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Benefits of Outdoor
Lighting
Outdoor lighting can be a simple and inexpensive way to add
the perfect finishing touch to your outdoor landscaping design
while increasing the value of your home and land. Contrary to
popular belief, you do not have to be an expert electrician or
hire a team of expensive outdoor lighting specialists to have
beautiful outdoor lighting. With a little bit of creativity,
perseverance, and education, anyone can install the perfect
outdoor lighting to compliment their lawn and garden.
There are many varieties of outdoor lighting available for the
homeowner. Some are easier to install than others. Before
deciding upon a lighting scheme, research what is out there
and decide which type of lighting would best meet the needs of
your home and lawn.
The easiest type of lighting to install is usually lighting
for security purposes. Motion-detectors, light sensors, and
timer lighting are examples of this type of outdoor lighting.
Other types of security lighting, such as porch lighting or
outdoor garage lighting are easier to install but can be less
effective.
One of the major benefits of having security lighting is that
these type of security lighting have been proven as deterrents
to would-be intruders or vandals. Installing this type of
lighting can not only add security to your home, but can often
decrease your home owner insurance payments. Check out your
insurance policy and see what kind of provisions it makes for
home security lighting.
Accent lighting is another type of outdoor lighting that can
dramatically increase the allure of your outdoor landscape
while also increasing the value of your home and land. Accent
lighting comes in all different varieties.
Accent lighting can simply be outdoor lighting that highlights
walkways and sidewalks around your home, or can silhouette
gardens, trees, or shrubbery. Accent lights can be very easy
to install, depending on if you choose overhead lighting, or
ground lighting. Many types of accent lights are available.
Accent lighting is available from the very subtle to the
exquisitely bright. The current outdoor lighting trend is to
choose more natural feeling light sources for your lawn and
garden. Obscuring the lighting fixtures and hiding the cords
can be an effective way to preserve the illusion of natural
light.
Guide To Exterior
Lighting
Exterior lighting can add ambience to your front yard, back
yard, garden, or patio while increasing the value of your
home. Exterior lighting also adds to the safety and
accessibility of your lawn. Standard outdoor lighting devices,
including motion detectors, have been proven to be deterrents
to break-ins and vandalism.
Exterior lighting can allow you to enjoy your lawn, garden,
and patios around the clock, rather than just in daylight
hours. Accent lighting can be a great way to showcase the
focal points of your lawn and garden, while ground lighting
can illuminate your driveway, sidewalk, or other walkways.
The current trend for exterior lighting is to aim for a
softer, more natural feel. Choose lighting that has more of a
moonlit feel, or go for soft, warmer colors. When installing
exterior lighting, remember that the less you can see the
cords and fixtures, the better and more subtle your lighting
design will be. Use your existing landscape, plants, and rocks
to obscure your fixtures and cords. Also remember, if you are
burying the cording, make sure to bury them deep enough so the
wiring will not be disturbed by burrowing or digging animals.
There are several options for choosing exterior lighting for
your home. One place to start is to choose a focal point in
your yard or garden. Use exterior lighting to highlight your
focal point. These accent lights are also ideal for outdoor
pools, fountains, trees, statues, or waterfalls. When choosing
lighting, you have several options for the style of
illumination.
Up lighting, or lights focused upward and traditionally placed
in walkways or in the ground, can be used for dramatic effect.
These types of lights are most effective for highlighting
purposes. Down lighting or lights that shine down are
primarily used for safety purposes. These lights are used to
illuminate walkways, paths, and driveways. Area lighting is
used to illuminate specific areas of your lawn or garden.
These are typically brighter and more focused lights. And
ambient lighting, sometimes called moonlighting, is used to
mimic the light of the moon. Ambient lighting is typically
very subtle and used to create a mood. This type of lighting
combines a mixture of up and down lighting, and often involves
fixtures hidden within the landscape. Ambient lighting is the
most subtle and natural of any type of exterior lighting.
Landscape Lighting
Options
Using outdoor landscape lighting can create a warm and
inviting feel to your home and lawn. There are many options
available for outdoor landscaping lighting. Before selecting
or beginning instillation of your landscape lighting, check
out all the options available. One of the best ways to do this
is to check out landscaping options on the Internet. Get an
idea of what you want your home to look like.
Assess the strengths of your lawn or garden and decide which
features you would like to highlight. Decide what you want the
function of your outdoor lighting to be. Are you looking for
security lighting, mood lighting, walkway or sidewalk
lighting, or outdoor recreational lighting? Once you’ve
decided what landscaping features you plan to highlight, as
well as the general purpose of your lighting, decide on your
budget.
Depending on the type of landscape lighting, decide whether
you plan to install your fixtures yourself or hire a
professional. Basic landscape lighting is not that difficult
to install, but more difficult wiring could cause problems for
the beginner. Check out the prices of local landscaping
technicians before choosing one. Because there are so many
varieties of landscape lighting options, you can easily find
appropriate lighting that fits in your budget.
There are many types of outdoor landscape lighting. Lighting
can be purchased to increase the security of your home. Motion
detectors and other types of security lighting are shown to be
effective intruder deterrents, and can add value to your home.
Mood lighting can be installed which mimic natural lighting.
These are particularly effective as subtle highlights to your
front or back lawn or garden.
Mood lighting is often installed in trees or shrubs but is
designed to be hidden. Walkway and sidewalk lighting
illuminate the pathways of your yard and garden. These lights
can be overhead, such as post lights or lantern style lights,
or can be installed in the ground for closer and subtler
illumination.
Outdoor recreational lighting can be installed for your yard
or garden to light your outdoor activities and turn your porch
or lawn into an evening retreat. The secret to installing
perfect landscape lighting is to keep it natural. The less
obtrusive the lighting, fixtures, and wiring, the more
effective your landscape lighting will be.
Solar Landscape
Lighting
One of the newest trends in outdoor lighting is called solar
landscape lighting. Solar landscape lighting relies on the
energy of the sun to energize your outdoor solar panels and
keep your outdoor landscaping lights lit without any external
energy source.
Ideally, the solar landscape lighting panels that you have
placed outside would be able to absorb enough solar energy
during the day to power your landscaping lights all through
the night. Solar landscape lighting systems feature easy to
install light and solar panels, easy to change fixtures and
bulbs, and non-obtrusive hardware and panels.
Outdoor lighting is a quick and easy way to increase the value
of your home and add something special to your outdoor
landscaping. One of the strongest benefits of solar landscape
lighting is the fact that it is a natural and inexpensive way
to maintain your outdoor lighting systems.
Solar landscape lighting systems do not require an outdoor
power outlet and do not draw their energy from your home’s
electricity. Solar landscape lighting systems are becoming
increasingly easy to find, and offer a surprisingly large
variety of outdoor lighting options.
Before you purchase a solar landscape lighting system, make
sure you know all the limitations of that system. Solar
powered lighting systems tend to do better in locations that
receive more direct sunlight. Solar landscape lighting works
more effectively during the summer months than in the winter
months.
In most locations, solar landscape lighting can receive enough
energy during the day in summer months to keep your yard lit
for ten to twelve hours at night. During the winter, the solar
landscape lighting system will not absorb enough solar energy
to keep your yard powered for more than six to eight hours
overnight.
Regardless of the amount of direct sunlight your location
receives, solar powered lighting can be hampered by shade
trees, bushes, shadows, and anything else that interferes with
direct sunlight falling on the solar battery cells. Make sure
you select a system that will meet the needs of your
landscaping design. Also, make sure that you choose a system
that has readily available parts and bulbs. As technology
changes, some of the older systems have increasingly difficult
to find parts.
Advantages of Solar
Lighting
Anyone who believes the Earth needs our protection has likely
read up on the benefits of solar power. Because the technology
draws its power from an unlimited source – the Sun – this
approach to saving energy is widely considered one of the most
practical and viable for long-term use. From major solar panel
arrays to portable electronics that make use of ambient light,
designers have continually pushed the envelope to generate new
and better technology for solar panels. Today one of the
simplest is also one of the most affordable: solar lighting.
Although most people immediately think of a well-lit outdoor
scene when they hear this term, generally it is used to
describe a particular breed of self-powered footlights. Solar
lighting fixtures get their name from the fact that they use
solar panels to power the bulbs at night, essentially charging
and discharging daily. Some of the finest versions include
dimmers and double-wide arrays to ensure they store adequate
energy even on foggy days. And the best versions come with
lengthy warranties on every part – testament to solar panel
manufacturing protocols that include some of the most modern
renewable materials.
Why would you want to opt for solar lighting rather than the
traditional kind? The simple answer is money. Outdoor lighting
can be notoriously expensive to run, particularly if you aim
to illuminate a wide swath of your property during the
evening’s darkest hours. Many homes require extensive lighting
arrays to maintain safety and deter criminals, and the cost of
powering so many bulbs can easily run to three figures a
month. With solar lighting, you get the energy for free,
ensuring the entire property stays lit at minimal cost – even
if your neighborhood sees a blackout. Consistency like this
makes the higher installation price seem well worth it.
Of course, energy isn’t the only way you save with solar
lighting. One of the major costs associated with traditional
outdoor lighting is the extensive electrical work required to
keep everything up and running. From digging and landscaping
through installing transformers and junction boxes, wiring
your lawn can be a costly process. The costs tend to multiply
exponentially if there is existing plumbing in the way –
sprinkler systems in particular can mean major expenditures.
With solar lighting, there are no wires and no technicians –
the freestanding lamps are utterly self-sufficient. In most
cases, they can be installed in a single afternoon using
nothing more complex than a garden spade.
Another great advantage is safety, particularly in
high-traffic areas such as walkways and gardens. No wires
means minimal electrical risk – children can play nearby
without having to worry about injuries from an errant
connection. Most of the modern versions of lamps such as these
can even withstand torrential rain, nearby swimming pools and
other spills without ceding their sky-high safety ratings.
Because they are entirely self-contained, the devices never
pose a risk to family pets and backyard visitors – even
concerted gnawing will not succeed in releasing a shock.
Larger solar lighting products work on similar principles,
essentially drawing in a far wider patch of sunlight and
expelling it with greater power. Streetlamps, floodlights and
illuminated runners all make use of similar solar panel
technology – a bit costly at first, but sure to pay for
themselves over time. You can even get solar panels for more
general use on your home’s roof, powering the lighting and
other systems in a single elegant package. Some of the more
ingenious designs purport to reclaim some of their own energy
as well, essentially running on the spillover from their own
lighting elements.
Solar lighting is as versatile as it is inexpensive, offering
homeowners and CEO’s countless ways to save. If you are in the
market for something truly innovative, you may also want to
check out the new market for optic fiber lighting that pump
the sun into every room in your building. There may be no more
natural and pleasing light source in industry today. Whatever
you choose, be sure to stick with manufacturers whose
efficiency ratings and customer service have earned high marks
from the conservation community. |
