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LEED v4.1

Existing Buildings
Sustainable Sites
Light Pollution Reduction

LEED CREDIT

EBOM-v4.1 SSc3: Light Pollution Reduction 1 point

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SPECIAL REPORT

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Bill Swanson

PE, LEED AP BD+C

Integrated Design Solutions
Sr. Electrical Engineer

SPECIAL REPORT

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Credit language

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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Meet the requirements of one of the options below:

Option 1. Fixture Shielding
Shield all exterior fixtures (where the sum of the mean lamp lumens for that fixture exceeds 2,500) such that the installed fixtures do not directly emit any light at a vertical angle more than 90 degrees from straight down. OR
Option 2. Perimeter Measurements
Measure the night illumination levels at regularly spaced points on the project boundary, taking the measurements with the building’s exterior and site lights both on and off. At least eight measurements are required, at a maximum spacing of 100 feet (30 meters) apart. The illumination level measured with the lights on must not be more than 20% above the level measured with the lights off. See all forum discussions about this credit »

What does it cost?

Cost estimates for this credit

On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.

Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.

This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.

Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »

Frequently asked questions

We have parking garage signs on the building exterior. We’re attempting Option 1 Fixture Shielding. Does the parking signage need to meet the requirements too?

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What about lights on the roof? Do they have to comply?

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What about exterior lighting owned by tenants?

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My building doesn’t have any exterior lighting (no site lighting and no building-mounted lighting). Is my project eligible for this credit?

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See all forum discussions about this credit »

Addenda

2/6/2023 – Updated: 2/9/2023
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Under Required Documentation, revise the second bullet of Option 1 to read as:
o Shielding information for each luminaire with total mean lamp lumens greater than 2,500 (via manufacturers’ technical data sheets).
- (If manufacturer documentation is unavailable, photographs of the luminaires can be provided). Ensure that photographs clearly show the luminaire’s orientation in
relation to the ground and that proper shielding is in place to prevent light at a vertical angle more than 90 degrees from straight down. It is recommended that
photographs be taken during daytime hours to prevent lens flare from the light emitted from the lamp, which can obscure the image of the lamp and its shielding.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
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Documentation toolkit

The motherlode of cheat sheets

LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.

LEEDuser expert

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Bill Swanson

PE, LEED AP BD+C

Integrated Design Solutions
Sr. Electrical Engineer

Get the inside scoop

Our editors have written a detailed analysis of nearly every LEED credit, and LEEDuser premium members get full access. We’ll tell you whether the credit is easy to accomplish or better left alone, and we provide insider tips on how to document it successfully.

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Meet the requirements of one of the options below:

Option 1. Fixture Shielding
Shield all exterior fixtures (where the sum of the mean lamp lumens for that fixture exceeds 2,500) such that the installed fixtures do not directly emit any light at a vertical angle more than 90 degrees from straight down. OR
Option 2. Perimeter Measurements
Measure the night illumination levels at regularly spaced points on the project boundary, taking the measurements with the building’s exterior and site lights both on and off. At least eight measurements are required, at a maximum spacing of 100 feet (30 meters) apart. The illumination level measured with the lights on must not be more than 20% above the level measured with the lights off.

In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:

  • Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
  • Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
  • Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
  • Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
  • Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
  • Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.

We have parking garage signs on the building exterior. We’re attempting Option 1 Fixture Shielding. Does the parking signage need to meet the requirements too?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

What about lights on the roof? Do they have to comply?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

What about exterior lighting owned by tenants?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

My building doesn’t have any exterior lighting (no site lighting and no building-mounted lighting). Is my project eligible for this credit?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)
2/6/2023 – Updated: 2/9/2023
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Under Required Documentation, revise the second bullet of Option 1 to read as:
o Shielding information for each luminaire with total mean lamp lumens greater than 2,500 (via manufacturers’ technical data sheets).
- (If manufacturer documentation is unavailable, photographs of the luminaires can be provided). Ensure that photographs clearly show the luminaire’s orientation in
relation to the ground and that proper shielding is in place to prevent light at a vertical angle more than 90 degrees from straight down. It is recommended that
photographs be taken during daytime hours to prevent lens flare from the light emitted from the lamp, which can obscure the image of the lamp and its shielding.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No

LEEDuser expert

headshot

Bill Swanson

PE, LEED AP BD+C

Integrated Design Solutions
Sr. Electrical Engineer

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