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Guide to Outdoor LED Landscape Lighting

How to Decorate Outdoor Landscapes with LED Lighting

outdoor lighting design

 

You’d love to invest in LED landscape lighting for your business, home or city, but you’re a bit confused by “best practices.” Outdoor LED lighting can boost the security of your premises, enhance its aesthetic appeal, and even improve safety on your property, but you want to feel assured that an LED investment makes sense.

All lights (including LEDs) are categorized based on their functions.

  • “Overall lighting” can illuminate an entire yard or area.
  • Some LED lights are used for task-specific purposes, such as to protect an entryway or light a path or driveway.
  • Others are accent lights – designed to highlight a particular object or space, such as a gorgeous tree or trellis.
  • Different lighting schemes can be lit with different types of bulbs and fixtures. The possibilities are truly endless. You can use incandescent bulbs, for instance, to create a warm, glowing light. But incandescent burn out quickly, produce extra heat and consume massive amounts of electricity. Fluorescent lights come in lots of nice colors, so they’re great for accent lighting. Halogens use less energy than incandescents, and they last longer. But even halogens and fluorescents don’t hold a candle (so to speak) to LED bulbs, which consume very little energy in comparison and last an extremely long time.

Outdoor Vs. Indoor Lighting

White walls reflect indoor light within the space. Outdoor light, on the other hand, must compete with a much more dynamic “lighting landscape” which is determined, in large part, by changing weather and sun conditions. Experiment with different fixtures and structures to meet your aesthetic, safety and energy consumption needs.

Common places to add outdoor LED lighting include: driveways, entryways, steps, paths, and outdoor patios or decks. Lights can also highlight features of your architecture, gazebos, and plants.

A Little Goes a Long Way

Although it’s easy to go crazy and light up the whole yard, be mindful of light pollution. Use the minimum wattage for your needs, and consider putting your lights on dimmers or timers.

Outdoor Lighting Design for California and Nevada

Connect with the California LED lighting specialists at Great Basin Lighting for more insight into how to set up your outdoor lighting scheme effectively. We’d be happy to talk to you about your needs and answer any questions you have about LED lighting or outdoor lighting. Give us a call today at 925.240.1566 (California) or 775.333.0900 (Nevada) or fill out our online contact form for more information.