Landscape lighting can be a good way to enhance your yard and draw attention to certain areas, you decide to highlight. However, if you’re not careful, this simple outdoor lighting idea can be dangerous. Learn more about how you can use outdoor landscape lighting to its fullest potential with these top safety considerations for your home.
Outdoor Low-voltage System
The first thing you need to know when choosing landscape lighting is whether your fixtures will require a low-voltage or high-voltage source. Most fixtures these days are designed to use a standard voltage. However, some fixtures may still require a low-voltage system if they have exposed bulbs. It’s also important to remember that some low-voltage systems are only suitable for outdoor use while others are designed only for inside. Outdoor low-voltage systems are more expensive, but they use less electricity so they are generally a better long-term investment.
High-voltage Landscape Lights
High-voltage landscape lights have a brighter light fixture and more power to illuminate larger areas. If you’re planning on using low voltage fixtures outdoors, be sure to carefully read all product descriptions to ensure the light fixtures you purchase will meet your needs. Outdoor low-voltage fixtures are also more expensive. Be sure to budget for this additional cost before choosing landscape lighting so you don’t face the prospect of overspending on important safety investments.
How Far Away From Your Home
Another important safety consideration for your home is how far away from your home you should direct outdoor lighting. A good rule of thumb is that you should illuminate at least fifteen feet beyond the edge of your home, but the farther away you have to go, the more expensive and bulky your garden lighting will be. So, when choosing landscape lighting for your garden, consider the style, size, and distance between your house and garden to determine the best location for your lights. You should also check out the amount of time you intend to illuminate each area of the garden to make sure you illuminate it safely and efficiently. Keep in mind that once you illuminate an area, you need to move the lights off of that area so as not to cause accidental fires or other hazards.
Energy Star Rated
A good way to make sure you’re getting the most out of your landscaping lighting purchase is to choose lighting fixtures that are Energy Star rated. These fixtures tend to be more energy-efficient than regular fixtures, which can save you money on your electric bill and reduce your carbon footprint. When choosing landscape lighting for your yard, be sure to choose light fixtures that have similar bulb ratings as you would find in fluorescent bulbs, incandescent bulbs, and halogen bulbs. The higher the rating on an item, the more energy-efficient it is and the more you can expect to pay for it.
Pay Attention to Where the Light is Coming From
Another good tip when choosing landscape lighting for your home is to pay attention to where the light is coming from. If you don’t see any of the lights coming from the directions you intended, such as from the corners of your house or the sides of your home, you may want to think about placing a fixture in those areas instead. Sometimes we want things to stand out in our yard and that’s fine, but we don’t want things to be over-emphasized because they’re not strategically placed. So, before you place a light fixture in a certain area, do some planning and figure out how you want things to look and where you’d like things to go.
What Kinds of Outdoor Lighting
A final consideration is what kinds of outdoor lighting you want. Outdoor lights come in many different varieties, including classic and contemporary styles and sizes. Depending upon the kinds of things you want to showcase in your yard, you can choose fixtures with contemporary shapes or contemporary sizes and colors. You can also have these lights, solar or battery powered, depending on which options are best for your lifestyle.
With all this information at hand, there should be no problems when you’re choosing landscape lighting for your home. Just take the time to plan and shop around. Then read consumer reviews and do some research on the kinds of outdoor lights that were reviewed. Once you have the basics in place, you’ll be able to start focusing on finding the perfect lights for your home and your patio, backyard, or garden. Soon you’ll have gorgeous lighting that you’ll enjoy for years to come.
