It’s a tale that many of us know all too well: You snuggle in bed after a long day, but instead of drifting off in the dark, your room is illuminated by your neighbor’s bright outdoor lights seeping through your windows.
Outdoor lighting is important. It enhances the safety, aesthetics and functionality of our properties and public spaces.
But why has excessively bright outdoor lighting become more of a nuisance than it once was? We can thank technological advancements, the use of high-voltage lighting, lower costs and poor design.
New technology for outdoor lighting
The widespread adoption of energy-efficient LED technology over the last two decades has widely contributed to brighter outdoor lights. But it’s less about the technology itself, and more about how it’s being used.
“What’s important to understand is it’s not the fault of the LED. The LED technology is super efficient, and the word we use is efficacious, meaning it puts out more illumination per watt, which is what you pay the electric company for,” said Michael Deo, president and lead designer at NatureScape Lighting. “So it gives you more lighting value per watt, or per dollar, than old school incandescent lighting could ever stream off.”
As a result, people tend to use more of these lights because they’re more cost-effective. Similarly, low-cost lighting providers — such as retailers like Amazon, Home Depot or Lowe’s — can stock the most impressive LED lighting products for the lowest price, he said. But these items lack features that would otherwise prevent them from shining in your neighbor’s yard or windows, such as a glare shield to cut off stray light beams.
Deo also said that because many communities consist of older homes, we’re often putting new technology in old fixtures. These fixtures may sit at an inconvenient angle, and you’re placing a much brighter light in them than what they were originally intended for.
High-voltage systems
Another culprit is high-voltage lights, specifically 120-volt systems designed to connect directly to a home’s standard electrical power.
These systems limit the kind of bulb you can use and where you can face it, says David Beausoleil, president and founder of CAST Lighting.
“Some of the brightest houses are the ones that have 120-volt fixtures, where you have a very limited wattage and thus lumen lamp selection. So you’re almost forced to put in much brighter light sources,” he said. “You also can’t move the fixtures, as they’re fixed, and therefore can’t adjust where they’re facing.”
These types of fixtures include things like floodlights, pole lights and porch lights. Beausoleil also said that some pole and porch lights were designed during a time when candles were used for light, before electricity, so there’s nothing built into them to soften the glare from high-voltage lighting.
“One of the biggest design concepts is that you always want to see the effect of the light, and never the source of the light,” he said.
Compared to this, low-voltage lighting — which operates using a transformer to reduce power, rather than the home’s standard electrical power — has much lower lumen levels, meaning you can use more lights without your yard becoming overly bright.
Low voltage systems also offer more flexibility in how you can position the lights, he said, giving you the chance to adjust your fixtures and prevent them from disrupting your neighbors.
Poor designs
While it’s not feasible for every homeowner, hiring an outdoor lighting designer is the best way to ensure your home is lit properly without disturbing those around you.
In general, Deo said homeowners tend to use just one or two bright light fixtures because its the only outdoor lighting they have. But when a professional lighting designer comes in, he said, they add more lighting sources so that the home is still properly illuminated without each light source having to be so bright.
Beausoleil said his process is broken down into three parts: laying out the design, installing the lighting system and making necessary adjustments. He said they’re able to ensure that you’re getting the appropriate amount of light around your home without it flooding your neighbors.
A professional lighting designer also has access to fixtures with glare shields, lenses and other features that homeowner model lighting fixtures won’t always have.
“It’s all about the design and putting the design together,” Beausoleil said. “The installation is the easy part. But getting that right design, executing it and that final adjustment is what makes good turn into absolutely magnificent.”
Impacts of bright lights
Bright lights contribute to light pollution, which comes in four main forms: light trespass, skyglow, glare and clutter.
Light trespass — when artificial light spills beyond its intended boundaries — and glare, when bright light directly interferes with your vision, are the forms that most impact people when their neighbor has an overly bright outdoor light.
Steve Mariconda, co-chair of DarkSky New Jersey Chapter and chair of the Saddle Brook Green Team, said that our bodies can’t tell the difference between artificial and natural light. So being exposed to bright lights at night disrupts our sleeping patterns and circadian rhythms. It also has similar effects on animals and plants, he said.
While there are rarely statewide laws that specifically mention light trespass in residential communities, some municipalities have adopted ordinances to address it in their neighborhoods.
“Many homeowners don’t know about these ordinances, or they just don’t follow them,” Deo said. “But the problem with them is the vast majority of these town councils who have implemented these ordinances don’t have the knowledge to understand what they’ve adopted. I’ve actually had to go to town hall twice to explain to the zoning officer what their own lighting ordinance means.”
Mariconda said that light pollution also impacts the night sky in the form of skyglow, where artificial light increases the brightness of the night sky and reduces our ability to see the stars. It is causing the night sky to brighten by about 9.6% to 10% per year, according to a study released in 2023.
In order to make meaningful change, Mariconda said it’s all about educating the public. He said people can get involved in their local green teams and environmental organizations; attend presentations held by local experts; and advocate for light pollution ordinances in their communities.
“I’m finding that once people are aware of the problem, they’re much more likely to do do something about it,” he said.
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Here’s why your neighbor’s outdoor lighting is so bright
Reporting by Maddie McGay, USA TODAY NETWORK / NorthJersey.com
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