A Little Light Can Completely Transform Your Property.
Outdoor lights are welcoming. They enhance landscaping and architectural features. That exotic plant or unusual nook in the wall could benefit from a well-placed spotlight. Thoughtful lighting also sets the mood for everything from lively pool parties to personal quiet time.
Outdoor lighting is also highly functional — that is, it comes in handy when you need to see. Dinner guests appreciate a well-lit path to their cars.
All that said, can outdoor lighting be too bright? Yes. It can. We’ve all seen homes that look more like airport runways or federal prisons. Lighting overkill is not just unsightly and annoying to your neighbors, but it also wastes energy and money. It even impacts wildlife in your community.
With exterior lighting, there are tricks to striking just the right balance. We can help.
Customize Your Outdoor Lighting
You would hardly buy one outfit for a formal wedding, a yoga class and a day at the amusement park. Think of your outdoor lighting needs in the same way. That warm glow that works well for the hot tub isn’t ideal for the dark spot along your fence. A bright, all-business bulb suitable for the driveway would drive you crazy shining through the bedroom window at night.
In other words, you can’t just pick any old bulb, buy it in bulk and call it a day. Different areas of your property call for different colors and brightness.
First, assess your lighting needs for each outdoor space.
Take time to walk around your entire property. Identify various areas; you might even assign a name to each one for reference. Jot down the primary purpose for the lighting in each space. Purposes could range from “preventing falls” to “using the grill” to “deterring burglars.” “Setting the mood for romance” might be the purpose, and there’s no shame in that. Just be as specific as possible.
Remember that appearance is just as important as function. The purpose for a light could be to show off a small fountain or add some drama to your roofline.
If you get stuck, consider various applications for exterior lighting:
- Entrance lighting (for making a good first impression)
- Atmospheric lighting (for creating spaces that are warm and inviting)
- Accent lighting (for drawing attention to points of interest)
- Task lighting (for cooking, operating pool equipment or cleaning up after a party)
- Safety lighting (for preventing accidents on walkways, stairs, decks and driveways)
- Security lighting (for discouraging uninvited people or wildlife)
Watch for overlapping needs within spaces. There’s a light bulb for everything, and there’s no rule that says you can’t mix and match. Sometimes, you just know good lighting when you see it. Look at exterior design magazines or websites for inspiration. Customizing can’t be rushed.
Leverage Color Temperature and Brightness
Once you’ve identified your needs, you can start choosing light bulbs. Two characteristics, color temperature and brightness, are important tools in every great lighting scheme.
Color Temperature
Back in the late 1800s, a smart guy named William Kelvin discovered that heating carbon at different temperatures affected the appearance of light. Low temperatures produced warm colors that were easy on the eyes. High temperatures produced cool colors like dazzling white.
Kelvin’s work is still valuable in choosing light bulbs. For instance, if you want to imitate moonlight over a garden trellis, select a cool, bluish white according to the Color Temperature Chart (or Kelvin Chart). The letter K on the chart stands for “degrees of Kelvin,” which range from 1,000 to 10,000. Rich, saturated colors, such as sky blue, are on the high end of the scale. White shades fall close to the middle of the scale and are represented this way:
- Very warm white — 2200K
- Warm white — 2700K
- Warm or natural white — 3000K
- Cool white — 4200K
Higher numbers, like 4600K to 6500K, are preferred for security needs; a motion sensor light should be somewhat harsh.
Brightness
Color temperature, mind you, is not the same as brightness. A soft, warm-white bulb might enhance your patio seating area, but it can still blind your guests if the brightness is extra high.
It’s worth mentioning here that the term wattage — which indicates the amount of energy used to burn an incandescent bulb — is on the way out.
In LED bulbs, which are more efficient and longer lasting, brightness and intensity are measured in lumens. Lumens indicate visible light output. You can consult a wattage-to-lumens comparison chart for guidance, but on both scales, higher means brighter. An LED bulb that produces 1600 lumens is about the same intensity as an old-style 100-watt bulb. The packaging on most products will show you the comparison.
Even with good information, it’s hard to judge brightness without seeing a bulb in action at night. Before you buy a large quantity of all the wrong bulbs, test a few for color and brightness in the spaces you plan to use them. This could take a few nights in various conditions. You might be switching bulbs around until you get the desired look or performance. That’s to be expected. You can always tweak your design as you discover more lighting opportunities in outdoor living.
Keep in mind the old saying “less is more.” In general, shoot for the least amount of light needed for the greatest effect. You’ll save energy and avoid ticking off your neighbors. Confine the brightest lights to areas where extra security pays off.
Leave Everything to the Pros
You can trust the experts at Mister Sparky to put your property in its very best light. We offer superior outdoor lighting design, installation and maintenance for a variety of needs and home styles — and our experienced technicians know the difference between bright and too bright. Don’t put up with any malarky, call Mister Sparky
