Action Steps

Adhere to a preventative maintenance program to regularly inspect exterior lamps, fixtures, and shielding to ensure minimal levels of light pollution.

No action is needed during the performance period for compliance with this option.

If manual overrides are available for occasional after-hours use, check that lighting system controls are restored to normal shut-off schedules following any overrides.

Confirm that automatic controls are properly managing interior lighting.

Minimize light trespass at the LEED project boundary, and develop a plan for performing required measurements during the performance period.

Measure the night illumination levels at regularly spaced points around the perimeter of the property, taking the measurements with the building’s exterior and site lights both on and off. The building’s interior lights must be in the same state during both measurements.

Modify fixture shielding where necessary and minimize illumination of architectural and landscaping features.

Start by completing an inventory of all exterior lighting fixtures to determine fixture shielding and find which fixtures need to be altered.

Option 2 requires partially or fully shielding all fixtures 50 watts and over so that they do not directly emit light to the night sky.

Documentation is streamlined for LEED-certified projects. If the project is certified under LEED-NC or LEED for Schools, show that SSc8: Light Pollution Reduction was earned. If the project is certified under LEED-CS and 75% of the floor area is LEED-CI, show that SSc8: Light Pollution Reduction was earned for both systems.