Outdoor lighting is vital for safety. It doesn’t hurt that the lighting can also be part of the landscaping design in your garden and even reduce your electric bill. In fact, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that LEDs are the primary light type in 47% of homes in the U.S. If it’s been a while since you installed the lighting you have now, it’s time to take a look at some upgrades and new installations. Outdoor lighting has changed quite a bit.
It’s All Gone LED
Outdoor lighting nowadays relies on LED bulbs for long-lasting illumination. The LEDs are cool, which eliminates the chance of adding heat near sensitive plants, and they don’t need to be changed for years. The bulbs come in all sorts of colors, allowing you to create effects in your garden, such as amber-colored lights for a footpath and whiter lights for spotlights in the landscaping, such as when you want to showcase a decorative trellis or install a security light by the door. LEDs are compact, too, so the light fixtures don’t have to be very big.
Much of It Is Solar
In addition to using low-wattage LEDs, many of these lights get their power from solar energy. This is particularly true of garden and path lights; security lighting is often hard-wired into your home or runs on batteries. Solar lights are wonderful if you live in sunny areas that also have high utility prices, but they can really benefit anyone who wants to save electricity and money. The solar panels are small and integrated into the design of the light fixture, so you don’t have to worry about having a separate panel dedicated to your outdoor lighting.
Less Light Pollution
Having all these lights in your yard and on the exterior of your home creates a nice, bright environment at night for you, but that light also ends up leaking upward if you don’t contain it. Combine lights from every home and commercial building in a city, and nearby observatories and stargazers can’t see the night sky very well. Many cities have taken steps to require specific types of light fixtures that aim light down at the ground, where you need it, instead of up into the night sky. Manufacturers of outdoor lighting have responded by creating wonderful fixtures that don’t contribute to light pollution; they have caps and lids that contain light and are often motion-activated, instead of being on all the time.
When you’re ready to upgrade your outdoor lighting, take a look at what Premier Lighting offers. From path lights to security lights, you can find fixtures for every outdoor lighting need.
Posted 4/7/23
