Star Points for September, 2000; by Curtis Roelle Spoiling the Night Although the phrase "Keep Carroll Country" is often repeated one of the most natural of Carroll's resources has been permitted to slowly deteriorate: the beautiful sight of a star-spangled country sky once enjoyed on any clear night. Over the years starlight that has been traveling through space for hundreds or thousands of years is getting choked off just before it reaches our eyes by an expanding foggy haze of misdirected and inefficient light sources. The solution to this problem of "light pollution" is not to place blame because it is not the fault of any person in particular. Everyone needs to feel secure at night and light of one type or another may be needed for safety reasons as we participate in recreational activities. The problem is much of the light is not going where it is needed the most. Instead of lighting the playing field, or the property we want to protect, light is spilling out into the sky and onto the property of others where it is unwanted. Wasted light means wasted electricity, and that means money is getting lost through inefficiency. There are some who are trying to put a damper on light pollution. The Maryland chapter of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA, www.darksky.org) is working to promote awareness of the problems associated with light pollution and to seek effective and efficient lighting solutions among industry, government, and the public. Perhaps the worst offender is the 175 watt mercury vapor dusk till dawn "security" light sold by many hardware and home stores. Such lights may actually compromise safety and security, giving their owners a false sense of protection. The conventional wisdom is that outdoor lighting curbs crime. On the contrary, illuminated security areas may signal criminals like a beacon saying, "Come, see what I'm protecting from you over here." The home owner may actually be attracting attention and providing the thief with a well lit work area. Next, consider the energy waste: A 175W lamp uses about 200 watts when one counts ballast losses. These lamps are cheap solutions for yard lighting and can be picked up at Lowes for under $20. However, these lamps turn on and off during twilight and burn an average 11 hours a night. Most security and street lights burn over 4000 hours a year. This amounts to 200 Watt x 4000 hours = 800 kilowatt hours of energy use per year. At an average intermediate/off-peak rate of 5 cents per KWH, the average cost of electricity needed for each and every such light in the state costs $40 per year to operate. Year after year the owner spends more than double the original cost of the lamp in operating expenses. A cheap source of light with a comparably significant hidden cost for consumers. Many people are not aware of how much energy and money is being squandered by these cheap lights. They are so poorly designed and inefficient that nearly half their light is sprayed upward, not down on the valuables where it belongs. Security lights cause discomfort by radiating unwanted light directly into neighbors' windows disturbing them inside their homes as they are doing such things as trying to sleep. Unwanted light trespass is also a source of annoyance for persons who enjoy recreational outdoor activities such as astronomy or star gazing. From time to time celestial events are publicized in the news media. In response county residents are stepping away from their televisions in search of quality family time to enjoy a meteor shower, watch the Aurora Borealis (northern lights), or to view a comet. But once outside they discover they can't see beyond the ghastly glare of the local "light bomb". They have been deprived of viewing a marvelous phenomenon of nature. Many persons don't realize that unwanted light trespass is a form of private nuisance. According to the Maryland appeals court, "All tangible intrusions, such as noise, odor, or light fall within realm of nuisance." What constitutes a nuisance? Among other things the court has ruled that nuisance includes anything causing "annoyance or discomfort" leading to "interference with neighbor's use and enjoyment of land." Most people are good neighbors who would not knowingly cause discomfort or annoy others in the enjoyment of their property. But now that the cat is out of the bag and our attention has been drawn to the problem what can be done to make everybody happy and feeling secure? There is good news. Several solutions are readily available allowing light owners to 1) keep their current light, 2) increase efficiency by shining more light where it's needed most, 3) reduce light pollution and eliminate light trespass. The optimal solution is a lighting upgrade through installation of a shield or reflector device. The best known is the "Hubbell Skycap" manufactured by Hubbell Lighting Inc. in Virginia. The aluminum skycap is a reflector redirecting wasted light that normally escapes skyward down onto the property that the owner is attempting to protect. Field measurements have shown that with a skycap installed a typical pole mounted mercury vapor yard light shines an average of 45% (up to 130%) more light down on the ground. The uniform and broad light distribution produced permits an area 200 feet in diameter to be illuminated with a typical pole-mount configuration. Now everyone can meet their security needs more efficiently while improving the neighborhood and environment by helping to make light pollution and light trespass a thing of past. It's a win-win situation for everyone.