Q: I’m planning to upgrade the outdoor lighting around my home. Do you have any tips to make the project less costly and more energy efficient?
A: It is important to plan your outdoor lighting scheme, or it may increase your electric bills significantly. As you work with an electrician to install wiring and new fixtures, keep in mind that the best lighting plan for security is not always the best for entertaining. It would be wise to make two lighting layouts on different circuits with unique switches.
With some simple math, you can calculate how much an outdoor lighting system will cost to operate per day. First, total the wattages of all the bulbs. Multiply this total by eight hours and then multiply by your local electric rate per kilowatt-hour. Divide this by 10 to get the number of cents per day. You may be surprised at the total.
If you are upgrading security lights around your home, don’t fall for the common assumption that brighter lights are better. Lower lighting levels are actually more effective. It is difficult for the human eye to quickly adjust from a very bright area to a darker area, so lighting that is less intense makes it easier to see and pick up movement in the shadows where an intruder might be hiding.
Before considering more security lighting, walk around your house and look for spots where someone could hide. Do this at night because streetlights might already provide adequate brightness.
Highly efficient LED bulbs are an excellent choice for many outdoor lighting applications. You can purchase new fixtures with permanent LED bulbs already installed, or just replace older incandescent or CFL bulbs in existing fixtures and enjoy plenty of light for a fraction of the electricity.
LEDs are not affected by outdoor temperatures, and some LED bulbs have a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours. For this reason, the built-in bulbs found in new LED light fixtures are not replaceable. The fixture will likely degrade or break before the bulb burns out.
If your outdoor fixtures use PAR38 floodlight bulbs, switch to the halogen ones. They are about 25 percent more efficient than standard incandescents. Be sure to check the beam angle for each bulb. It can range from just nine degrees to 40 degrees for similar-looking bulbs. The beam angle determines how much area is illuminated and controls light intensity.
Motion-sensing light fixtures are the most efficient and effective fixture for security. Basic on/off models use no electricity until something triggers the light to come on, scaring away intruders. Two-level lighting systems are another option. They provide low-level background lighting all night, switching to full brightness when motion is detected.
For even more outdoor lighting options and ideas, stroll the aisles of your local home improvement or hardware store, or contact these companies that offer efficient outdoor lighting: Energy Focus, energyfocus.com; Philips Hadco, lightingproducts.philips.com; Idaho Wood, idahowood.com; and Wave Lighting, wavelightingusa.com.
Send questions to Energy Q&A, South Carolina Living, 808 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce, SC 29033, or email energyqa@scliving.coop.