Efficient is not the same as intelligent

LEDs promised to transform our cities. They use less energy, last longer, and give us far more control over intensity, colour and timing. And yet light pollution keeps growing. In a recent IEEE Spectrum feature, "We're squandering LEDs' potential to save our night skies", author Paul Bogard argues that bad decisions have turned an efficient technology into a driver of light pollution.

The problem is not the technology

Many cities have simply swapped old luminaires for more efficient ones, one for one, without asking how much light is actually needed, where it should be placed, and where darkness should remain. When light becomes cheaper to run, the temptation is to use more of it. The result is efficient over-lighting: lower bills, brighter skies.

Efficiency alone is not enough. It answers the question "how do we produce this light with less energy?" without ever asking whether this light should exist at all.

A different starting point

Responsible urban lighting needs a different first step: understanding the environment before selecting the product. At Taman we believe the better lighting decisions have to come before procurement, using data and optimization to determine the right light distribution for each specific place. Then, and only then, choose the luminaire that delivers it.

Because the goal is not to illuminate more efficiently. It is to illuminate more intelligently.