Outdoor Lighting – Landscape Lighting

If you’ve got a garden with a deck and was thinking of ways to liven it up then listen up. Outdoor lighting for your deck offers some of the best techniques of creating that artistic impression that will bring out the best in your outdoor decking. Over the past few years this market has grown extensively with homeowners wanting more out of their outdoor living space and doing so without paying a fortune for outdoor light fixtures. By carefully researching what types of lighting are available on the market you could save money on electricity bills while keeping a low carbon footprint on the environment all the while enjoying the best that your outdoor lifestyle has to offer.

If you look closely you want your outdoor deck lighting to be durable through tough weather, long lasting, energy efficient, low voltage, safe and easy to install. Let’s look at the types of lighting applications that you can expect to find on the market.

• Incandescent Lighting

• Fluorescent lighting

• Led Outdoor Lighting

• Solar Lighting

These are the most popular on the market and are available in many designs and finishes. Fluorescent light bulbs are extremely popular due to their extensive range available in many wholesale outlets like Wal-Mart. They are quite cost effective and produce ample light and have a lifespan of only between 10,000 – 20,000 hours of light life.

Incandescent lights work very well and consume reasonable levels of energy. Unfortunately around 98% of the energy output is mostly heat. They are the cheapest because they are inexpensive to produce, but the major downside is that they only have a lifespan of around 1000 hours and thus require more maintenance and replacements and therefore cost more money in the long run.

Led outdoor lighting is the best of the three and solves most of your requirements. They produce more light per watt of energy are more flexible to use in small spaces to the size of the bulbs. They have no toxins like mercury vapour that’s present in other bulbs and have an amazing lifespan of around 40,000 – 60,000 hours of light life and also gradually die out, unlike fluorescent bulbs which black out abruptly.

If you can afford it solar powered outdoor lighting offers the best solutions with the best results on almost every level.

When shopping for your outdoor deck lighting fixtures look at different designs and lighting techniques. For example if you have a wooden deck with a natural wood finish you might want to consider recessed lighting fixtures in the floor or on the walls. These not only look smart but are also safe from tripping over and stay out of harm’s way. Wood or iron post caps look great but not all at the same time. Railing lights will light up the whole deck and also work well on stair rails. Iron finishes go well with a rustic antique look and also work best when installed as low wall mounted deck stair lighting fixtures.