Clear Home Lighting

One 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.

Upcoming: motion sensor lights.

© 2009 Clearhomelighting.com. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Plentiful home lighting options are available to consumers these days when they are considering  purchasing lighting for the home. This article presents brief information about three types of home lighting. These three popular types of home light include light emitting diode (LED) home lighting, solar home lighting, and low voltage home lighting.  While these three types of lighting are also available for indoor use, the focus of this article will be on lighting home exteriors. Each type of habitat lighting is briefly presented below.

(1) LED home lighting is a type of light that lasts significantly longer than incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulbs. These types of  lights start to dim gradually instead of burning out completely when the life of the lighting is consumed. With white LEDs, bugs are not attracted to them, since they do not emit ultraviolet light. LEDs are energy efficient and contain no toxic mercury. However, when compared with incandescent home lighting, they do not provide as bright a light. Therefore, multiple LEDs tend to be  needed to provide adequate lighting. LED lighting is available in solar home lighting as well as in low voltage home lighting, among other types of lighting for the home, including motion sensor lights.

(2) Solar home lighting works by harnessing the sun’s energy during the day and emitting it at night. In order for the solar lighting to work as designed, the solar panel component of the lighting must be placed in the direct sun light. Therefore, the solar panels cannot be blocked by any object. The solar panels also need to be kept clean. Solar lighting is a source of reusable energy, given that it uses the sun’s energy and rechargeable batteries in its design. Thus, solar lighting tends to be ecologically friendly. Consumers will want to be aware that  with the current design of solar lighting, however, it does not tend to be a reliable form of home lighting if placed in areas that do not receive abundant direct sunlight and/or in climates that are not sunny.

(3) Low voltage home lighting uses a low voltage power source.  In other words, it converts the standard home voltage to low voltage, usually via a transformer.  Since less energy is used with low voltage lighting, it tends to be better for the natural environment. The lighting also tends to be more reliable than solar lighting, since it does not depend on needing direct sunlight to work. However, since the voltage is low, low voltage lighting does not tend to be bright.

Common usage of LED, solar, and low voltage lighting include home garden lighting and home landscape lighting.  Examples of LED home garden lighting include LED string lights and LED pond lights. Examples of  solar home garden lighting include solar stepping stones and solar pathway lighting.  Examples of low voltage  home garden lighting include flood lights and bollards.

Similarly, examples of LED home landscape lighting include pathway lighting and spotlights.  Examples of solar home landscape lighting include solar deck lights and rock flood lights.  And examples of low voltage home landscape lighting include flood lights and path lights.

An important commonality among LEDs, solar, and low voltage home lighting is their reduced or non-use of electricity. As previously mentioned, LEDs are energy efficient, using significantly less electricity when compared with incandescent lighting. Similarly, with low voltage lighting, given that the home voltage is reduced, less electricity is consumed. Solar lighting uses no electricity. Thus, all these forms of lighting can help consumers use less electricity, and thus reduce their electricity bill. Moreover, because LEDs, low voltage, and solar home lighting use less or no electricity when compared with incandescent lighting, they tend to be better for the natural environment. Consumers will want to keep in mind, however, when shopping for garden and/or home landscape lighting, that the quality of the components in the home lights vary.  Therefore, consumers may wish to get more information about the quality of the light fixtures they are considering purchasing, prior to buying them.

Nonetheless, whether it is LED home lighting, solar home lighting, or low voltage home lighting, many choices are available to consumers from which to select the type of home lighting fixtures they wish to install and enjoy on the exterior of their home, whether they are installing new outdoor home lighting throughout their property, or adding to the exterior home lighting they already have. Moreover, as previously mentioned, the types of home lighting aforementioned use less electricity or no electricity, and thus tend to reduce the negative impact on the natural environment. Indeed, home lighting facilitates enhancing the ambiance of the home, by helping to create just the right illumination homeowners seek.

© 2009 Clearhomelighting.com. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Solar garden lights can be used for lighting home exteriors as well as for decorative purposes.  This article briefly presents information about outdoor solar garden lights.

Simply stated, solar powered garden lights use energy from the sun to provide illumination.  Solar garden lights capture the energy from the sun during the day, and emits it at night.  Solar power garden lights are designed to work as long as the lighting system receives the manufacturer’s stated required hours of sunshine during the day. When outdoor solar garden lights work as designed, the lights turn on automatically at dusk and off at dawn.

Design options for solar garden habitat lighting include stand-alone units, in which each unit has its own solar panel built-in.  Solar garden lights are also designed with the solar panel separate from the lights. In stand-alone units, each unit needs to be placed in a sunny location, since it has the built-in solar panel.  With solar garden lights designed with the solar panel  separate from the solar lights, only the solar panel requires placement in sunny locations.

Due to the fact that solar garden lights need sunshine to function properly, the solar panels should be kept away from shade that may result from plants, buildings, and other objects blocking the sunshine from reaching the solar panels. These obstructions may impact the lighting fixture’s function to capture and store the energy for night usage.  Moreover, cloudy rainy conditions can affect the operation of solar garden light.

Solar garden lights offer homeowners the following nine benefits for home lighting:

1.  Safety:  Solar garden lights can make it easier to see steps, pathways, corners, decks, patios, balconies, walkways, pools, fountains, ponds and other areas of the garden, and thus can help to avoid accidental falls.

2.  Security:  Solar garden lights may increase home security by providing light to dark exterior areas of gardens, such as behind shrubs, trees and bushes.

3.  Children and Pet Safety:  Some solar garden lights are designed to be cordless. These types of lights can reduce potential hazards associated with electric cords.

4.  Convenience:  Cordless solar garden lights can be especially convenient in property areas that do not have easy access to electrical outlets.

5.  Numerous Designs:  Designs of solar garden lights that are available include solar hanging lights, solar step lights, solar garden spot lights, solar agua globes for water features, solar patio lights, solar deck lights, and solar pathway lighting, among other options of pathway lighting and garden light designs.

6.  Property Enhancement:  Solar garden lights can increase the visual appeal of the property by allowing the property to be seen during the night.  Moreover, many decorative solar garden lights are available.

7.  Entertainment:  Solar garden lights can be used to expand the home entertainment area available for use after sunset.  Moreover, even if one does not entertain much, solar garden lights provide the option to enjoy and use gardens at night, thus enhancing the functionality of homes.

8.  Ambiance:  Solar garden lights can add ambiance, romance and charm to gardens, potentially adding a new dimension of fun, relaxation, and peacefulness to the home living experience.

9.  Renewable Energy:  Solar garden lights are a source of renewable energy that provide light to home exteriors.

As with most products, some solar garden lighting is better than others. The individual solar light components vary in quality.  As such, homeowners may want to read product reviews to find the best product for their situation before making the purchase of a solar garden light set.  Product reviews can be found by searching online.  Moreover, given the various options of designs and styles offered with solar garden lights, homeowners may wish to search the internet for lighting stores that offer outdoor solar garden light products, as often many pictures of  these lights are displayed, providing the viewer visual assistance with what is available.

© 2009 Clearhomelighting.com. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Garden lights offer many options when it comes to home lighting.  Garden lights are often used for patios, paths, decks, and stairs, among other areas of residences for lighting home exteriors. This article focuses on outdoor garden lights that requires no external wiring. The lights are operated either using the sun and/or batteries.

Solar garden lights are quite popular.  Solar powered garden lights are available in different styles, such as  in stand-alone units which are mounted on a spike and planted into the ground. These garden lighting units have small solar panels built into the lighting unit that collects sunlight energy during the day and emits the light at night.   Because solar garden lights need sun to function, it is important to place them in bright sunny locations,  away from possible obstructions such as bushes. The ground stake solar garden light described above is among many styles available and is often used for solar pathway lighting.  Solar garden lights are also available as hanging lights, step lights, and spot lights among other options.

Battery operated lights also offer additional wireless garden lighting options.  Similar to solar garden lights, battery operated garden lights are also available in different styles.  Garden lights offer designs that are stationary and portable.  Options include lanterns, candle-simulated lights, path lights, step lights, and spot lights among other choices.

Some battery operated garden light offers bright light while others offer dim light. Some garden light offer rechargeable battery options.  Each style is different.  Homeowners may wish to check the estimated time the unit is supposed to function, before the batteries need to be replaced or recharged.

Advantages of solar and battery powered garden lights are many.  First, these garden lights can be used where installing electrical wiring is not available or where electrical power outlets are not easily accessible.  Second, the garden lights can add ambiance to property.  Third, the garden lights can expand the property area that can be used and enjoyed by homeowners after sunset.  Fourth, these lights can be useful during emergencies. Fifth, as previously mentioned, some of the garden lights are portable, making habitat lighting options more flexible.  Sixth, garden lights can increase home safety by providing light to driveways, decks, patios, pathways, yards, stairs and other areas of the home.

Indeed, garden lights can add ambiance, convenience and safety to homes, while also offering many style and design options.  However, before purchasing garden lighting, homeowners may want to search online to view pictures of garden light options.  They may also want to use the internet to look at product reviews to help them decide which garden lighting product may best suit their lighting requirements.

© 2009 Clearhomelighting.com. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.