What to Consider when Choosing a Landscape Lighting

Choosing the appropriate landscape lighting for your front or back yard can be 
unnerving. You could easily get lost in a sea of information from the sheer number 
of things to consider. Here are some tips to shed light on the topic and help you 
make a more informed decision.

• BULB TYPE

One of the first things to decide is what type of bulb to use. Incandescent, halogen, 
fluorescent, and LED bulbs would all work just fine outdoors. But LED bulbs hold 
the advantage over all the other types.

LEDs can be more expensive but are several times more durable, ultimately 
saving you more money from doing frequent replacements and costly electric 
bills.

• BULB BRIGHTNESS

The play between light and shadow during night time is part of the charm of your 
landscape. The brightness of the bulbs would have a lot to do with this, and it is 
measured in lumens.

Flooding your yard with bulbs of the same brightness gives your landscape a 
bland and boring feel. Vary the lumens of your bulb. This is depending on the 
desired effect of play between light and shadow.

• POWER SUPPLY

You also have the option to hard-wire your landscape lights to the power 
supply in your house, install a step-down transformer for lower voltage, or 
use a solar panel.

Hard-wired lighting systems have the same power as the one inside your 
house. Using a step-down transformer reduces the risk of shock and allows 
you to run the wire on the ground without using conduits. Solar panels, on the 
other hand, are better for places with much sunlight.

• LIGHTING TYPE

The last decision to make is to choose which types of landscape lights to 
use. To have an idea of what you want, go out to your yard at night and 
choose which fixtures interest you the most and would like to highlight.

These are some of the lighting types to choose from:

Path lights – these are used to light pathways, walkways, and driveways, 
mainly for safety reasons.

Spotlights – used to highlight a particular feature by focusing light on it. 
You can vary the angle and position of spotlights to highlight fixtures such 
as a tree, a fountain, or a part of a wall.

Floodlight – illuminates a wider area compared to spotlights.

Well lights – these are similar to spotlights except that they are buried in the 
ground and can only shine upward.

Step and deck lights – used on stairs and railings. Similar to path lights,
 they are installed mainly for safety.

Post cap lights – provide additional lighting to decks and porches.

If you are considering landscape lighting in Tampa Bay, look no further 
and try Lanai Lights. Lanai Lights manufactures and installs innovative 
lighting systems you will not find anywhere else. They are the only company 
to offer a patented lighting system, the Captiva Model.

Brighten your yard at night with Lanai Lights. Call them at 877-818-8445 
and 239-415-2561 or visit their website at http://bit.ly/LanaiLights 
for excellent landscape lighting in the Tampa Bay area and landscape 
lighting FL.