How Different Types of Exterior Lights can be used to Illuminate and Accentuate your Gardens

There are three main reasons why people choose Exterior lighting. The main reason is to illuminate the dark areas of your garden, but most people also want something for security and aesthetic reasons. To determine what lights you will use for your garden, you need to be clear on which of these reasons is most important to you.

Lighting

One or two good lamps that provide some general lighting may be enough. However, there are sometimes dark spots and corners that need to be illuminated. This may be on the stairway, driveway or on the paths leading to your house. There are number of fixtures you can use for this purpose.

• Bulk Heads: Bulkheads are great for gardens and are also good for beautification. They can light paths and walkways and still give your garden the kind of elegance that you desire. The problem with these fixtures is that they cannot be used in some places such as staircases.
• Recessed Exterior lights: Recessed exterior lights are designed for staircases and are inconspicuous. Many people prefer this type of lighting because it can be used to highlight certain aspects of the area. For example, a recessed staircase fixture can accentuate the decorations on the side of that staircase and make it even more beautiful to look at night.

These recessed lights are better for lighting paths, because they are safe. Compared to path lights and low level lights, they cannot be easily knocked down by people walking or if the car veers off the driveway.

Security

Floodlights provide good overall illumination. One light can cover a large area. Nowadays, there are LED floodlights that produce a comparable amount of illumination and are much cheaper than the traditional floodlights.

• Incandescent floodlights: Incandescent floodlights are cheap and very powerful. One light strategically placed can illuminate virtually every corner of the garden. They could work as the single light that produces the lighting for the entire garden, instead of having too many lights.

The disadvantage with this light is that it consumes a lot of power. It may not be necessary for exterior home and garden lighting. There are other alternatives to traditional floodlights, such as Halogen and CFL. These alternatives consume less than incandescent lights, but still consume a significant amount of power.

• LED floodlights are better options, when it comes to power consumption. It can save more than 50% of power compared to traditional lamps made with Halogen or CLF technology. They produce much less heat compared to the other types of lamps. This is important for flood lights, which require a lot of power to produce the required lumens. If you will be using floodlights frequently, you need to consider LED to cut down on electricity bills.
• Security Detection Lights: To reduce electricity bills even further, light fixtures with sensors can be used, when the objective is to provide security. They light up only when movement is detected, therefore they do not need to be on the whole night. Even though this technology may seem sophisticated, there are many fixtures of this type that are very affordable.

Ambience

• Exterior lighting is sometimes used to create the right ambience for the garden. Some lamps can provide spot lighting and also create the right ambience that is needed for your patio or garden. The colour of the light produced, design, how and where the fixtures will be installed are all considerations that need to be made.
• Recessed Halogen lights: This can be used to light pathways. They produce a soft white light that is bright enough to light the path, but not too bright that it glares. The design is such that the bulb is hidden and the light cannot be easily knocked down when someone is walking on the pathway.
• Lantern:

Lanterns come in a wide range of design and styles that make them suitable for outdoor gardens, especially places where you entertain guests. The classical look makes the garden look elegant and sophisticated.

Electrical Safety

Before you buy Exterior lights, you must ensure that they are manufactured and designed for outdoor lighting. Most of them will be rated ‘outdoor’. The cables and wiring must also be done properly, to ensure the safety of your family and your home.

Luma Lighting is a trusted provider of interior, garden, and outdoor lighting fixtures for commercial and residential properties. Get in touch with us today for a wide selection of power-saving light fixtures at http://www.lumalighting.co.uk