We at Outdoor Lighting Perspectives remember when LED landscape lighting first came into the outdoor lighting arena. Used for years in holiday lighting, LED was touted as the best outdoor lighting technology out there. And while there were benefits of LED, we, and some of our clients, didn’t feel it was great for illuminating homes and landscapes.
When LED first hit the market, the color wasn’t what people were used to. It was too bright, resulting in a bluish color that skewed the color on the façade or garden. Over the last 5 years, however, LED landscape lighting has continued to improve and is our recommendation for home illumination.
The perception of LED color is often our clients’ number 1 concern for using the light, but as the technology has improved, so has the color. Just like traditional halogen landscape lighting, LEDs now have a warm, pleasing color that will accentuate the colors and textures on a property. No more blue light!
For residential outdoor lighting, LED lights are the most energy-efficient option, cutting down lighting energy costs by up to 80%! They don’t require the same wattage as halogen lighting, resulting in this savings.
LED bulbs can last for up to 50,000, however that number depends on the quality of the LED, the design of the system, the environment of the installation and other factors. The long life saves clients money on maintenance and service costs because you just don’t have to replace bulbs nearly as often.
As LED technology has improved, so have the installation opportunities. When LED landscape lighting was first rolled out, you needed specific light fixtures for LED. So, if you had an existing system, you had to purchase and install all new fixtures. Now, with more advanced bulbs, an existing halogen system can be retrofitted easily to LED with new bulbs.
If you are interested in adding outdoor LED lights to your property, or would like to discuss ways to retro fit your exiting system, please contact your local Outdoor Lighting Perspectives office. We look forward to hearing from you.