A well-designed landscape lighting system adds beauty, value and function to your property. But, it can be tricky to get right. From color temperature to expert placement, there are a lot of factors involved.
The good news is that the experts at VOLT can help you get it right. Contact Landscape Lighting Harrisburg PA now!
For safety, pathway lights illuminate walkways in the dark to prevent missteps. They also add a decorative touch and can coordinate with other landscape lighting fixtures like up or downlights to create a cohesive look. Pathway lights are available in a variety of materials, finishes and designs. They can be sleek and modern or resemble traditional lanterns for a rustic or eclectic style. Some are also designed to be weatherproof, ideal for a coastal or salt-in-the-air environment.
When choosing path lights, consider the architectural style of your home and the design features you want to highlight. They should complement the overall style to avoid a cluttered or overdone effect. It’s best to use warm lighting (with a temperature of 2700K or 3000K) for path lighting, which gives off a welcoming glow rather than harsh or glaring light.
It’s a good idea to choose path lights that are weatherproof, as well as those that are dimmable or have an integrated motion sensor for added security. If you’re installing multiple path lights, a hub system can help distribute voltage evenly over long cable runs to keep them from running dimmer over time.
Installing a path-light system can be a DIY project, but if you’re planning a more extensive and intricate layout, we recommend contacting a professional Central Florida landscape lighting specialist to ensure the proper wattage and expert placement for maximum impact. A skilled professional will know exactly what your yard needs to be lit up beautifully without looking overdone or cluttered. And they’ll take care of routine maintenance to keep the lights clear of debris and trimmed properly, as well as replacing burned-out bulbs before they overtax other fixtures in the circuit.
Flood Lights
A flood light is a powerful outdoor lighting fixture that emits a broad beam of light to illuminate large areas. They are often used as security lights when paired with motion sensors and for illumination of sports fields, parking lots and events.
While you might see them at stadiums or commercial business properties, flood lights can also brighten your home or office yard. Smaller flood lights are perfect for uplighting trees and walkways, while larger ones can bathe large swaths of your property in even, balanced light.
They can also help keep your guests safe in your home’s backyard. By illuminating areas of your property that might be overlooked in the dark, it’s much more difficult for people to sneak onto your property and commit crimes. When paired with motion sensor technology, these lights can deter criminal activity before it even happens by catching predators off guard and giving you a chance to call the police.
Compared to other types of outdoor lighting, flood lights are more efficient and cost-effective. They use a higher lumen per watt ratio than metal-halide or sodium-vapor lamps, reducing energy consumption and cost. Many of today’s most advanced LED flood light fixtures also use special optics to deliver even, balanced lighting across a larger area.
While a flood light can shine to an infinite distance, it’s not the best way to highlight specific objects and features on your property. Spotlights, on the other hand, have a narrower maximum beam angle and are often used to draw attention to a particular object or feature of your landscape. They are also useful for work lighting, off-road lighting and other applications where a focused beam of light is required.
Uplights
Uplighting is a landscape lighting technique that shines light upward to highlight features like trees, garden structures, or shrubs. It can also be used to illuminate a walkway or deck to make it safe for movement after dark.
Unlike path lights, uplights should be discreet or even hidden to draw attention to the effect they create and not the fixtures themselves. Using LED bulbs instead of halogen for uplights is a great way to cut down on energy use and extend the life of the fixture.
Before installing uplights, it’s important to understand your goals and objectives for the landscape. A lighting designer can help you identify key areas and features and suggest ways to showcase them at night. They’ll take into account things like the size, shape, and location of your landscape, as well as the growth patterns of plants and trees to ensure they’re properly lit. They’ll also consider any light pollution concerns, such as the potential for your lighting to shine into neighboring properties or streets.
Then, they can help you choose fixtures that best suit your design. For example, they might recommend using a wide-angle spotlight to uplight a tree or low statues and a narrow-focus light for more intricately detailed or larger stone features.
To get the most out of your landscape lighting, it’s important to perform routine maintenance. This includes regularly inspecting your fixtures for signs of damage and adjusting them as plant growth or changes in the surrounding area occur. It’s also important to keep up with bulb replacement to avoid voltage drops over long cable runs that can affect the brightness of other lights on the circuit.
Downlights
With the right landscape lighting design, your yard can be transformed from an eerie after-dark space into an enchanting environment for evening entertaining and relaxing. It also boosts safety by illuminating dark areas and potential hazards. But before you dive in, it’s important to understand the different types of landscape lights and how they work.
There are two main fixture classes: integrated and lamp-ready. Integrated fixtures have the LED board built into them, meaning you can’t swap out a bulb. On the other hand, lamp-ready fixtures have a bulb that can be replaced when it burns out. This allows for more customization in terms of lumens, beam spread and light temperature (warm, natural or cool).
Path lights act as guiding lights along walkways or driveways. They can also illuminate large flower beds or other ground-based landscaping features. Hardscape fixtures are designed to highlight specific architectural features, such as patios, outdoor kitchens, retaining walls and more. Well lights can be installed in-ground to illuminate fountains and other water features.
Flood lights are a popular choice to brightly illuminate large areas, such as tall trees and wide house facades. They often have a collar that helps minimize side glare.
There are many other styles of landscape lights that can be used to accentuate a particular area or design element. Using techniques like silhouetting, moonlighting, grazing and shadowing can bring unique visual interest to your landscape.
It’s possible to do landscape lighting DIY, but it’s usually best to call in a professional. They can help you map out your lighting design, ensuring that all fixtures are properly positioned and connected to the power supply. They can also install controls, such as timers, photocells or smart home integration systems, which will allow you to automate your system and make it even easier to use.
Hardscape Lights
There are a number of ways to illuminate hardscapes. Lighting up steps and paths makes it easier to navigate them at night. Lighting up a deck or patio lets you spend more time outside after dark. Lighting up a statue or pillar provides a focal point that is both beautiful and inviting.
Hardscapes are the man-made components in an outdoor space, such as concrete, stone, wood, decks, pools, fences, walls, statues, and pathways. Adding lighting to these features can make the difference between an ordinary and extraordinary result. It can also provide safety benefits by illuminating a pathway, ensuring people don’t trip or fall over obstacles after the sun goes down.
Generally, hardscape lights are installed during the construction of the feature. A paver light can be embedded in the riser of a step, or hardscape lights can be placed under the top cap of a sitting wall or retaining wall. In these applications, contractors should leave a little extra room to feed the fixture wire through the wall so it can be serviced if necessary.
These fixtures are available in a variety of finishes and wattage options. The brass hardscape lights at LightCh8in are a good choice for contractors, as they offer an easy-to-use mounting bracket and fully encapsulated 12V LEDs with a CRI of 85+ and a driver rated IP65 water-resistant. They are available in three sizes: 3 inches, 7 inches and 13 inches. They can be used in both residential and commercial projects. For more information, visit our website or contact us today!