Some features needed to create a functional home seem a little obvious. You need a roof to hide from the weather, running water is nice because showering and bathing are essential, and you probably want electricity so you can make waffles.
What may not be so obvious is that home exterior lighting is as important as your home’s interior lighting. Interior living spaces depend on different types of lighting to support the activities within each room of your house. You need functional bright light for cooking in your kitchen. Calming and inviting light provide an aesthetic element of relaxation in your bedroom. An efficient hallway light will help you get to the next room and steer away from any potential boogeymen. Your exterior lighting does the same on the outside of your home providing the same four main elements – function, security, aesthetics, and efficiency.
Function
The basic function of exterior lighting on your home is illumination. It doesn’t matter what part of town you live in or what kind of geographical region your house was built upon, you need to see where you are going. Although the summer months bring with them longer days, they can also be hot. Illuminating the outside of your home can give you extra hours of outdoor time after the sun goes down when it is cooler. This can allow you to enjoy the cool summer evenings after work or host evening barbeques with family and friends on the weekends.
Safety is another basic function of exterior lighting. When you are walking to your garage or pool house in the dark, you could be putting yourself at risk for massive toe stubs. A toe stub inside can be painful, but out there in the world beyond your bedroom are rocks, stones, your child’s bike, or even a BB-9E Droid forgotten in the grass (pssst, that’s one of those cool Star Wars toys you never had as a kid). Basic exterior lighting will inevitably make you safer in your own home.
Security
Besides keeping your body safe, exterior lighting does provide extra security. You probably don’t have masked super villains or monsters lurking behind every dark shadow of your property but exterior lighting does provide a sense of security and exposure to veer away any kind of potential riff-raff. Plus there are critters now and then coming around and even though your dog can probably handle himself in a possum backyard brawl, it’s better to be able to see what’s happening in your backyard after sundown.
Lights that illuminate doors and entrances will always be a deterrent to potential break-ins or any kind of delinquent activity you don’t want to to have to worry about. Instead, you can be thinking about how exterior lighting can actually increase your property value.
Aesthetic
There are so many options for exterior lighting that you might want to think about exactly the kind of appeal you are trying to portray. This is the fun part of getting exterior lighting because you are literally applying makeup to the face of your home. What kind of features do you have on your property? What type of material is your house constructed of? Do you want accent lighting to enhance the detailed brick design of your front? Perhaps you have a backyard setting that is more inviting for entertaining and big family gatherings suggesting hanging lights or ground lanterns that could make your yard pop on a late-night barbeque.
Highlighting your landscape features can set a certain tone or mood if you have the right electrician to consult. If you have a design idea as well, Accurate knows how to make your design become reality. Simplicity to elegance, it doesn’t matter if you have the Trevi fountain of Rome in your backyard or just rock garden, there are so many creative ways to make your home come alive with just some simple lighting installation. The question you want to ask is what are you lighting and why?
Efficiency
Efficiency is key to both illumination and aesthetics. You need light to see where you are going, to be safe, and with some kind of appeal that makes sense. So the last element you should think about is the efficiency of the lighting’s use. The areas outside of your home that you are lighting will dictate the kind of lighting that needs to be installed. If you are concerned about lighting entrances and doorways, maybe motion sensor lighting would be best or perhaps some decorative sconces. Walkways and staircases usually present an opportunity to install either ground lighting or wall lighting depending on the architectural design. If you are lighting a path to bring someone into your home a simple, efficient lighting plan would probably be best. If you are thinking about lighting an area such as a garden, swimming pool or porch, you may want to consider something a little more elaborate depending on the design you have in mind. It’s also important to know that there are eco-friendly light options for you and some solar-powered lighting that can help cut costs on your monthly energy bills.
Final Words
As you can see, the exterior lighting of your home is just as important as the interior lighting of your home. When strategically placed, exterior lighting can improve your home’s function, security, aesthetics, and efficiency. So whether you are looking to increase your home’s security, illuminate your outdoor living spaces so you can use them all summer long, or simply trying to avoid stubbing your toe on that one pesky step, exterior lighting is a great investment that will add value to your home in numerous ways.
Call us today to have one state-certified licensed electricians create an exterior lighting plan that fits all your home illumination needs.