Garden lighting trends are moving in the direction of LEDs for numerous reasons; power consumption and bulb life being the most obvious. Many books and magazine articles will lean in one direction or the other when discussing the possibility of powering your system. While each method has its strengths and weaknesses, solar and conventional wired-power systems are both viable solutions.
While solar power has existed for quite some time, the power requirements of incandescent bulbs, even the small ones found in a walkway light, have a tendency to rapidly drain the batteries of self contained devices. An LED garden light is roughly 40% more efficient than a normal bulb, which allows for longer periods of illumination. LEDs also have an average lifespan of more than 25,000 hours, compared to 1,000 hours from a regular filament-type bulb.
Outdoor lighting solutions involving solar power are numerous and range from the very inexpensive systems that can be purchased from most department stores, to more costly solutions that must be professionally installed and maintained. You might also decide, especially if you are converting an existing garden lighting setup from incandescent to LED, that the wired solution would be better. Wiring requires maintenance that self-contained solar fixtures do not, and this may be a determining factor for you. Hard-wiring will also require the installation of conduit and voltage regulators that will increase the overall cost of your project. Burying conduit requires digging up your garden. Should something go wrong with the system in the future, tracking down the problem could result in digging up the entire system again to find the cause.
Choosing your power source is one thing, designing your lighting layout is another. Try to avoid using too many lights, keeping in mind that the phrase “less is more” applies. Placing lights can be a difficult decision, but remember that what you are doing is trying to accentuate nature. Nature does not grow things in straight lines, and you should not place your fixtures in obvious patterns. Alternate lights on a walkway instead of placing them in spaced pairs, and accent trees and other features with grazing effects where the light brushes along the surface rather than shining directly at the face.
With a little effort you will create a very warm and inviting space to entertain or simply relax and enjoy alone or with family.
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