LED Outdoor Lighting
The future of landscape lighting is with LED technology. The LED has been around for over 30 years but recently has been re-invented for new commercial and consumer applications. The LED (Light Emitting Diode) is a semiconductor device that emits light when a voltage is applied. The older LED technology has been used in most electronic pieces of equipment primarily as indicators emitting very low light.
Solar LED center two, Incandescent left/right
The new LED technology has significantly increased the light levels (known as lumen) but still retains the low power that makes LED technology very energy efficient. The advantages are:
- Low power - 7 times less power for same amount of incandescent light.
- Long lasting – bulbs never have to be replaced.
- Light Output – LED lighting can have one or multiple LEDs.
- Color Temperature – LED lighting is Warm white or Cool White.
LED Low Power
Energy efficiently is very popular these days and for lighting, LED technology is superior to incandescent, CFL and halogen. LED landscape lighting typically comes with solar lighting and with low voltage lighting (12V). A 1 watt LED has same light as a 7 watt incandescent bulb.
LED Long Life
LEDs have no filament or tube to break so they are very durable and stand up well to jarring. Under normal conditions LED lights last 50 times longer then incandescent, 5 times longer than CFLs.
LED Light Output or Lumen
Light output or brightness is measured in lumens. As a reference point, a 60 watt incandescent bulb is typically rated at 850 lumens but you would not want to have several 60 watt incandescent lights in your front yard, it would look like you were open for business. However due to the power efficiency, LEDs can output 7 times more light per watt than an incandescent bulb and 4 times more light per watt than CFLs. So a 1 watt LED has the same amount of light as a 7 watt incandescent bulb, common with outdoor lighting, but uses 7 times less power.
LV 1W LED right, 4W Incandescent left
For landscape lighting you should use low amounts of light output. When using the LED lighting technology, this typically means in the range from 50 lumens to 200 lumens per light. Always check the manufactures specifications to get the actual lumens per light since some lighting will be less efficient than others.
Now with all this said, remember we are talking only about small wattage lights for landscaping where you only need to light small areas like path lighting. The CFL technology would be the best for lighting large areas most efficiently. A few other notes are low wattage incandescent lights are less efficient than higher wattage incandescent lights. LED lighting comes from different manufactures with different quality products and the lumens per watt can vary widely, so review the specifications on each light.
LED Color
Like CFL lighting, you can get LED lighting as Warm White Light or Cool White Light. The technical difference is the light or Color Temperature. The Warm White Light is softer (around 3000 degrees Kelvin) while a Cool White Light is brighter (around 5000 degrees Kelvin). What you need to remember is that a Warm light will have a less intense light with a yellow tint while the Cool light will be closer to natural daylight. Many people would prefer the softer Warm White Light for landscape lighting. Most manufactures do not provide the Color Temperature numbers and some times not even the Warm or Cool notation. If there is no designation as to the color temperature, assume it is a Warm light.
Light Selection Tips
- Determine the location and placement of potential outdoor lights. What would be the main goal of the lights and what type of effect do you want. Do you want pathway, garden or general lighting functions?
- Determine the type of lighting; solar powered, high voltage or low voltage. Solar lights have no cost to operate but only operate 6 – 10 hours on a full battery charge and usually have less light output. Low voltage lights are more dependable and offer more lighting techniques. High voltage lights are used less in residential landscaping but can be used for areas that need more light.
- Do you want to focus on trees, shrubs, flowers, walls or a patio?
- Choose a style of light fixture that goes with your home. There are antique, craft, modern and generic looking light fixtures available.
- Decide on how many placements and the brightness of the overall design. Do you want your home exterior lighting to resemble a Las Vegas nightclub or something less obtrusive?
- Generate a design or plan using different lighting techniques such as pathway, area, spotlighting, grazing, silhouetting, up-lighting, down-lighting and step lighting.
- Remember to avoid light pollution and stay within your local building codes.
Related Information:
- Landscape Lighting Basics Spend some design time before you spend the money on landscape lighting. Some design time can bring big savings and help provide more satisfaction later on....
- Landscape Lighting Design A few landscape lighting tips will help you get better results for both the do-it-yourself person or to help you communicate with your landscape professional....
- Landscape Low Voltage Wire Gauge For any low voltage landscape lighting design, you will need to pay special attention to your cable wiring, including the length and wire gauge....
- Landscape Lighting Installation How To tips on how to install your low voltage garden lighting system....
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