Tips on Killer Outdoor Lighting

Lighting isn’t just good for inside the home. If you have a garden, patio, or front yard that looks stunning in the day, use a couple of great outdoor lights to make them visually appealing at night, too.

You’re not going to be using a lot of direct, overhead lighting outside, unless you purposely want the extra glare to illuminate a social activity, such as a party or other type of gathering. However, if your intention is to make the outside of your home look stunning, focus more on using accent and ambient lighting to highlight the beautiful parts of the place.

Instead of drawing up blueprints of your backyard and planning where to put your lights, scope out your front yard at night and take a flashlight with you. It’s always better to visualize how your lighting might look, as opposed to “imagining” how it might look on paper.

An important consideration to make when planning outdoor lighting is safety. Remember that you won’t be constantly monitoring your lights outside, and you have to take into account potential fire hazards. This is especially true if the lights you use tend to overheat, and might cause dry leaves or branches to ignite, so be careful where you position your lights. Also, it might be a good idea to invest in lights that have a timer or photocell that turns off on its own when exposed to sunlight.

If you use decorative gas lamps, turn them off when not in use, such as on ordinary nights when nothing is going on. Decorative gas lamps use up a lot of energy, and will definitely make a significant dent in your energy consumption costs.

For electrical lighting, opt for long-lasting fluorescent light bulbs, or even better, LED lights that will outlast the average bulb. One may also consider exterior lighting for safety purposes, and not just aesthetic. For instance, motion sensitive lighting is a good idea for keeping shady characters away, and is a better choice versus keeping your porch light on the entire night. Solar-powered security lights are also excellent alternatives.

It’s also essential to prioritize lighting walkways and stair steps outside, as these are accident-prone areas at night. Before starting on decorating the rest of your garden, make sure these places are adequately covered. It doesn’t need to be fancy; in fact, you don’t have to use excessive amounts of light—just enough that people can see where they’re going in the dark.

Everyone can check categorized online selection of outdoor lighting items, here!

Useful Tips in Buying Outdoor Lighting

The outdoor lighting you put in your outdoor space does three things: illuminate the space, add beauty to your surroundings, and keep intruders away. Yes, outdoor lighting fixtures are useful pieces to add to your home. Good thing that there are multitudes of styles and designs to choose from. However, the number of fixtures to choose from could completely bewilder you. As such, you can benefit from the following tips on how to buy outdoor lighting.

Here are useful tips for you:

• Find out your purpose for buying outdoor lights
  This first tip is crucial as you will be able to zero in on the type of lighting fixtures to purchase. So, be sure to answer the following questions: Do I want to illuminate a walkway? Do I want to highlight a plant or statue? Do I intend to keep burglars away? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you pick the right fixtures for your outdoor space. When you know what you want you can have an easier job of selecting from the different accent lights, path lights, and security light available.

• Determine the type of light that you want
  There are different types of lighting fixtures fit for outdoor environments. Here are some of the most common.

Lanterns
You can hang lanterns over your door. However, be sure to keep the bulb of the lantern 66 inches above the top part of the doorway.

Pendants
It is also possible to attach pendants to the ceiling above your door. Just be sure to keep the bottom part of the fixture six inches above the door for safety.

Pier and Post Mounts
Lighting fixtures can also be installed on top of walls and roofs. These are the pier mounts. Post mounts have to go one to two inches below the surface.

Security Lights
With security lights, you need to ensure that you put them in an inaccessible place so that persons with bad intentions cannot get to and disable them. It is advisable to put light fixtures in every side of your home.

• Pick a design theme that goes with the look of your outdoor living space
  Yes, you need to coordinate the outdoor lighting fixtures you buy with the existing theme of your front or back yard. You won’t find it too difficult as light fixtures are made of different materials. Plus, these fixtures have different finishes. Just be sure to pick something that will go well with the overall theme that you want for your outdoor environment.

•  Go for bulbs with low wattage
  When looking for something to adorn your space or to illuminate it, choose fixtures with low wattage. You will benefit from the energy-saving capacity of these products.

• Consider other features that go with outdoor lighting fixtures
  One of the features you need to look out for is motion sensor. This can be helpful if you intend to keep intruders out of your property. The motion sensor will turn on the light once motion is detected. You actually save a lot on electricity bills with motion sensor technology.

Be sure to remember these tips when buying outdoor lighting for your home.