The attention you pay to outdoor lighting should be as much, if not more, as the one you pay to indoor lighting. Good outdoor lighting ensures your home looks welcoming, beautiful, and secure. The benefits extend to pedestrians, as they feel safer at night with good outdoor lighting.
To ensure that you have this inviting atmosphere, here are three important outdoor lighting basics to consider.
Outdoor Lighting Basics
Put Security First
Safety and security are some of the primary reasons for outdoor lighting. There is a decrease in crime rates when ambient light is installed. Outdoor lighting goes beyond just having the light outside the home; it’s about positioning the light in crucial areas. Some of the places to position your outdoor lighting is h
- Places where the shadow falls.
- Front entrance
- The stairs
- Garages
- Side doors
- Garden paths
Also, there is appropriate designer lighting to use for the different areas. When adding lighting to your outdoors, you can consider getting motion sensors to enhance security.
Consider Energy Cost
Adding more lighting to your home means increasing your energy cost, but it still has to be done. To be in the middle ground, get lighting that will not add so much to the electricity bill.
One way to do this is by investing in LED bulbs. LEDs are more energy-efficient than other lighting sources. The era when LED bulbs used to be more expensive is gone, do not be afraid to invest in them now.
Also, no matter how little LED light adds to the energy cost, you should not forget to turn them off when they are not in use. If you tend to forget, you can set the alarm or schedule to remind you to turn the lights on and off.
Another alternative is investing in solar power. Not only is solar power environmentally friendly, but they also add little or no cost to your energy bill.
Purpose of Lighting
If you spend more time outdoors during the night time, your outdoor lighting should be bright enough to see the environment yet not too bright that it is uncomfortable to the eyes.
And there are some areas where ambient light can work perfectly and other places where you need to add bright lights. If there is an area of the home where you mostly entertain guests, the lighting there should be subtle and indirect.
Furthermore, outdoor lighting adds beauty to the home. So, if you are aiming for a touch of elegance, you can add a chandelier to your front porch. Or use some wall lighting for the outdoor window sides.
To make your lighting multipurpose, you can consider a dimming system for some areas of the house.
Also, the colour temperature of the light matters. If you do not use the right light colour temperature for the area, the landscape might look aloof or unnatural. To know the appropriate colour temperature, speak to an expert to help you.
Is Outdoor Lighting Worth it?
Outdoor lighting adds beauty, security, and elegance to the home, and the key is getting it right. Consider your home’s security, the lighting’s purpose, and your budget. Then speak to an expert to get what is best for your home.
