The Institution of Lighting Professionals (ILP) has launched the latest practical guidance on considering the impact upon bats when designing lighting schemes. Guidance Note 8, originally released in 2018 is intended to raise awareness of the impacts of artificial lighting on bats but also the potential solutions to avoid and reduce this harm.

The new guidance (GN08/23) supersedes the 2018 guidance and was previewed at an event run by the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) in February 2023. We were pleased to attend the launch event to hear about the main changes from the individuals responsible for the guidance who are made up of experts in ecology, highways, lighting and planning.

Since 2018 there has been an increase in the knowledge on how many of the UK’s 18 bat species are impacted by lighting, through updated research work, but also an increase in knowledge on how this impact can be reduced.

The 2023 edition has a strong focus on avoidance as a key tool to mitigate impacts from lighting on bats, as well has having a range of case studies to demonstrate the principles outlined in the document.

We are absolutely thrilled that our Worcester install features as a case study in GN08/23. The project involved using Solareye80 Bat Hats (or solar-powered, cowled, way-markers as they’re referred to in the document) to create a “dark corridor” along the riverside to minimise disruption to the feeding patterns of a rare bat colony, whilst providing waymarking illumination for pedestrians to safely navigate the footpath.

Our case study can be found on page 41 of GN08/23 which can be downloaded from the ILP website, or for more detailed information about the project, view the full case study on our website.

If you have a project in mind and wish to discuss the use of Solareye80 Bat Hats with our team, please get in touch or download lighting files from our downloads section.

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