How Does Lighting Impact Your Backyard

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[Updated on 1 June 2020] Close your eyes and imagine the perfect night in your backyard. A glass of wine, a crackling fire, friends and family, these are all probably elements that you imagined, but one thing you likely didn’t think about is how you saw all of those things. Lighting goes unappreciated in most settings, even though it is not only an important function; it is also a décor feature. So, how does lighting impact your backyard? More than you could ever imagine. 

The number of different types of lighting, bulbs, and features to choose from when changing your backyard lighting is surprising and a little overwhelming. It all comes down to purpose and personal preference. 

Can I Stay Out Later?

You will be surprised how much difference lighting can make in your backyard. With the addition of even a few lights, you will find that no matter how dark the night gets it won’t affect what goes on in your backyard. With the right trenbolone backyard lighting, you won’t have to go inside until you’re ready to call it a night. 

During the summer months when the family is more likely to be spending late nights in the backyard, it is great to have lighting which allows you to keep track of the kids, but also lets the kids keep playing after the sun goes down. Even if you don’t have kids, having an illuminated yard means that there is no reason to pack up the yard games after sunset. 

How Does It Look?

Just like the inside of your house, lighting helps to shape your backyard space. It creates boundaries and invites you into the living areas. Good lighting will make space look large and inviting for guests and prospective buyers. 

That said, lighting has to be done right to create the right ambiance. A simple sconce with a regular shaped CFL bulb isn’t going to do much other than illuminate the side of the house. If you are trying to create a more inviting backyard atmosphere, it is important to play around with different looks and lighting types, just like you would move a lamp around in the living room to see where it best fits and functions. 

Don’t be afraid to combine different types of lighting to achieve the final look. Some nights you may want your entire yard lit up like a baseball field, and others you may want to make the setting more romantic with only string lights around the patio

Can Lighting Be Used as Décor?

Lighting is absolutely a design element and one that is overlooked too often. There are hundreds of ways that lights are used to make your backyard a more artful and inviting place. The possibilities are endless but here are a few of the more popular ways people use lighting as décor. 

String Lights

StringLightingString lights are often thought of like a kitschy way that college kids decorate their dorms, but when used correctly they can be a beautiful addition to any room or outdoor space. Running string lights around the top edges of a veranda creates ambiance lighting and form a sort of light canopy. String lights are malleable too, which means they can be shaped into nearly any design to make a piece of art that offers function. String lights can also be wrapped around tree trunks to create an enchanted forest look in your backyard. You can find string lights that have been pre-shaped, and as with all things in life, the more expensive the string lights are the higher the likelihood that they will be quality. 

Statement Light

StatementLightingDecorative lighting is becoming increasingly popular, so you won’t be hard-pressed to find some fancy outdoor statement piece. Everyone has personal preferences, but when it comes to making an impression, an outdoor chandelier is absolutely the pinnacle of a statement. A chandelier in the middle of the patio is not only a conversation piece, but it also gives off more than enough light for a small backyard.  If a chandelier is not your style, another amazing way to make a statement is to install street lamps in your backyard. You can find these almost anywhere, and most of them are solar-powered. Create a pathway or post them strategically around the yard to light up the whole thing. 

OutdoorFirePlace

Fire

Anyone who has ever watched a fire dance around will tell you that it is like a living piece of art. Though it may not be as bright as a powered light source, a fire still adds light to your backyard. Fireplaces themselves are multifunctional pieces of art, and when you add fire they become the center point of the backyard. Another angle is to install a fake fireplace in your backyard that generates heat but is also a more consistent source of light. 

 

Are There Special Features to Look For?

PatioMusic

Thanks to advancements in technology over the past few years, lighting has taken a major step forward. What was once a simple source of light has turned into a technological wonder. 

Music

There are LED bulbs available that have a built-in Bluetooth speaker. Now your backyard lighting can double as an easy source of music to set the tone for your next backyard get together. Usually, these lights are controlled through an app on your phone, which both streams the music and controls volume and playback functions. 

Advanced Control Methods

AdvancedWinterOutdoorLightingThanks to the wonders of the internet age, it isn’t just music that is controlled by other devices. A lot of these lights are Wi-Fi enabled which allows you to control your lights through your phone or even a smart home device like Amazon Echo or Google Home. Using these tools, you can dim the lights or turn them on and off. You can also program these lights to automatically switch to preferred settings at set times of the day. 

 

Colors

One of the coolest innovations with lighting and one that has a big impact on your backyard is the ability to change the colors of your lighting from an app. Bulbs range anywhere from only the primary colors to hundreds of different color combinations. Not only can these impact the entire aesthetic of your backyard but tinkering with the different colors is just fun. 

Durability

The durability of a light bulb probably doesn’t cross your mind, but it is important, especially with these more costly and high-tech bulbs. It is unlikely that these bulbs will come in contact with blunt force, but they shouldn’t be so fragile that they break when you are installing. What is more important is having waterproof lights. Being outdoor lights they are exposed to the elements, and in many regions of the U.S., they can potentially be covered in snow for months at a time. 

Is Lighting Good For Anything Else?

The main purpose of lighting is to brighten up space, but it serves other functions that we take for granted. 

Security

Lighting serves us in several ways. Just the presence of light in your backyard is enough to scare most prowlers away, whether human or animal. The ability to see everything clearly in your backyard alerts you of potential threats as well as keeping you safe from tripping over anything in the yard. 

Motion sensing lights in the backyard are another way lighting adds security to your home. There are plenty of light options out there that switch from full-time to motion-sensing so they can do double duty in your backyard. The one downside to these lights is the more sensitive versions will go off for every leaf that blows past it. 

Warmth

Even in the hottest regions, the nights can get cool. Most lighting gives off heat; some types of light give off more than others. If heating is a function of lighting that you are interested in make sure to do some research first. Remember that the lights will give off the same amount of heat during the hot nights as it does the cool ones. 

Setting the Mood

If lighting couldn’t set the mood, there wouldn’t be mood lighting. Controlling the lighting in your backyard means that you can have big bright parties or romantic evenings for two. Using dim lights will create a more relaxed mood, while bright lights will create a light and energetic mood in the backyard. 

Will Bugs Be a Factor?

Unfortunately, yes; bugs will always be a factor when talking about lighting. There is nothing you can do about it except for taking steps to trap or deter the bugs. There are a lot of natural ways to drive bugs away, but the best in this situation is to plant bug-repelling plants near your lights which will hopefully be repulsive than your lights are attractive. 

Related Questions

What Type of Lighting?

TypesOfLighting

If you are planning a backyard space your biggest question is probably what type of lighting you should use. With so many options, it can be overwhelming to decide on the type of light that you want. Here are some pros and cons to each of these lighting options. 

Incandescent Bulbs

Incandescent bulbs are still available for the time being, but they are being phased out because of environmental concerns. These bulbs are popular because they are inexpensive and last for around a year. They offer plenty of light for the backyard, and they are an option, but at this point, they are not worth using unless you already have them. 

Halogen Bulbs

Halogen bulbs are the most popular outdoor bulb because they are bright and last for a year or more. There is a great amount of heat given out by these bulbs, so they are a fantastic bulb for those looking to spend nights in the backyard when the weather turns cool. 

LED Bulbs

LED bulbs are growing in popularity in all facets of our lives. These wonder bulbs have a lot of upsides like the fact that they are ultra-bright and they last for years. They don’t produce any heat which can be a pro or a con depending on your needs, and they are more expensive than other bulb options. 

Are There Specific Wattages I Should Look For?

Wattage and lumens are often confused. People mistakenly believe that the wattage is directly related to the brightness of a light which is no longer the truth. The brightness of a light is measured in lumens while the amount of energy that light uses is measured in watts. It used to be that a standard bulb needed more watts to produce more lumens, but with new technologies like CFLs and LEDs, we see brighter lights that use a fraction of the watts. Here is a breakdown of standard bulb wattages and their comparable energy-efficient bulbs. 

High Wattage

If you are looking to light up the night and the backyard you used to want a high wattage bulb. This constitutes 80+ watts for incandescent, 72+ watts for halogens, 23+ Watts for CFLs, and 14+ watts for LED lights. While watts and lumens don’t directly correlate, a LED using that much power does so for a reason and that reason is most likely a brighter bulb. These high wattage lights are great for visibility and security reasons, but some people are against them because the light pollution blocks out the stars.

Low Wattage

These bulbs are more what you would expect out of indoor bulbs. They do not offer as much visibility in the backyard, but they reduce light pollution and set the mood for a quiet night on the patio. These bulbs are 60 watts for incandescent bulbs, 43 watts for halogens, 20 watts for CFLs, and 8-9 watts for LEDs. 

Will I Need to Rewire?

Unless you are planning a big remodeling project in your backyard there shouldn’t be a reason to rewire anything. All of these light fixtures and bulbs will work with existing infrastructure. If you are looking to expand your light further into your yard, but don’t want the hassle or expense of building out your electrical infrastructure, consider solar-powered lights which have become more cost-effective and reliable than they once were. 

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