Beyond Know How

Unlike solar light fixtures, low voltage landscape lighting is more common because many areas of a home lack the direct sunlight that is needed to power solar lights.  Solar lights require direct sunlight to charge up their batteries during the day.  An area like a porch or entryway that is covered requires a hard wired fixture because the cover prevents the sun’s rays from reaching the fixtures.  Properties that are shaded by trees also require hard wired outdoor lights.

The benefits to choosing an energy efficient lighting fixture are numerous especially if you are trying to reduce the amount of energy your family consumers.  Proper lighting outdoors is also essential for the safety of your family and guests as they maneuver around your property at night.  Lighting also enhances the security of your home because it deters intrusions.  A well lit home is less likely to be an easy target for an intruder that does not want to be noticed.

How much illumination does this area actually need? Are there certain placements for the solar powered landscape lighting that will determine how far they must be placed from one another? Will it look best with larger light sprays, or will smaller spotlights look better?

Once you determine the answers to these questions for a particular area, you will know exactly what you are looking for. This will focus your attention on specific lights and eliminate others from consideration. For instance, if you need bright illumination from lights that can be placed further apart, smaller type lights with small sprays will not be considered.

Also, how do you want the lights in each area to be powered? If you go with something that needs to be wired into electricity, you are looking at more complicated installation. Light bulb based units will require maintenance as they blow out at regular intervals. Installing timers to limit the amount of time the lights are illuminated can help reduce power.

As I walked around my property last night, it occurred to me at all of my landscaping efforts had been designed around how my house would look in the daylight.  Several people were passing by on their evening walks and the commented on how dark my property was compared to that of my neighbors.  I was filled with shame and embarrassment.  I went back inside of my house to escape their condemning glares.

When I woke up this morning, I realized that all I really needed to do was invest in, and install some outdoor lighting.  Now, I’m certain that my house will look wonderful during the evening hours when my neighbors pass by.  Maybe it will even look good enough to win our local house of the month contest.

Exterior lighting can take three simple forms.  The first aspect to consider is security lighting.  Task lighting, or localized lighting would be next on the list to consider.  Last but by no means least, accent lighting can create wonderful exterior lighting effects in our gardens and significantly enhance the enjoyment we get from our outdoor spaces at night. Taking them one by one.  Living in a neighborhood that is well lit at night is quite simply safer than living in one that is not.  This will undoubtedly be confirmed by you local law enforcement agencies, should you ask them.  Exterior lighting provides these brightly lit conditions. If you habitually enjoy barbecues on you patio then you will know full well that sometimes they drift on until darkness has fallen.  If it is dark then you will almost certainly need the working area around the barbeque to be well lit, simply from a safety perspective.  The exterior lighting you would install in these circumstances would be task lighting, or localized lighting.  The principal here is that this type of lighting literally lights the tasks you are undertaking but nothing else. The remaining type of exterior lighting to review is accent lighting.  Accent lighting is a form of lighting that illuminates decorative features.  Outside such features would include water features, statues or even large foliage plants.  If you really want to create a great ambience in your recreational outdoor areas then this sort of exterior lighting is exactly what you need.