Options for lighting up your home’s exterior are endless. Lighting can also serve several purposes, from brightening dark corners for added safety and security to improving aesthetics and curb appeal. “You want reliable lighting that doesn’t require frequent replacement, lighting that highlights the best points of your house and outdoor area and creates a warm atmosphere,” says Jimmy Hiller, CEO and president at Happy Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electrical.
Let’s go over some outdoor lighting ideas for your front and backyard.
— How do I choose outdoor lighting for my house?
— What type of lighting is best for outdoors?
— What is the most energy-efficient exterior lighting?
— Outdoor lighting ideas for your yard.
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How Do I Choose Outdoor Lighting for My House?
When choosing your outdoor lighting, there are several factors to consider. Jeremy Martin, CEO and founder at Willow Gates Landscaping in Berks County, Pennsylvania, says you need to consider your end goal first. “Do you want simple, tasteful lighting that simply turns on and off when you wish? Or do you want to be able to change colors and dim fixtures all from your phone or computer?”
Next, Martin says you’ll want to consider your budget. Although most outdoor lighting options are LED lights, he says there is a wide range in quality. Martin recommends integrated LEDs with replaceable modules, which are light fixtures that have LEDs built into them. “Integrated LEDs manage heat and last much longer than drop-in LEDs, but look for a brand that allows you to replace the LED module and driver in the field rather than shipping it back to the manufacturer,” he says.
What Type of Lighting Is Best for Outdoors?
LEDs, compact fluorescent (CFL), halogen, high-intensity discharge (HID) and incandescent bulbs can work in outdoor spaces. LEDs are the most popular option. While they cost more than other bulbs, they can last much longer. “Low voltage LEDs is all we use,” Martin says. “We use 2700 Kelvin fixtures as our standard; it’s a warm light that isn’t too yellow.” For plants with white variegation or blue foliage, Martin and his team use 3000 Kelvin fixtures for a purer light.
When picking out fixtures, Nels Peterson, vice president and brand leader at outdoor lighting company Blingle!, recommends low-voltage landscape lighting to minimize shock hazards. “These fixtures are smaller and can be easily moved about the property to provide proper illumination as trees, shrubs and deciduous plants grow,” he says.
You can purchase fixtures at home stores or reputable landscaping lighting distributors, but Peterson warns against big-box retailer fixtures. These fixtures look good in stores, but he says the light quality will quickly decrease. “Homeowners should purchase a product carefully and be aware if using inexpensive fixtures as that is not a long-term investment,” says Peterson.
Hiller also stresses the importance of installing timers that allow you to schedule when the lights should turn on and off. “Timers are a very beneficial feature, especially if your home is often empty and you are not always there to turn the lights on,” he says.
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What Is the Most Energy-Efficient Exterior Lighting?
According to Hiller, LEDs are the most energy-efficient bulbs. “LED lights use at least 75% less energy and last 25 times longer than traditional bulbs,” he says.
However, most exterior lighting products today use energy-efficient bulbs. “It’s a matter of splitting hairs between different product lines,” says Peterson. “The important thing is not to continue to use halogen or incandescent exterior lighting sources; there are plenty of good LED options to replace these.”
Exterior lighting that uses renewable energy is also extremely energy-efficient. These lights collect sunlight during the day and store the energy in batteries to use at night. Before choosing solar lighting, it’s important to consider your geographic location and where you wish to place the fixtures. Solar lighting will only work if the solar cells receive the manufacturer’s recommended hours of light during the day.
Outdoor Lighting Ideas for Your Yard
Before installing lighting fixtures in your yard, consider making an outdoor lighting plan. Do you want to highlight your yard’s landscaping features? Or do you want to host outdoor dinner parties? One mistake homeowners often make is installing too many lights. There are also outdoor lighting ordinances across the U.S. to mitigate light pollution, so you’ll want to be careful about how many lights you install, the brightness and how it could affect your neighbors.
There are also a wide variety of fixtures to choose from. Martin and his team limit their choices to powder-coated black or solid bronze. “Remember it’s the light you want to see, not the source,” he says. “Unless it is a fixture specifically designed to be an architectural element in its own right, keep it simple.”
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Here are several outdoor lighting ideas for your front or backyard.
Pathway lighting. The goal of pathway lighting is to avoid trips and falls. “Pathway lighting should be done with fixtures that push light forward from the side of the path onto the path itself,” Peterson says. And if there’s a planting bed next to the path, Peterson says the fixture will help illuminate that as well.
Martin says he tries to avoid pathway lighting and instead focuses on downlighting pathways from adjacent trees or structures to give them a softer, natural feel.
Porch lighting. How you light your porch depends on the ceiling height, according to Martin. “If it is a finished area, recessed lighting in the ceiling provides a gentle lighting, particularly if it’s dimmable. Do make sure the door itself is well-lit and not left in the shadows,” he says. You can also use café lights, which have become popular and can help make your home feel more inviting; traditional wall sconces or even a fan with a light kit if the ceiling is high enough. For porch posts, Martin suggests spotlights with a narrow beam, but be careful to avoid glare on the walkway or from the porch.
Outdoor living area lighting. According to Martin, lighting for your outdoor living area will depend on the structure and its use. If you have a covered deck or patio with an outdoor kitchen, Martin says to definitely consider recessed lights with task lights over the kitchen area. “Pendants work great for this,” he says. “If it’s a separate pavilion, consider up/down lights on the posts. This bounces light off the ceiling, as well as lighting the floor below.”
Peterson also suggests lights that can be hung on cables. “They can easily be installed under pergolas or under roof structures and provide a gentle, soft ambient lighting,” Peterson says. “If a permanent solution or function needs to be done, low-voltage directional spots can be used in the corners or over certain areas.”
Landscape lighting. Landscape lights can be used in trees, garden beds or against the home or garden wall, and used as a focal point for a fountain or architectural feature.
Martin uses uplights near the trunks of deciduous trees to highlight the trunk and canopy. If there are gardens, sculptures or pathways nearby, he will also downlight from the tree. “We use a technique called moonlighting, where downlights are placed above the bottom branches of the trees. This casts interesting shadows on the ground from the branches and leaves,” he says.
For evergreen trees, Martin uses spotlights on branches. If the branching structure is open, like the American holly, he uses well lights under the tree instead. This helps provide lighting from within the tree. It also highlights trees with interesting foliage, trunk shapes and textures or dramatic colors.
Security lighting. Security lighting can light up dark areas of the yard and help deter intruders. “Homeowners need to ensure they are placed in strategic locations around their property, near entryways and windows,” says Joel Worthington, president of Mr. Electric in Waco, Texas, which is part of the Neighborly home services franchise company. “It’s also important to choose a light that is bright enough to deter people from entering the property that shouldn’t be there.”
Homeowners often think of large floodlights that use motion detectors to discourage unwanted visitors, but both Martin and Peterson recommend surrounding the home with a landscape lighting system, such as around trees or gardens lining the home’s perimeter, to ensure that anyone approaching the home can be easily viewed.
“Lighting the landscape around your entire home will make it very difficult for trespassers to get near the home without revealing themselves,” Martin says. “Many criminals are opportunistic, and if your home is well-lit, they will find an easier target that’s not illuminated.”
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5 Outdoor Lighting Ideas for Your Yard originally appeared on usnews.com
