Best Outdoor Lighting Tips for Homeowners

Outdoor lighting in homes can be set up for various reasons. A homeowner may want lights for security, lighting up the backyard for event, and lighting up the front of the house so it is visible to others for curb appeal. Along with the many reasons to light up the outside of your home, there are many different lights to choose from.

Here are some helpful tips on how to brighten up your home in the best way…

1) Know Your Options
As said before, there are many different light fixtures and forms to choose from. Some of the lighting options to consider are landscape lights, security lights, post & pier mount lights, ceiling & hanging lights, and finally, wall lights. Each are pretty self-explanatory, but it is helpful to know what kind of lights you are looking for to best suit your lighting needs/wants.

2) How to Choose Light Size
If you are looking for the perfect size of light that will illuminate your home to your specifications, here is how to find the right size. If you are looking for a light for your front porch, the trick is to find a light that is around 1/3 the height of the front door if you are going to purchase one light and only about ¼ the height of the door for two lights. For ceiling and hanging lights, you will want to choose a fixture that is similar proportion to the area of the covered porch/patio. Finally, for post mounted lights, the standard is about 7 feet or 84” high.

3) Too Much Light Can Be Bad
When it is dark out, a little light can do a lot more than you would expect. Don’t make a mistake by getting more lights than needed because it can make your yard way too bright!

4) Security Lighting
Thinking about investing in lights for security? Make sure you find the areas in your yard that will benefit most with these lights; for instance, darker areas around your house. There are two different types of security lights you can purchase, which are motion sensor lights and dusk to dawn lights. Motion sensor lights are nice for areas near doors because they are triggered by any movement close by. Dusk and dawn lights are amazing because they turn on/off whenever the sun rises/sets.

5) Go Eco-friendly
According to the United States Department of Energy (DOE), outdoor lighting uses the most energy out of all the lighting in any room of your house on the electric bill. In order to save money and still light up the outside of your home, consider investing in some energy efficient lighting!