Pathway Lighting – Eight Factors for Consumer Consideration
May 10th, 2010One benefit of home ownership is the option homeowners have to install the type of lighting they wish to use and enjoy on their property, whether it is for lighting home interiors or exteriors. One particular type of home lighting is outdoor pathway lighting. Outdoor pathway lights provides illumination along pathways, and can help prevent accidental falls. Moreover, pathway lighting can add decoration and ambiance to the exterior of residences, helping homeowners complement the landscaping designs they wish to create on their property.
This article will present information about eight factors consumers may wish to consider prior to purchasing pathway lights: These factors are: (1) design; (2) type of light bulb and energy consumption; (3) power source; (4) hardwired vs. plug-in vs. electricity-free option; (5) purchasing individual pathway lights and components vs. purchasing pathway lighting sets; (6) price; (7) purchasing pathway light designed for outdoor use; (8) purchasing pathway lighting certified by Underwriters Laboratories.
(1) Pathway Lighting Designs: Pathway lighting fixtures are available in many sizes, shapes, and materials. For example, they are available in different heights, widths, and depths. Shapes include pineapple designs, flower designs, and Tiki designs, among the more plain and simple designs. Moreover, the choices in material from which they are made include aluminum, metal, stainless steel, and plastic. The finishes from which to choose when purchasing outdoor pathway lighting are also plentiful, including bronze, stainless steel, tarnished copper, and black matte. Additionally, the material used in the lens component of pathway lighting include glass, plastic, and polycarbonate. Some pathway lighting products are designed to withstand harsh weather, while others are designed to be corrosion resistant. Clearly, some garden pathway lighting designs are more durable than others.
(2) Type of Light Bulb and Energy Consumption: Light bulbs, at times referred to as lamps, used in pathway lighting include incandescent, compact fluorescent, halogen, and light emitting diode, also referred to as LED. When information about light bulbs is discussed, the term watts and lumens are often used. Watts is a measure of the amount of electrical power consumed, which may vary significantly by the type of light bulb used. Lumens is the amount of light emitted by the light bulb, which may also vary significantly by the type of light bulb used.
Incandescent light bulbs: Incandescent light bulbs were invented and introduced for residential use more than one hundred years ago by Thomas Edison. These light bulbs are not as energy efficient as fluorescent, LED, and halogen light bulbs. Most of the energy used in incandescent light bulbs escapes as heat, and thus the bulbs get very hot. The life of the light bulb tends to be significantly less than compact fluorescent lights, halogen lights, and LEDs. Moreover, incandescent light bulbs use more electricity (watts) than compact fluorescent lights and halogen lights to produce the same amount of illumination. However, with current LED technology, incandescent light bulbs used with landscape pathway lighting provide more light than pathway lighting that uses LEDs. Nonetheless, LED technology continues to evolve.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs: High quality compact fluorescent light bulbs (cfls), such as the ones with the ENERGY STAR qualification, use about 25% of the energy consumed by an equivalent incandescent light bulb to emit the same amount of light. They work at low temperature and have a significantly longer life than incandescent light bulbs. However, cfls have some mercury, so they should be disposed of with care, preferably, recycled.
Halogen light bulbs: Halogen light bulbs are somewhat more efficient than incandescent light bulbs, and tend to last longer than incandescent light bulbs. However, halogens get very hot. They also need to be handled with care, as touching the bulb with hands reduces the life of the light bulb.
Light Emitting Diodes (LEDS): LEDS are very energy efficient, have a long life span, and do not tend to get hot, releasing little heat. They also contain no mercury. However, they produce significantly less amount of light (lumens) than incandescent light bulbs. Thus, groups of LEDs are needed to adequately illuminate an area. Nonetheless, as mentioned above, LED lighting technology continues to develop. LED quality also varies. LED lighting that is ENERGY STAR qualified has been tested to meet high quality standards.
(3) Power Source: Different options are also available when it comes to selecting the power source the outdoor pathway lighting is designed to use. For example, pathway lighting is available using solar, low-voltage, and standard home voltage power sources.
Solar pathway lighting: Solar pathway lighting uses the sun’s energy to provide illumination. Thus, the sun is the power source for this type of exterior habitat lighting. Solar pathway lights works by harnessing the sun’s energy during the day and emitting it at night. In order for the solar pathway lights to work as designed, the solar panel components of the lighting must be placed in the direct sun. The solar panels cannot be blocked by buildings, shrubs, trees, or any other object. Otherwise, if the solar panel is not receiving direct sunlight, it will not work as designed. However, when the solar pathway lighting is installed and functions as designed, depending on the design, they can provide 8-12 hours of illumination. Solar pathway light tends to be easy to install, since no electricity is involved. It is also ecologically friendly, given that it uses no electricity.
Low voltage pathway lighting: Low voltage pathway lighting usually uses a converter to convert the standard home voltage, which is about 120 volts in the United States, to low voltage, which is commonly12 volts in the United States for pathway lighting. Thus, low voltage pathway lighting tends to operate on 12 volts. Because fewer volts are used, less electricity is consumed as compared to using standard home voltage. Moreover, LED pathway lighting is also available with low voltage pathway lighting, thus, LED pathway lighting that uses low voltage is energy efficient. Additionally, given that low voltage is involved, some homeowners feel comfortable installing the low voltage pathway lighting themselves instead of hiring an electrician to install it. Nonetheless, some electricity is still involved with low voltage pathway lights, therefore, consumers may wish to consider whether or not to hire an electrician to install the low voltage pathway lighting for them.
Standard home voltage: Pathway lighting that uses the standard home voltage of 120 volts in the United States is usually hardwired, which means that they are permanently connected to an electrical source. They are not easily plugged and unplugged from an electrical wall outlet. Thus, pathway lighting that uses standard home voltage usually needs to be installed by an electrician since high voltage is involved.
(4) Hardwired vs. Plug-in vs. Electricity-Free: Another option consumers have when shopping for exterior pathway lighting is whether the pathway lights will be hardwired, plugged-into an electrical outlet, or neither. With hardwired designs, as aforementioned, the lighting fixture is permanently connected to an electrical source. In other words, it cannot be easily plugged and unplugged from an electrical outlet on a wall. This type of pathway lighting usually requires an electrician for installation, since it generally involves working with the standard home voltage. By comparison, low-voltage pathway lighting often involves plug-in, which is plugging-in an electrical cord into a wall outlet. By comparison, electricity-free pathway lighting is the type that uses no electricity to illuminate, therefore, permanent electrical connections and wall outlets are not used. Solar pathway lighting is an example of this type of lighting, given it is electricity-free.
Additional factors consumers may wish to consider before purchasing pathway lights include the following:
(5) Does the consumer wish to purchase individual lighting fixtures or a pathway lighting set?
(6) What is the price range the consumer will pay for the pathway lights? Individual units range, for example, from $4.00 for a single pathway light to $200.00 for a post lamp that illuminates pathways. As with many consumer products, the quality of the construction and components of the lighting tend to impact price.
(7) Is the pathway lighting and all its components designed for outdoor use? This is very important for safety purposes, since the lighting will be exposed to the natural elements such as moisture and wind.
(8) Is the pathway lighting certified by Underwriters Laboratories (UL)? Underwriters Laboratories is an independent product safety certification organization that independently tests products for safety standards.
Indeed, many options are available to consumers when it comes to choosing pathway lighting for their residences. Considering the aforementioned factors prior to purchasing outdoor pathway lighting may help consumers select the pathway lights that will best help them provide and enjoy the illumination they wish to use on the exterior of their home.
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