First-Dark-Sky-City (FDSC) Recommendations for residential lighting

Come to FDSC for the best in dark skies!

Jump to …. Fixtures   Lamps

Fixtures

These are some specific fixtures you can buy to make your home lighting night-friendly – for the guiding principles for choosing such fixtures see our Residential Lighting Tips page.

The Lite Company

The premier source in Flagstaff for dark sky products. They have many fixtures which you can review on their website here.

*

Home Depot

Home Depot carries several dark-sky products suitable for porchlights and similar application – we show only a selection here. On the website there are many suitable fixtures: in the stores we have seen the first three.

Hampton Bay Model # HBWI9003S86 Essen Antique Copper Outdoor Wall Lantern	Hampton Bay Model # HB48017MP-237 180-Degree Oil Rubbed Bronze Motion-Sensing Outdoor Wall Lantern	Hampton Bay Model # HBWI9002S86 Essen Antique Copper Outdoor Wall Lantern	World Imports Model # WI9121L89 Dark Sky Magazine Street Outdoor 1-Light Wall Lantern
Home Decorators Collection Model # HRR1691L Outdoor Oil-Rubbed Bronze LED Lake Worth Wall Lantern	*Hampton Bay Model # 23091 Coleville 1-Light Glendale Bronze Outdoor Wall Lantern	*Westinghouse Model # 6482900 1-Light Textured Black Steel Outdoor Wall Lantern with Dusk to Dawn Sensor and Honey Art Glass Panels	*Filament Design Model # CLI-EDG808362 Romeo Bisque Dark Grey Ceramic Outdoor Wall Sconce

* These fixtures are not fully shielded, but can be quite acceptable (and in Flagstaff allowed by the lighting code) if glass panels are strongly colored (not clear!), or decorative perforations in the shield are small, and if lamps of 1000 lumens or less are used. For best “dark sky friendliness” fixtures with completely opaque sides,  open bottoms and downward-facing lamp sockets are best – using “R” or reflector lamps   that direct most light downward and out the open bottom of the fixture are the most energy efficient.

Amazon

Many fixtures, including the same or similar to those shown above, can be found on amazon.com – search for “porch light dark sky.” Below is a selection of available products – click on an image to go to the Amazon product page. Amazon also carries amber LED bulbs.

Lamps

For best dark sky protection in any outdoor fixture use yellow lamps, such as  a yellow compact fluorescent or amber LED . Make sure the lamp is not so large that it protrudes below the shielding of the fixture. Use the lowest wattage that does the job.

Consumer PCA sample spectra

LOHAS PCA S/P = 0.50

ONFORU PCA S/P = 0.92

PC Amber LEDs available in hardware stores or online are highly variable. Products with a lower S/P ratio (see Lamp Spectrum and Light Pollution) have lower light pollution impacts, but manufacturers are not listing S/P on consumer products. Though it is still generally true that any LED product described as “Amber” will have lower impacts, as of early 2024 we cannot recommend any particular product as the quality control of the consumer-grade product lines is not providing products with consistent spectra. In the coming months we expect to provide improved guidance, and hope to offer FDSC-certified PC Amber products to local residents. Stay tuned!