Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Municipalities must eventually replace components of critical building systems in schools, libraries and other public facilities. With numerous objectives to achieve through those upgrades, could satisfying one goal hinder another?
Take the hundreds of communities across the country (including about 60 in Massachusetts) with bylaws meant to reduce light pollution, for example. Can they do so while meeting local or state energy and decarbonization goals, all within the constraints of municipal budgets?
With a well-written bylaw, a new study by a Massachusetts-based nonprofit indicates the answer is mostly “yes.”
Headquartered in Medford, the DesignLights Consortium establishes benchmarks for commercial lighting energy efficiency, quality, control and reliability. Manufacturers submit lighting products to the DLC and those that satisfy the requirements are added to Qualified Products Lists, which guide rebates and incentives from three-quarters of U.S. utilities and energy-efficiency organizations (including the Cape Cod Light Compact, Mass Save, Eversource, National Grid and Unitil in Massachusetts).
With light pollution increasing about 10% annually over the past decade, the DLC launched its LUNA program in 2021 to address the issue. Since then, more than 400 outdoor LED products have been placed on the LUNA Qualified Products List. The Massachusetts Operational Services Division requires that LED roadway and outdoor area lighting products purchased through State Contract FAC124 be DLC-listed and either LUNA-qualified or DarkSky-approved.
Besides mitigating the most important aspects of light pollution, LUNA-listed fixtures meet other DLC quality criteria for LED outdoor lighting, ensuring their eligibility for energy efficiency rebates. Moreover, a June 2024 study showed that, if paired with careful design and controls programming, LUNA-listed fixtures can save more electricity than LED products aimed at energy efficiency alone.
The DLC study investigated outdoor lighting retrofit solutions using a model high school parking lot and a main street in Fort Collins, Colorado, as examples. It showed that, by incentivizing LUNA-listed products with lighting controls, energy efficiency programs could help municipalities check several boxes by:
• Saving electricity
• Reducing emissions
• Reducing light pollution harmful to wildlife
• Avoiding excessive or misdirected nighttime lighting that degrades quality of life
• Preserving the night sky for stargazers and astronomers
The study’s insights help local decision makers choose high-quality, dark-sky-friendly exterior lighting products with controls that can further efficiency and decarbonization goals while reducing the harm caused by misdirected, excessive and improperly designed outdoor lighting.
The study adds to a suite of DLC resources that help municipalities navigate technical issues and make the right outdoor lighting choices for their communities. Other resources include basic information about light pollution impacts and sample bylaw/ordinance language.
For more information, visit the DLC’s booth at the MMA’s Connect 351 conference.
Written by Leora Radetsky, the DLC’s senior lighting scientist and director of the LUNA Program