Outdoor lighting can be useful for illuminating entertaining spaces, providing extra security at night, and showcasing features of your landscape design. However, leaving your outdoor lighting on for hours every day can consume a great deal of energy. Now that summer’s here, we’ve provided a few tips for how to conserve energy in your outdoor lighting setup.
LED Lights
There are numerous benefits to using LED lights for your landscape lighting, including their long lifespan, low ecological impact, and durability against the elements. They’re also significantly more energy efficient than standard fluorescent bulbs. Each LED bulb can amount to $150 in savings over its lifetime. Multiply that across all the bulbs in your exterior lighting setup and those savings add up quickly.
Timers
Out of sight, out of mind. When there are walls separating you from the glow of your outdoor lights, it can be all too easy to forget to turn them off. Even one night of leaving your patio lights on all night after a get-together can really bump to your monthly energy bill. Installing timers on your outdoor lights allows you schedule them to turn on and off at appropriate times. There’s no real reason why your home needs to be illuminated from dusk to dawn, when you and everyone else aren’t awake to benefit.
Motion Sensors
If you have your lighting system set up on a timed schedule but you’re worried about after-hours security, you can install motion sensors. Lights with motion sensors will turn on when they detect movement, surprising any potential intruder with a sudden and intense flood of light.
Clean
Regularly cleaning your outdoor lights to remove layers of dirt and grime that accumulate from outdoor exposure will help them operate more efficiently. Dirt on the the bulb will absorb the light, decreasing the efficiency of its illumination. Before cleaning, make sure the light is turned off so that the surface is cool to the touch, then spray and wipe down with a cloth.
Solar Light
If you live in a particularly sunny location, solar lights offer an eco-friendly energy-saving solution. Installed in the sunniest sections of your yard, these lights will soak up energy during the day that will power them through the night. Depending on your outdoor lighting needs, however, solar lights may not be the ideal solution. It can take several days for solar lights to store up sufficient energy, and their output can be somewhat dimmer than electric lights.
If you need help determining what is the best energy saving solution for your needs, contact Bonfe to speak to one of our electrical and lighting experts today.