Solar Lighting for Dog Parks

Benefits of Lighting Public Spaces

For public outdoor spaces there are three benefits to lighting:

1. Facilitate safe movement.
2. Reduce the fear of crime at night.
3. Make the area look better and feel more welcoming.

These three benefits are basic reasons to install lighting. But there are secondary benefits to lighting up green spaces! Governments prioritise green initiatives like solar lighting with growing evidence exposure to nature improves our health, and of course choosing solar means an off-grid, sun-powered solution for a green-competent Australia.

Why Light a Dog Park?

Adding even a few of the right solar lights in the right positions can transform the park from a basic space into an inviting sanctuary no matter the season!  Lighting simply increases opportunities for fun every night of the year to get the health benefits to more people in the community.

Industry Standards for Lighting a Dog Park

In the Australian lighting industry, there are guidelines we follow to work out how much light humans need in an outdoor space for different outdoor activities such as, navigating a pathway, being able to see a crossing or speed bump ahead, getting around in a car park, or to engage in a particular outdoor activity.  These guidelines are the AS/NZS Lighting Standards which are a main tool in guiding our professional lighting recommendations.

The thing is, the AS/NZS standards do not have a specific category for lighting dog parks. This is because the standards are not designed to guide on how much light dogs need to see! And, dog parks can be a little bit special for their outdoor lighting needs, for example, dog parks are often tucked inside larger parks or reserves, or they may be very small or large or an odd-shaped area with unclear boundaries. There may also be lighting around the park or close by but with no lighting inside the actual doggy play zone or at its entrance and exits. For these reasons, we'd recommend an overhead light for a dog park.

The AS/NZS Standards are still used to guide the light placement and type of light when we design the lighting for a dog park. We also draw on our experience, discussions with customer on how the area is used and their vision for the community, and an understanding of the area itself.

Tips for Lighting a Dog Park

Dog parks do not need to be as bright as, say, a car park (PC3 compliance). The lighting objective for an open play space for puppers is "enough" light to spot your pooch at a distance, see other users of the park, and, let's face it, pick up the poo! In areas prone to crime, or with very few nearby lights, councils may choose to a higher level of illumination by adding an extra one or two lights, or with the lights running at a higher output for longer (or a combination of these). 

To achieve the lighting objective for an outdoor area like a dog park, we'd recommendation an overhead light. HIGHLUX offers two overhead solar lighting options for dog parks: the split-system design SOLANOVA and the all-in-one SOLABLADE.  Each has its own strengths. 

• SOLANOVA: This is the fancy one, our in-house design and Australian-Made solar option. It’s a tough, high-powered light with a 3,000-lumen output. Designed in Australia, it handles all sorts of solar and environmental conditions and is customisable to suit different lighting and programming needs. Read about SOLANOVA for dog parks at Knox City
  
  
• SOLABLADE: A solid mid-range choice. It gives up to 1,000 lumens (10W) in the north and 600 lumen (6W) in the south. It’s imported but its insides have been reconfigured to perform for Australian conditions, making it a reliable and very low-cost installation option. Read about SOLABLADE for dog parks at Malahang Reserve

Both systems come with a 5-year warranty. And the SOLANOVA proudly carries the Australian-Made certification!

When the SOLANOVA is the preferred option, we would create a lighting plan to achieve an AS/NZS Standard, aiming for something like a Pedestrian Compliant category of PP5 (minimum) or something higher like a PP4/3, depending on the shape and size of the area and any paths and entrances.

Keep the Fun Going!

With a small investment from councils for solar lighting in and around a dog park, the community benefits are priceless - community cohesion, exercise, interaction with nature, feelings of safety and security, and with a completely off-grid, sun-powered solution. Best of all, solar lighting for dog parks keeps the fun going into the evening every night of the year!