    • Smart Thermostats
    • Smart Water
    • Smoke + CO Detectors
    • Solar Photovoltaics
  • About + Policy
    • About Us
    • Copyright Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Advertising, Affiliate Link, and Sponsorship Policy
No Result
View All Result
  • Alexa
  • Apple HomeKit
  • Google Home
  • SmartThings
  • Smart Components
    • Security Cameras
    • Security Systems
    • Smart Displays
    • Smart Door Locks
    • Smart Lighting
    • Smart Plugs
    • Smart Product Round-ups
    • Smart Shades
    • Smart Speakers
    • Smart Thermostats
    • Smart Water
    • Smoke + CO Detectors
    • Solar Photovoltaics
  • About + Policy
    • About Us
    • Copyright Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Advertising, Affiliate Link, and Sponsorship Policy
No Result
View All Result
Digitized House Reviews
No Result
View All Result
Home Sustainable Home Energy Conservation

Illuminating Your Home with Dark Sky lighting

Tom Kolnowski by Tom Kolnowski
29 October 2015
Reading Time: 4 mins read

You don’t need to be Stephen Hawking or Neil deGrasse Tyson to appreciate the benefits pitch-dark skies bring to even casual stargazing. But as naturally-dark skies become increasingly rare due to the surging density of metropolitan areas and the march of urban sprawl, is there anything the sustainability-minded homeowner can do to help reverse the trend? One answer lies in Dark Sky-friendly outdoor lighting, an easy win within reach for anyone building, remodeling, or retrofitting a home.

So what exactly is Dark Sky? A concept advocated by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), the Dark Sky program is a sensible, education-based approach to enabling the reduction of light pollution, the root cause of those less-than-dark skies that can make stargazing problematic.

5DM35325_featured
In this example of Dark Sky driveway lighting, the fully-shielded downlight design ensures there is minimal glare and virtually no light pollution.

While we won’t get into the details of all the work IDA is doing here, the upshot for homeowners is that they are making it easier to ensure your dwelling is not contributing to light pollution by certifying fixtures as Dark Sky-friendly through their Fixture Seal of Approval (FSA) program. That FSA certification process ensures fixtures so labeled are doing their part to reduce or eliminate the production of extraneous illumination that can contribute to light pollution. IDA, by the way, does not manufacture or sell lighting fixtures.

The biggest culprits around your current home are likely to be landscape lighting, those fixtures mounted on exterior walls, and yard or driveway lighting. All of those problem areas and more can potentially be addressed through the installation of location-appropriate Dark Sky lighting fixtures.

If you are the handy type, you may also find it possible to modify some of your existing fixtures to produce less light pollution. The IDA site has a section on outdoor lighting basics that depicts acceptable and unacceptable types of fixtures, and those images may help fuel do-it-yourself ideas for those inclined to go the hacking route.

Finding Dark Sky lighting on the shelf can be difficult in some locations, but as the popularity of these products increases the big-box home improvement stores seem to be increasing their inventory. In a recent visit to a Lowe’s store, we counted a total of 7 fixtures on the shelves with IDA Dark Sky labeling across the front of their boxes. All of these were wall-mounted fixtures, in a mix of traditional and contemporary styles. What we did not see at Lowe’s, however, was a single landscape lighting fixture with the Dark Sky label, though you should be able to find them online from various retailers. To zero in on relevant products, use the “Dark Sky” search term.

5DM35293-HDR_featured
Finding the right Dark Sky-compliant fixtures can be a trying process, but the products are out there.

For those contemplating building a new home, the right time to address potential light pollution is in the design phase with your architect or builder. In the case of our lab home, we set out with the goal to be 100% Dark Sky-compliant on all outdoor lighting. Our architect and his team incorporated deep overhangs for all of the home’s decks and porches, so by simply installing standard, fully-recessed ceiling fixtures we were effectively Dark Sky-friendly in those locations.

For other outdoor areas of the home, we did our research early in the planning phase and were able to find suitable fixtures that met the Dark Sky spec, yet did not detract from our Texas Hill Country contemporary design aesthetic. For example, in the case of all wall-mounted fixtures, we found and installed the Cascade 1830TT downlight from Hinkley Lighting, a Dark Sky-compliant yet decidedly-contemporary product.

Coming back down to Earth around your new sustainable home build, remodel, or retrofit projects, think of Dark Sky lighting compliance in this way: The only direction you can go is up, meaning less light pollution and a better chance of looking skyward and seeing the wonder of the Pleiades.

Tags: non-affiliateZero Energy Living Lab Home
Tom Kolnowski

Tom Kolnowski

Tom Kolnowski is the Chief Content Officer & Founder of Digitized House Media, LLC, the publisher of Digitized House | Guide to the Connected Home. When he isn’t writing about smart home technology, sustainability, and high-performance architecture, you’ll find him exploring faraway destinations with his family.

Next Post
Solar driveway lighting.

Shining a Light on Dark Sky Communities

sustainable contemporary door

Pairing Contemporary Door Design With Sustainability

Recommended Stories

Regular seasonal maintenance on solar panel systems is a must. Image: Native.

Home Solar Systems: A Seasonal Maintenance Guide

5 December 2018
AIA Austin Homes Tour | Tim Brown Architecture Image: Digitized House

Video: A Modern Take on Victorian Architecture

7 November 2017
Image: Gert Altmann from Pixabay.

Amazon, Apple, Google, and Zigbee Alliance Launch Project Connected Home over IP

18 December 2019

Popular Stories

  • Lūp is a magnetically-infused USB-C charging cable that enables it to be essentially self organizing. Image: Digitized House Media.

    Lūp Cable Brings Magnetic Charm to Charging

    82 shares
    Share 33 Tweet 21
  • Flo by Moen Smart Water Monitor and Shutoff Review

    82 shares
    Share 33 Tweet 21
  • Rachio Smart Hose Timer Review

    82 shares
    Share 33 Tweet 21
  • Moen Smart Sprinkler Controller Review

    80 shares
    Share 32 Tweet 20
  • Mowrator S1, a Drone for Your Lawn

    79 shares
    Share 32 Tweet 20
Digitized House Reviews

Digitized House is the only independent digital publisher laser-focused on guiding consumers to a smarter, healthier, and safer home through streams of original editorial content.

Amazon Disclosure

To help defray the cost of publishing, Digitized House is a participant in the Amazon Associate program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made from ads, buttons, or text links to Amazon placed on our website. These links may appear within editorial content, headers, footers, and sidebars. Purchasing from one of these Amazon Associate links does not increase the amount you pay, but does help keep us publishing the content you need to stay informed.

Recent Content

Lūp Cable Brings Magnetic Charm to Charging

Flo by Moen Smart Water Monitor and Shutoff Review

Mowrator S1, a Drone for Your Lawn

Product Guide to Level Lock Smart Lock Solutions

© 2015-2025 Digitized House Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Alexa
  • Apple HomeKit
  • Google Home
  • SmartThings
  • Smart Components
    • Security Cameras
    • Security Systems
    • Smart Displays
    • Smart Door Locks
    • Smart Lighting
    • Smart Plugs
    • Smart Product Round-ups
    • Smart Shades
    • Smart Speakers
    • Smart Thermostats
    • Smart Water
    • Smoke + CO Detectors
    • Solar Photovoltaics
  • About + Policy
    • About Us
    • Copyright Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Advertising, Affiliate Link, and Sponsorship Policy

© 2015-2025 Digitized House Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?