Outdoor lighting is an important safety feature for your home or workplace. Well-lit
properties are less likely to be burglarized. They are also unlikely to be the scene of
accidents caused by dark pathways, where people might easily trip and fall. Outdoor
lighting can also beautify a home, thus increasing its value. Compact fluorescent lights
are the perfect choice for outdoor lighting. They can save you money, and they are also
energy efficient.
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Compact fluorescents do not have to be changed frequently, which makes
them a good choice for places where changing a bulb might be difficult. One note of
cautionif you live in a cold climate, be sure to buy a compact fluorescent lamp with
a cold-weather ballast. Devices such as timers or photocells can be used to turn lights on
and off at appropriate times. |
To save energy and money, don't burn lights all night long, except in areas with actual
all-night use or with extreme security concerns. For most security purposes, motion
sensors can detect intruders and turn on lights when needed. Special outdoor lighting
fixtures can help to beautify your home or business. Illuminate pathways with small ground
level moon lamps, or light your front steps or entry way with post lanterns. When planning
outdoor home lighting, make sure whatever outdoor lighting you choose doesn't light up
your neighbor's yard as well as your own. Be considerate and ensure that your lights stay
on your property. Good low-glare options are linear "tube lights" and
fiber-optics. These lights can light the way for pedestrians without illuminating an
entire area. Cut-off fixtures, shades, or highly focused low-voltage lamps are also useful
in avoiding spillover.
Just as fluorescent lighting has improved in recent years, great advances have been
made in high-intensity dischargeor HIDlighting. Primarily used outdoors and
for large areas like streets or parking lots, there are three kinds of HID lights: mercury
vapor, high-pressure sodium, and metal halide. All require ballasts, much like fluorescent
lighting. All take several minutes to warm up, so they are better suited to areas in which
lights stay on for long periods of time. Mercury vapor lights have been the most common
type of HID, but they are quickly being replaced by the newer, more efficient
high-pressure sodium and metal halide lamps. High pressure sodium lights produce the most
lightthe most lumensper watt, although the light has a yellowish tinge. Metal
halide lights are less efficient but produce a whiter, more natural light.
You can also use solar energy to power outdoor lighting. During daylight hours, a
photovoltaic (PV) panel generates electricity that is stored in a battery in most of the
low-power light fixtures. These lights can be turned on manually, they can equipped with
light-sensing controls that turn them on automatically at dusk, or they can be activated
by motion detectors. Most of the lower-priced models on the market do not produce a great
deal of lightthey're definitely not reading lampsbut they are very useful to
light paths and steps around the yard. Using PV-powered outdoor lights is an attractive
alternative if your site is over 200 yards from the utility grid, or if you don't want to
run a power line through a site. PV power is low-maintenance and very reliable, and
installation is often as easy as pushing into the ground a stake on which the fixture is
mounted. Larger, brighter PV lights are also available, but these may require additional
light panels. Often these additional panels can blend attractively with your home's
architecture.
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