MedSkyTour – Interreg Euro-MED – Co-funded by the European Union
C1.2 · Lighting design

Fully shielded luminaires

Use luminaires that send no light above the horizontal – light reaches the street, not the sky.

Open globe Fully shielded
Left: part of the light goes up and sideways. Right: all light goes where it is needed.

Cost

€€€

Lowest during planned LED renewal

Effort

Low – medium

Time to implement

Months

Tender to installation

Lighting zones

All zones

Priority: nature-park and coastal zones

In one minute

A fully shielded (full cut-off) luminaire has a flat glass and is mounted horizontally, so all its light points down. Open globes, decorative lanterns and tilted floodlights send part of their light straight into the sky, where it brightens the night and hides the stars.

Shielding is the first thing to fix: it is visible, affordable and it makes every other measure – warm colour, dimming – work better.

What it solves

  • Sky glow
  • Glare
  • Light intrusion into homes
  • Wildlife disturbance (indirectly)

Who can act

Municipality

Replace or retrofit its own street, park and monument lighting.

Region

Require 0% upward light in funding calls and on regional roads.

Protected area / park

Apply it to visitor facilities and access roads.

Business

Shield façade lights, car parks and signs.

Citizen

Choose shielded garden and house lights.

How to do it

  1. 1InventoryList your luminaires (self-assessment, step 3).
  2. 2Find the worstGlobes, tilted fittings, uplit monuments.
  3. 3Specify"0% upward light, flat glass, horizontal mounting" in the tender.
  4. 4Replace or retrofitNew luminaires or shields on existing ones.
  5. 5CombineAdd warm colour (C1.3) and dimming (C2.1).
  6. 6Check at nightInspect after installation; photograph before and after.

Watch out for

  • Fittings tilted up to light a wider area cancel the benefit.
  • Historic centres: choose shielded heritage-style models, not open globes.
  • Light reflected from bright surfaces still reaches the sky – keep levels low.

How to measure progress

  • % of luminaires fully shielded
  • Number of luminaires replaced or retrofitted
  • Sky brightness at a fixed point, before and after (SQM)
  • Electricity use, kWh per year

Funding and legal basis

  • Municipal budget, regional energy-efficiency calls, energy performance contracts
  • No rule needed for own installations; an ordinance or regional law to cover private lighting

Seen in our partner regions

All good practices →
SI · BSC Kranj Smart lighting in Ceconi Park, Bohinjska Bistrica Park lighting retrofitted with dark-sky-friendly LED luminaires and smart control. Read the practice → PT · ADRAL Decorative lighting replaced with LED, Ponte de Sor Energy efficiency and less light pollution from decorative public lighting. Read the practice → HR · ICE Smart public lighting, City of Karlovac Retrofit with smart, adaptive control under an energy performance (ESCO) contract. Read the practice → HR · RERA Ecological outdoor lighting guidelines, Jelsa Municipal rules for outdoor lighting in a dark-sky community. Read the practice →

Ready to start?

Download the tender wording and the letter of intent, and tell us your authority will apply this measure.

Templates (ZIP) Sign a letter of intent

Related measures

Sources

  • DarkSky International – Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting
  • EU green public procurement criteria for road lighting (2018)
  • MedSkyTour D3.1.1 Starlight Self-Assessment Guide, step 3; D3.2.1 Transnational Starlight Guidelines