Outdoor lighting is essential, especially when the sun goes down- as it facilitates your activities during the night, making your nightly moments safe, secure, and comfortable outdoors.
The right outdoor design lighting option can create a welcoming atmosphere around your home, depending on what you intend to achieve with your outdoor lighting.
Before choosing your outdoor lighting, you should consider certain factors. Some of which we’ll discuss as you read on.
Essential Factors to Consider When Selecting Outdoor Lighting
Lifestyle
When choosing an outdoor lighting plan, it is necessary to consider the type, purpose, location of the light, and overall architecture and landscape of your home.
A warm climate requires that families spend more time outdoors, and the hustle and bustle of their daily lives make relaxation a priority. Outdoor chandeliers will be best for this purpose as they create a cozy and properly-lit environment for relaxation and fun. Also, a pair of or cluster pendants over a patio will look good over a sitting area.
Outdoor lighting options can include an adjustable dimming system for the right ambience depending on the mood, a party, or a romantic night out.
Safety
The main objective of outdoor lighting is to ensure our safety during the night. The light should cover every corner, pathway, and entrance. Accidents like slips and falls are more frequent at night, especially on stairs.
Stairs should be adequately lit to promote easy navigation at night. Stairs lighting options include
- Individual Step Lights
- Flexible LED strip light
- Standalone bollards
Security
People often confuse safety with security, whereas they are close but different terms. Security includes when the outdoor light is on. Many security components can be incorporated into the outdoor lighting system.
A motion detector can be worked into the outdoor lighting system. A motion detector notifies you when there is movement on your property.
An outdoor lighting timer is another security feature that can be integrated into your outdoor lighting system. The timer saves you from the hassle of turning your outdoor lights on and off, as it switches them on and off at a predefined time.
However, it is security-wise to use irregular timing, especially if you’re not always around. Burglars can study the timing to predict when you’re available and not.
Landscape Architecture
Landscape architecture can be accentuated with the appropriate lighting options. Simple uplighting can make certain outdoor features like a striking tree, an espalier wall, sculpture, or terraced garden look more noticeable at night.
Lighting options for swimming pools, outdoor ponds, and water fountains reflect the true beauty of this landscape architecture. They are available in the form of water-resistant LEDs.
Energy
According to the US Department of Energy, outdoor lighting consumes more energy than indoor lighting. Outdoor lighting need not be a plus to your energy bills.
There are many energy-efficient options for your home. The best option is the Light Emitting Diodes ( LED) which generate less heat, and UV lights, both of which attract bugs and flies.
Fluorescent lamps are good energy-saving options but not as efficient as LEDs.
Outdoor lighting is necessary for all the benefits stated above. However, to get the best out of it, it is advisable to complement outdoor lighting with landscape lighting to ensure that every inch is well covered.