Outdoor and Security Lighting

The right combination of outdoor lights can beautify your home and landscape by showcasing all of its interesting features. Whether you consider yourself a minimalist, or someone who likes to make a big statement, there are a wide variety of lighting fixtures available to match your preferred style. Outdoor lighting can also improve safety around your home, as it can light up stairways and paths to prevent tripping. But if improving security around your home is your primary concern, consider installing floodlights and spotlights to illuminate dark areas such as driveways, entrances and walkways to help deter criminals.

When choosing outdoor lighting, your two choices are low voltage, 12v or 24v lighting or line voltage, 120v lighting. Low voltage outdoor lighting is the more common option for residential homes, as it is easier to install, consumes minimal energy and provides the perfect amount of accent lighting. Line voltage outdoor lighting is more labor intensive to install, but it also provides much larger and brighter light fixtures, making it more popular for commercial and public spaces.

In the past, halogen lighting was by far the most popular choice for outdoor fixtures because it was the highest quality and offered a more professional look. However, with technology advancing, LED lighting is becoming more popular as many LED lamps provide the same warm light of Halogen lamps while consuming less energy and lasting much longer. If you are installing security lighting, many manufacturers offer LED floodlights and spotlights that are effective, energy efficient, and that may qualify for a rebate from your utility supplier.

No matter what kind of outdoor lighting you are considering, you will want to hire a licensed electrical contractor to help with the installation. Not only will a licensed electrical contractor be able to recommend the best fixtures and lamps to meet your needs, but he or she will also know proper electrical standards and code to make sure your outdoor lighting is installed safely using the correct fixtures, wiring and enclosures. Improperly installed outdoor lighting may short circuit, burn out often and prematurely, or permanently damage your light fixtures.

An electrical contractor will help ensure your outdoor lighting creates the effect you want, and requires the least amount of long-term maintenance. Also, ask your licensed electrical contractor if your outdoor lighting makes you eligible for any energy efficiency rebate programs.