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We Know: All About Outdoor Lighting
What should I consider when purchasing outdoor lighting for my home?
When creating an outdoor lighting scheme, you need to consider the reasons you need lighting, in addition to making your outdoor lighting energy efficient.
What purposes does outdoor lighting serve?
The main reasons outdoor lighting are needed are:
- Aesthetics: Outdoor lighting is needed to illuminate the outside of the home and landscape to make the decorative features stand out.
- Security: Illuminate the grounds near the house, the driveway, and yard to discourage criminals.
- Utility: Illuminate the porch, driveway, and paths to help people navigate safely to and from the house.
What are some I can make my outdoor lighting more energy efficient?
Some basic methods you can use for achieving energy-efficient outdoor lighting are:
- Remember that security and utility lighting does not need to be bright to be effective. While blinding lights can startle a criminal, a reasonable amount of illumination will keep them away from your home.
- Use fluorescent, high-intensity discharge, or low-pressure sodium lights instead of incandescent lights, unless they are automatically controlled to be on for just a few minutes each day.
- Consider using incandescent floodlights with combined photo sensors and motion sensors in the place of other security lighting options.
- Consider using photo sensors with fluorescent, high-intensity discharge, or low-pressure sodium lights.
- Make sure your outdoor light fixtures have reflectors, deflectors, or covers to make more efficient use of the light source and help reduce light pollution.
- Use timers and other controls to turn your decorative lighting on and off.
- Use outdoor solar lighting wherever possible, especially for aesthetic reasons.
Where should I place the lights on the exterior of my home?
You have several options for placing exterior lights on your property. They are:
- You can mount spot light, flood lights and spread lights high up in a tree or an arbor. The result will be a romantic feel. This technique is called down lighting.
- You can mount spotlights, floodlights or in-ground fixtures in or near the ground for an up lighting effect. This will allow you to create shadows on your exterior surfaces or silhouettes for a dramatic effect.
- You can cross light your yard by mounting lights on either side of a tree, gate or arbor to create soft shadows.
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