Outdoor LED lighting: cold color temperature or warm color temperature?

Citizens and municipalities in many cities around the world have recently requested that only outdoor LED lighting with a warm color temperature be installed. This is also supported by related organizations that have always supported limiting color temperature, such as the International Dark Sky Association.

In this case, the American Institute of Lighting Engineers (IES) said that it is conducting intensive research on the color of LED lighting in order to make drivers and pedestrians safer during night road traffic.

Shirley Coyle, chairman of the American Society of Lighting Engineers, said that even if the actual problem is related to poor lighting design or poor lighting design, it seems that some parties will only blame the lighting color. After the installation of some advanced LED devices, there will be no complaints. However, whenever there are more complaints, it is often about the color difference between the original high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamp and the LED.

In some cases, these divisions are driven and widened by those who tend to warm color temperatures. Shirley Coyle pointed out that some people blamed the color temperature of outdoor lighting for disrupting circadian rhythms, ignoring other important aspects such as light intensity, light source exposure time, and time period.

She said that customers' personal preferences will vary by application. Generally, street lights with a warm color of 3000K will be selected in the community, while roads and highways will choose a lamp with a 4000K color temperature.

In addition to choosing a color temperature that is appropriate for your customers and applications, it is also important to use well-designed glare-reducing lamps. Another important task is to ensure that the lighting design meets the IES minimum standards to limit light intrusion and meet customer requirements.