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    The Need

    CSbG-Luminaire helps preserve
    the night and our health.

    Low energy use should not be the only attribute for a luminaire. The ecological and health impacts must be considered too. Other luminaires deliver various shades of white light. However white light, when used during the night, can disrupt our circadian rhythm and alters the nocturnal environment on which most life depends. The CSbG-Luminaire was designed to minimize these effects.

    Four key attributes minimize the environmental and health impacts.

    1. The light affects only the area needed to be lit (shielding).

      Achieved with full cut-off fixtures to prevent any direct light above the horizon and restricts the amount of light within 80 to 90 degrees of the nadir. This also reduces glare and light trespass.

    2. Low practical level of illumination (brightness).

      This reduces glare and the amount of light that reflects out of the illuminated area, and it saves electricity. Good visibility can be attained at significantly lower illumination levels by removing glare.

    3. The light should be turned off when it's no longer needed.

      Lights should be turned off, or significantly reduced in brightness when businesses are closed, or when most people have gone indoors. “Security lighting” serves no purpose if no one is around to see a felony in progress. Indeed, it simply puts property on display for vandals and thieves.

    4. The colour should avoid blue wavelengths (spectrum).

      Although white light is suitable for indoor daytime illumination, at night it's disruptive to normal biology. This has been shown to contribute to the erosion of health and mental well-being.

    The Solution

                Hand Held Luminaire

    The CSbG-Luminaire has been developed with all these attributes as guiding principles: spectrum, illumination level and extent of the illumination. They have been specifically designed to NOT provide the same character of intrusive outdoor lighting that most other luminaires produce.

    The CSbG-Luminaire may not be suitable for some lighting situations. However they provide alternatives for more environmentally sensitive applications, and use significantly less electricity than many other luminaires.

    For the image below, the luminaire was mounted 4.3 meters above the terrace and set for 3.5 watts. The illumination at nadir was 1-lux. Sufficient illumination was provided over an area of more than 100 m2 with a uniformity of 3:1. It's bright enough, and after all, it's meant for users meet and enjoy the night, not ruin it.

    CSbG at Castle

           For more information download our Information Sheet (PDF - 5.4M)

Ecolight as a streetlight These CSbG-Luminaires were mounted at 4.5 meters above the gravel road and spaced about 13 meters apart (2.8:1 pole spacing). The roadway illumination was about 3-lux (about 1/2 power setting). The uniformity is about 2:1, and increases to 3:1 at 3.5:1 pole spacing. The shadow band between the individual patterns is due to the sharp cut-off shielding. Notice the minimal backlight and the lack of glare from the Luminaires. These attributes minimize light trespass and the ecological impact.