Good news for all those who love living outdoors: here at IP44.DE, we have converted our luminaires to the colour temperature of 2700 Kelvin. Our new standard colour temperature gives due consideration to nocturnal insects while still creating atmospheric light and offering guidance. Here are our four most important reasons for 2700 Kelvin:
Light is important as a guide not only for us humans but also for many kinds of animals. For example, butterflies, moths and other nocturnal insects use moonlight to navigate at night. They can hold course by flying at a certain angle to the moon. Artificial light sources can interfere with this guidance, because their proximity makes them shine brighter and replace the moon as fixed point. The effect can be seen sometimes at street lights where insects like moths are drawn to the light.
This applies particularly to luminaires with a high UV or blue share, because nocturnal insects react to a completely different light spectrum than the human eye. Their greatest brightness sensitivity is outside the spectrum of light that is visible to people, and is in the short-wave UV, blue and green range, which is why even matt moonlight gives them sufficient guidance. On the other hand, warm white light diodes emit little UV light, if any.
Warm white LEDs in particular have a large share of long-wave warm light and are largely irrelevant for the guidance of insects. This is verified among others in studies by zoologists from Mainz who positioned insect traps at a wide assortment of street lamps. The least insects were found around the street lamps with warm white LEDs. These are the same LEDs that we use. With immediate effect, our luminaires will be consistently fitted with insect-friendly 2700 Kelvin.
The new standard colour temperature of 2700 Kelvin at IP44.DE is therefore an added benefit for all those who want outside lighting that is not only excellent, but also kind to the environment and to insects. Furthermore, the colour temperature is similar to most indoor luminaires, thus creating a more harmonious changeover between inside and outside light.
Every space deserves great light
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