While outdoor lighting is crucial for enjoying your backyard, you should consider the effects of excessive energy on the environment. Conserving energy through embracing technological advancements and proper maintenance of lighting equipment not only prevents environmental degradation but also saves homeowners significant amounts on energy costs.
Unfortunately, despite increasing awareness of the importance of sustainable lighting to the environment, most homeowners remain clueless about how they can light their outdoors efficiently. If your deck builder recently completed the construction of your outdoor deck, patio, or fireplace, and you’re ready to work on lighting, below are eco-friendly lighting ideas you should consider.
Eco-Friendly Outdoor Lighting Ideas
1. Use LED and Solar Outdoor Lighting
Installing solar and LED lights in place of incandescent bulbs is the best way to make your outdoor garden and backyard eco-friendly. With these energy options becoming mainstream, you can easily switch from being electricity dependent to solar-powered lights for your outdoor needs.
- Solar lighting
- LED lights – replacing incandescent lights with LED bulbs is also an excellent energy-saving and eco-friendly method of lighting your backyard. Experimental surveys found that using one LED bulb reduces energy consumption by up to 90% and lasts 100,000 hours. LED bulbs are also very safe and sturdier than conventional bulbs. These bulbs significantly reduce the risk of combustion, even after prolonged usage. They are made from epoxy, making them weather resistant. They also don’t attract bugs, allowing homeowners to enjoy pest-free nights outdoors.
- Motion sensor lights – motion sensors also help homeowners cut energy costs significantly. You should consider motion sensors if you can’t install solar and LED lights for various reasons. This technology can be used with incandescent, solar, and LED bulbs.
- Use lamps – installing lamps in your outdoor garden saves energy and the environment. Lamps eliminate energy wastage through unnecessary overhead lights while providing great ambiance in your deck, patio, or outdoor fireplace.
2. Embrace Modern Technologies
Besides purchasing eco-friendly lighting installations, homeowners should also embrace eco-friendly technologies to make their backyard lighting more efficient. Fortunately, there are endless tech options for homeowners looking to go green.
- Be informed – begin by learning the various ways of saving energy while conserving the environment. Free applications, such as Energy Tracker, Wiser EMS, and Kill-Ur Watts, provide insightful information on saving energy at home. These apps educate interested people on various ways to reduce energy consumption and costs.
- Use a smart home hub – automation is becoming increasingly mainstream in both homes and businesses. Homeowners can remotely control their lights, water usage, heating, and window blinds using smart home technology. While this may sound complicated, connecting your home through a smart home hub is very simple.
- Install dimmers – dimming technology is another popular approach, and you can adopt it for your backyard lighting to save on energy bills and conserve the environment. Apart from the obvious benefits of saving energy, dimming lights use less wattage and extend the lifespan of your outdoor bulbs.
3. Buy Fixtures from Sustainable Vendors
Environmental sustainability begins from the source. You should choose vendors that embrace sustainability by using recycled materials, manufacture lighting fixtures responsibly, and adhere to green lighting practices.
Benefits of Switching to Eco-Friendly Lights
Switching to eco-friendly lighting is beneficial in the following ways:
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions – greenhouse gasses form when fossil fuels are used to generate electricity. They are the main cause of global warming and other negative effects on the environment. A sure way of reducing harmful emissions of greenhouse gasses is by minimizing energy consumption.
- Preserves finite resources – combustion of fossil fuels to produce energy destroys the environment and exhausts the finite reserves of fossil fuels. Relying on these energy sources is unsustainable. Using renewable sources, such as wind, hydro, and solar, to generate energy is sustainable and doesn’t deplete finite resources.
- Non-toxicity – traditional incandescent and fluorescent lights contain harmful compounds, such as mercury. These bulbs can’t be recycled and often end up in landfill, contaminating the environment. Eco-friendly lights don’t have these toxic materials and can be recycled, significantly reducing landfill waste and protecting the environment.
- Cost-saving – besides their energy-saving properties, most eco-friendly lights are designed for durability. This saves on the cost of replacement.
Endnote
Indoor and outdoor lighting technology has changed impressively, with modern options offering efficient and long-lasting lighting options. Homeowners should consider these outdoor lighting alternatives to incandescent lights to save on utility bills and reduce their carbon footprint. Fortunately, most of these options are easily available and produce an appealing look.
