Light nuisance is not a matter of taste but of measurable values: how much light falls on a facade, how bright the fixture is from the neighbor's point of view, and how much light goes into the sky.
For a site in the Netherlands, these are the zone values from CIE 150 and the NSVV guideline. If you are building in France, Germany, Slovenia, or Flanders, different and sometimes stricter rules apply: a maximum color temperature, mandatory switch-off times, or a hard zero on upward light. This page places those frameworks side by side and shows which design choices truly make a difference.
Full cut-off means that no light is emitted above the horizontal. Not a little bit, but nothing. That is the only value that zone E1 allows, and it is also the requirement that Slovenia and several Italian regions impose nationwide.
They each have their own magnitude, their own limit value, and their own solution. A complaint from a local resident almost always concerns the first two; an objection from a municipality or an ecologist concerns the last two.
The illuminance on the window or facade of a local resident, measured in the vertical plane. This is the metric on which virtually every complaint and enforcement request is based, as it is the only one someone notices in their bedroom.
The luminous intensity of the fixture itself, as viewed from the direction of the observer. A bright point of light in the field of vision is annoying even if hardly any light falls on the facade; in traffic, it is also a matter of traffic safety.
The proportion of the luminous flux that leaves the luminaire above the horizontal and causes the skylight above an area. Blue light scatters more strongly and contributes more to this than amber light.
Bats avoiding an illuminated route, insects gathering around a light source, migratory birds becoming disoriented, and plants shifting their seasonal rhythm. There is no limit value in lux here: it is about the spectrum, the location, and the time.
The international framework uses five environmental zones. Which zone applies is determined by the government, not the supplier. Each value is listed twice: before curfew, the moment the night begins, and after it. That curfew time is set by the municipality, in practice usually between 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM.
Our entire DarkLicht line is full cut-off: no light above the horizontal, in every version. That is not an accessory or shielding cap, but the way the luminaire is constructed.
For projects with a strict limit on the blue component, we also supply amber 2200 K and dark-sky versions from 1700 to 1800 K; what that does to vision and recognition is on Light color and KelvinThe corresponding mast height, and why higher often results in less nuisance, is stated on light masts and high masts.
The European Union regulates the energy performance of light sources and protects Natura 2000 areas through the Habitats and Birds Directives, but there is no directive that imposes limit values for light pollution. The consequence: every country, and in Italy and Spain every region, does it differently. For an international project, that means that the luminaire that complies in Rotterdam may fall outside the regulations in Lyon.
Well regulated at the European level: for a project with potential effects on a Natura 2000 site, an appropriate assessment is mandatory, and light is a recognized disturbing factor in it. The same applies to the environmental impact assessment. That is the route through which light pollution most frequently becomes a project risk in practice, even in countries without their own lighting law.
Full cut-off is the first step and not the last. This sequence is how we approach a project when the environment is an issue, and it is not accidental: the first three cost nothing extra, the last three cost money or light.
When applying for a permit or filing an objection, the municipality or the environmental agency asks for figures, not promises. This is what we include with a lighting plan.
For a protected area, ecological advice is the guiding factor, and that advice comes from an ecologist. We provide the light calculations and spectral data required for that purpose.
If there is already an objection or an enforcement request on the table, please include the letter. That way we can see what scale is being argued, and that determines which measure makes sense.
A fixture that does not emit light above the horizontal plane: the upward luminous flux is zero, not just low. This is determined by the fixture’s design, not by a cover added later. Our entire DarkLicht line is designed this way, in every version.
No, and that is an important difference. Light falling on your property is partly reflected upward: more so with wet asphalt or light-colored concrete than with dark paving stones. Full cut-off removes the direct component, which is the largest contributor, but the reflection remains. Therefore, in addition to the fixture, the light level also matters, and that is why no more lux than necessary is also a measure against light pollution.
The government, via the environmental plan, the permit, or local policy. A supplier cannot determine that. What we do do: calculate with the zone that you or your advisor specifies, so that you can see whether the design stays within that requirement. If your site is on the border of two zones, then that is a conversation with the municipality before you design.
The time at which the stricter nighttime limit values take effect. This is determined locally and in practice is usually between 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM. In zones E1 and E2, the values head toward zero after curfew, which means that choosing the luminaire alone will not suffice: there must be a dimming or switching scenario in place.
No. The EU regulates the energy performance of light sources and protects Natura 2000 areas, but there is no directive with limit values for obtrusive light. CIE 150 and Annex A of EN 12464-2 form the common framework, but they are only binding when a permit, specification, or national rule refers to them. Below that, each country, and in Italy and Spain each region, has its own rules.
Slovenia and France are the best-known examples. Slovenia demands zero upward light with power caps; in addition to requirements for upward light, France also imposes a maximum color temperature, mandatory switch-off times, and a maximum luminous flux per hectare. Several Italian regions likewise demand zero upward light. A design that is common in the Netherlands may be rejected there.
Design to the strictest framework present in the portfolio, and not per project to the minimum. Full cut-off, a fixed night profile, and a level that does not exceed the standard will bring you within the requirements in virtually every European jurisdiction. The exception that you must check separately is the color temperature: that is a hard limit in France and in protected areas elsewhere.
That varies by country, but the route almost always goes through the municipality or environmental agency: an enforcement request or, in the United Kingdom, an appeal based on statutory nuisance. What it practically gets stuck on is the vertical illuminance on the facade. Therefore, calculate that in advance, so you have a file instead of a discussion.
Limited. A hood can reduce glare in one direction, but the light has already been emitted and partly returns as scattered light. In existing installations, a lower tilt angle, a lower output level, or a night profile usually yields better results. We prefer to first measure what is actually falling on the facade before anything is installed.
For part of the fauna, the blue and white part of the spectrum is more disruptive than amber light, and for bats, a continuous dark route outweighs the exact light level. Limit values in lux do not exist for this. In the case of a protected area, ecological advice is leading, and that comes from an ecologist; we provide the lighting calculation and the spectral data required for that.
Mounting higher usually causes less nuisance, and that surprises people. With a higher pole, the light falls on the surface at a smaller angle, the fixture needs little to no tilting, and the light stays on the property instead of spilling past it. Tilting is the main cause of glare and light intrusion at the neighbors.
A lighting calculation with the lux levels on the site and at the property boundary, the vertical illuminance on neighboring facades with and without a night profile, the upward light output ratio, the luminous intensity towards the designated observer, the photometric file, and the proposed wiring diagram. We include this with every lighting plan, even if the project is located outside the Netherlands.
What 3000, 4000, and 5700 K do outdoors, and where amber and dark sky belong.
Why more lumens does not mean more light on the ground, and how much disappears next to the plane.
Chip efficiency versus system efficiency, and why control yields more than lm/W.
All subjects together are on subsidy and knowledge base.
In the lighting calculation, we not only include the illuminance levels on your site, but also what spills onto the property boundary and neighboring facades, both with and without a night profile. Free of charge, and with a response from an engineer within one business day. Also for projects outside the Netherlands.