At Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, we pride ourselves on providing our clients with the highest quality landscape lighting fixtures with the best technology. Right now, LED is the way to go, but it hasn’t always been that way. Years ago, the vast majority of our new installs were halogen lamps. Halogen is still a good option for outdoor lighting, but it does require regular maintenance to keep it looking as intended. When annual maintenance isn’t performed, you’ll see the difference over time.
We recently retrofitted an older OLP system in Richmond from halogen to LED and the difference is incredible! See for yourself.
This architectural lighting system was installed approximately 7 or 8 years ago. Since then, there has only been minimal maintenance and it showed. When first installed, the façade was washed in an even illumination, but over time, the halogen light output has faded, especially as it travels vertically. As you can see, the base of the home is covered in what we call “hot spots” where the light is very bright. The second story, however, is in shadows or visibly darker than the first floor.
The good news for the system is that the design and the fixtures were still good. In most cases, OLP halogen lights can be retrofitted to LED easily, allowing you to save on the cost of fixture, wire, etc.
Updating systems from halogen to LED is beneficial to homeowners. Not only is the energy cost of running the system significantly less, but homeowners will also save on service. Bulbs don’t need to be replaced nearly as often as halogen lights (regularly maintenance is still suggested). The color is warm and pleasing and includes no toxic materials.
After a day of retrofitting, you can see the difference LED landscape lighting makes. You can see how the entire façade is accentuated with light, even the high peaks. Now, passersby can appreciate the color, texture and architecture of the home making the entire property more welcoming.
If you’re interested in enhancing your property with light, or updating your existing system (OLP or non-OLP), please call us at 804.874.9985.
