Outdoor Lighting Buying Guide

Installing outdoor lighting is one of the surest ways to make your home's outdoor areas both safer and more attractive. There are many options for outdoor lighting, some meant to provide safety, and others aimed at creating a pleasing visual effect of the landscaping, even when it is dark outside.

With outdoor lighting, the possibilities for holding outdoor activities are virtually endless, and outdoor entertaining doesn't need to slow down when the days get shorter. Outdoor lighting can be chosen based on the style of the landscape and the size of the house, so that it best accentuates the more attractive features of the outdoor areas, and masks others which might not be as attractive.

Outdoor lighting should be the final bit done when redecorating a home. When all of the landscaping is complete, that is when it is time to take a good look at the house and the landscaping, and choose the lighting that best matches your outdoor areas.

There are many different types of lights available for your outdoor areas. Each sort of lighting is created with a different purpose in mind, and understanding these purposes will help you choose the most suitable lighting for your garden, yard, or deck.

The most common sorts of permanent outdoor lighting fixtures include louvered or tiered, recessed, eyelid or sconce, and scoop or mushroom. There are many temporary outdoor lighting styles available too, and a large variety of specialty lights that one might either use once in a while, or might choose to install permanently.

Louvered or Tiered Lights Louvered or tiered lights are shaped like a pagoda. There will be several levels of tiered hats on a louvered or tiered light fixture. Louvered lights are good for spreading the light out over the ground, and are especially suitable for walkways.

Recessed Lights Recessed lights are ideal for a deck area. They are buried or mounted in the deck, and give light shining up from the floor area.

Eyelid or Sconce Lights Eyelid or sconce lights are wall mounted. They are ideal for areas with large wall spaces, or for areas where there are steps.

Scoop or Mushroom Lights Scoop or mushroom lights are usually mounted on stakes or posts. They have a scooped or mushroom shaped hat. They provide an excellent shielded light for gardens, steps, and other areas where a light is needed to spread over the ground, such as along a path.

Specialty Lights

There are many types of outdoor lighting that might only be used for special purposes. These include underwater lights, stringed lights, party lights, and lighting kits. Some are made for temporary uses, while others can be mounted permanently. The various sorts will be more fully discussed below.

Outdoor lighting can serve many different purposes. It is not surprising, then, that there are many features available when looking for outdoor lighting, and some of these features need careful thought before deciding on the best outdoor lighting for your home.

One of the most essential issues to look into is whether the lights are properly waterproof. The light's resistance to water is ranked by assigning an IP Rating to each type of light. A rating of IPx3 would be sufficient for many outdoor conditions, with IPx5 being the best. An IPx3 ranking would mean that a light could withstand rain. An IPx4 ranked light would be able to withstand water splashing from any direction. A light with an IP ranking of IPx5 can withstand water that is jet sprayed from any direction. You will need to give thought to the exposure to water that your outdoor light will need to withstand before choosing the best outdoor lighting for your home.

Uplights (or Backlights) When choosing outdoor lighting, it is important to consider what direction the light should face. Uplights, or backlights, are mounted on the ground and create a sense of depth. They are often placed behind an object and shine up onto the object, creating a silhouette effect. Sometimes, uplights or backlights are used to cause an object to cast a shadow onto a wall behind it. Either way, the lights should be hidden from view, as their purpose is to shine upon an object in the landscaping to which the user wants to draw attention.

Downlights Downlights are the opposite of uplights. They are placed above an object, casting a light downwards onto the object. In this way, the light creates a natural effect, much like the light that shines on the landscaping in the daytime. These lights also should be shielded from view.

Path Lights

Path lights are in place to light a path, a sidewalk, a driveway, or a walkway. The purpose of these lights is to guide a person along the path, so they should be placed low to the ground. It is important to choose a light that is covered on the top, so that the light will be nicely spread along the ground, giving light where it is needed.

A path light that is not covered across the top will end up creating a glare for people walking along the path. This would defeat the purpose of the lights, which is to create a safe walkway. Louvered or tiered lights work very nicely for path lights, as do mushroom or scoop lights.

Floodlights, Spotlights, and Security Floodlights provide a bright light for a broad range of ground in your outdoor areas. These lights are meant to brighten up a large portion of ground, and are excellent for areas where security is a concern at night. Spotlights, also very bright lights, are designed to provide more directed lighting for a particular piece of ground.

Lights installed to increase night time security are often accompanied by a timer or a passive infrared sensor. The timer will cause the lights to turn on and off at specified times each day. A passive infrared sensor is designed to turn the lights on if a certain area is breached. Both are meant to discourage trespassers and ensure the home's safety after dark.

Specialty Lights

Lighting kits are a very popular way to create outdoor lighting. Lighting kits are low voltage lights, which means that they will be cheaper to maintain over the long run. The lighting kit comes with a light fixture, cables, a transformer, a photo cell, and a timer.

Low voltage lighting is an excellent choice for safety reasons. The low voltage means it is shock-free, and therefore safer when there is heavy traffic in the outdoor areas.

Underwater lighting is popular for areas that have a fountain, a fish pond, a spa or  swimming area. These areas would need special underwater lights, with the highest IP Ranking.

There are many temporary lighting styles available for outdoor areas. These would include party lights, string lights, and patio torches. All can be set up and taken down when they are needed, and can be used to create a specific mood for a specific occasion in your outdoor areas.

Solar Powered Lights

For some purposes, solar powered lights might provide a good, economical option. Solar powered lights collect power from the sun during the day, and use that to light your outdoor areas at night. Many users like these solar powered lights because they help to save on electricity bills.

Always remember to check with a qualified electrician before installing lights into any outdoor areas. Regulations regarding outdoor lighting vary from place to place, so it is also wise to check on your local legislation.

Outdoor lighting can be very inexpensive to buy and install. Other, more elaborate designs, can range up to several hundred dollars.

Below $50 There are many sorts of outdoor lighting available for less than $50. Some outdoor lighting options can even be bought for around $20. Many of the temporary lighitng options cost about $20, such as those found in a wide selection of string lights. There is also a selection of path lights to be found for under $50, such as Progress Lighting's mushroom-shaped path light, or Luxmann's louvered path light. Sea Gull Lighting also sells a floodlight for about $40.

From $50 to $200 There is a wide range of lights available for below $200. Kichler's well light is an uplight that works nicely either on a deck or as a backlight intended to highlight an object in the landscape design. There are also numerous ceiling and wall mounted lights available for less than $200. Thomas Lighting manufactures many models of outdoor lights in this price range. Many path lights also sell for prices between $50 and $200, and some will come in packs of ten, providing all the lighting you need for your walkway for under $200. Kichler has a large range of designs for path lights, selling at prices hovering around $100 each.

From $200 to $500 Lights with more elaborate or durable designs are often priced in the range of $200 to $500. Designs such as Special Lite Products Company's Chesapeake Bronze Large Outdoor Bottom Wall Mount sell for just over $300, and Kichler has several models of path lights selling for prices just over $200.

Over $500

Lighting priced over $500 mostly consists of specialty lights, particularly underwater lights.

For safety reasons, it is imporant not to cut corners when buying underwater lights. The price can vary depending on the length of cable needed for the underwater setting. It can be several thousand dollars for the longest cables with the largest number of lights. The main manufacturer of such lighting is Fiber Stars.

Single underwater lamps, however, can be found for prices ranging from $80 to $200. Smart Pool Inc. produces several models of individual underwater lamps, designed specifically for above ground pools.

Intermatic
Progress Lighting
Kichler
Hinkley
Smart Pools Inc
Malibu
Thomas Lighting
Fiber Stars
Sea Gull Lighting.