One of the most popular home additions is the installation of an outdoor lighting system. Not only are they shown to deter burglary and acts of theft, but they can also highlight your landscaping and home, adding to its value. However, for a first timer, choosing and placing the correct type of lighting will be a challenge, and that’s ignoring the electrical problems one might encounter. Here is a brief guide to a few of the choices that you will need to make, as well as a few recommendations.
When installing lighting, there are three main factors to consider. The first is the budget available, the second is the system which will be operating with the lights, and the last is the decision of what effect will be achieved using the lighting.
The first thing to consider is the effect that one wishes to create with the lighting. Different types of lights offer different shades of lighting, and neglecting to match your lighting or considering the color of the light produced will leave an unprofessional looking job. For example, one of the most common and (on paper) best choices for lighting is LED lighting. While it may cost more initially, it will have massive savings in the long run, as it will need to be replaced far less frequently than other bulbs. For example, incandescent bulbs may need to be replaced 20 times before an LED bulb is replaced once, meaning that not only will you spend more money on incandescent in the long run, but you will also have to waste a lot of your time replacing bulbs. Additionally, LED bulbs are quite energy efficient, and can net you long term energy savings. However, LEDs produce a different shade of light than traditional bulbs. If you already have lighting, mixing and matching the bulbs used can create an ugly splotchy effect.
Secondly, one should examine the systems which will be used concurrently. For example, if you are using motion detectors with your lights, make sure to use bulbs which can quickly emit bursts of light. A more energy efficient bulb which takes longer to warm up could make the system useless. Rather, a bulb which can flash brightly is necessary, and since it is coupled with a motion detector, is likely to spend most of its time not taking any power. Once you examine the systems which will be in use concurrently, the goal should be to find the cheapest option which meets all of the desired specifications.