Energy Star

What is it?

ENERGY STAR® is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program established in 1992 to “help businesses and individuals save money and protect our climate through energy efficiency.”
ENERGY STAR provides reliable third party energy efficiency ratings for products to help consumers make informed, energy-conscious choices.

How do products become ENERGY STAR certified?

To become ENERGY STAR certified, products undergo rigorous testing at third-party, EPA-recognized laboratories across the country. For example, luminaires are tested in the following categories:

1. Photometric performance
2. Electrical performance
3. Thermal performance
4. Safety
5. Product labeling and packaging
6. Lighting toxics reduction
7. Warranty

Thanks to this strict testing process, only the most energy efficient products receive ENERGY STAR certification. TCP offers a large number of ENERGY STAR compliant LED and CFL environmentally friendly lighting products.

Dark Sky Compliant Lighting

Dark sky compliance is sometimes overlooked as an environmental consideration for lighting. But preventing light pollution is important when we consider the overall health of our planet.

What is Light Pollution?

Light pollution is misdirected or excessive artificial light. This causes the night sky to be washed out, making it difficult to see stars. But a worse starry view isn’t the worst thing about light pollution. Too much light pollution can disrupt ecosystems, waste energy, interfere with astronomical research, and have adverse health effects.

Human Health Effects of Light Pollution

Exposure to artificial light at night can be bad for human health. By disrupting the circadian rhythm, nighttime light exposure can increase the risk of depression, sleep disorders, diabetes, and more.

How Does Light Pollution Affect the Environment?

There is a direct link between light bulbs and the environment. “Sky glow”is a brightening of the night sky, especially common in urban areas.

As well as affecting human sleep patterns, sky glow additionally harms animals. Light pollution can disrupt animal migration patterns, wake-sleep habits, and habitat formation.

For example, birds guided by moonlight can lose their way. It can also cause animals to wake earlier than they would in areas without light pollution, which disrupts the flow of the ecosystem.

Dark Sky Compliant Lighting

There are a number of steps companies can take to reduce light pollution. These steps are especially important if you’re looking for low light pollution outdoor lighting, since outdoor lights contribute more light pollution than indoor lights.

First, lights with lower color temperatures are considered to be more dark sky compliant than lights with blue wavelength spikes. So if you’re wondering, “are fluorescent lights bad for the environment?,” it is important to know that they often have cool color temperatures.

For an eco-friendly alternative, TCP’s SOListic LED Lights mimic natural sunlight, making them a more environmental light than cool-temperature luminaires that produce high levels of blue light.

Apart from buying sunlight mimicking or warm LED lights to protect the environment, there are other precautions you can take to reduce light pollution:

• Fully shielded lighting
• Turn off lights when not needed
• Dim lights as much as possible
• Only light the area that needs light

Following these tips will help reduce the effect your commercial lighting has on the surrounding environment.

Why it’s Important to Be Green

There are many advantages to environmental lighting.

First, using environmentally friendly lights helps reduce your company’s carbon footprint. Green business practices are a great way to do your part in protecting the planet. Plus, these same business practices can save you money through lower energy bills and even LEED certification.

Ready to make a shift toward a greener lighting system in your commercial space? When it comes to LED lights, environment advocates agree they are the best option for the planet.

TCP is here to help. Reach out to our lighting experts to tell us about your project today!

Contact us.