Your outdoor space can be a great place to hangout during the day – whether you are throwing barbeques, playing horseshoes, or just enjoying the outdoors – but what happens to that space at night? By installing a few exterior lights, you can better utilize your outdoor patio or deck, allowing you to entertain well past sundown.
This article from the U.S. Department of Energy outlines everything you need to know about outdoor lighting.
Outdoor lighting is great for illuminating your deck or patio at night, but exterior lighting has more applications than simply allowing you more time outdoors. Outdoor lighting fixtures serve several other purposes including:
· Aesthetics
Illuminate the exterior of your house and landscape to better accent the beautiful aspects of your home. You do not have to stop being proud of your home just because the sun has gone down.
· Security
Illuminate the grounds near the house or driveway. Many homeowners install motion-sensing lights that will only come on if they sense someone lurking in the darkness.
· Utility
Illuminate the porch and driveway to help people navigate safely to and from the house. The last thing you want after a long day at the office is to come home and trip over your son’s skateboard or that rake that you forgot to put away.
But won’t more lighting simply mean you will have a larger electric bill every month? Well, it doesn’t have to. The U.S. Department of Energy provides several different tips for achieving energy-efficient outdoor lighting:
- Security and utility lighting does not need to be bright to be effective.
- Use fluorescent, high-intensity discharge, or low-pressure sodium lights unless incandescent lights are automatically controlled to be on for just a few minutes each day.
- Consider incandescent flood lights with combined photosensors and motion sensors in the place of other security lighting options.
- Use photosensors with fluorescent, high-intensity discharge, or low-pressure sodium lights.
- Make sure outdoor light fixtures have reflectors, deflectors, or covers to make more efficient use of the light source and help reduce light pollution.
- Use timers and other controls to turn decorative lighting on and off.
- Use outdoor solar lighting where and if applicable.
If you have any questions, contact TLC Incorporated by calling 888-742-5852 or click here today!