Which Light is Right for You?

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Augusta can help you decide

Comparing the different types of outdoor lighting can be tricky. Fortunately, with Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Augusta, you don’t have to make the decision alone. One of our professional lighting designers will help you decide the best type of lighting for your home.

*Standard line lighting is not usually recommended *

For most residential installations, incandescent or standard line lighting can be immediately ruled out due to the extensive excavation required. Not only is that cost high, it can damage your tree and shrub roots wreaking havoc on your landscaping. Standard line lighting could be a workable option on a new build–but even then, the benefits of other lighting are usually better.

Solar outdoor lighting yields inferior results

Solar lighting is also easy to rule out. The photovoltaic cells used in solar outdoor lighting are not powerful enough to provide ample light for any period of time. Solar options are recommended only when there is no other source of electricity and/or you only need a soft glow, rather than provide any type of illumination.

Low-voltage halogen outdoor lighting produces superior results

Low-voltage outdoor lighting most often means halogen lights. Low-voltage halogen lighting is more often than not, an excellent choice:

• Low voltage offers safety benefits over line voltage.
• Low-voltage lights are affordable.
• Well-designed low-voltage systems will almost always use considerably less energy than standard line voltage.
• Halogen bulbs offer an appealing light that portrays surroundings in their true colors.
• Halogen bulbs offer the directional capabilities and brightness needed.
• Halogen bulbs provide a reasonably long bulb life.
• LED outdoor lighting produces exceptional results and energy savings

While there are still many inferior, older-technology fixtures on the market, recent advances have made LED installations appropriate for outdoor lighting applications. The new advanced fixtures make LEDs a very attractive option for those willing to make the additional investment for the fixtures.

• LEDs’ low voltage offers safety benefits over line voltage.
• LEDs’ installation costs are affordable (though, fixture costs are initially higher).
• LEDs consume only a fourth of the energy of other lighting options.
• The new LEDs offer an attractive light that portrays surroundings in their true colors.
• The new LEDs offer the directional capabilities and brightness needed.
• The new LEDs have an exceptionally long bulb life.

It’s important to note that while there is every reason to believe our advanced LED lights will last 10+ years under normal use, they haven’t been around long enough to prove this. Fortunately, the advanced LED fixtures Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Augusta uses offer a unique, patent-pending advance: the LED’s electronics are separated from the LED. This reduces heat and further increase “bulb” life. It also allows LED “bulbs” to be replaced without changing the entire fixture. Most other fixtures on the market have an integral LED, requiring replacement of the entire fixture rather than just the “bulb.”