When it comes to adding value, beauty and interest to your home or business, few upgrades are as cost-effective, stress-free and simple as adding exterior lighting.
That’s why the popular feature has become a mainstay for commercial buildings, as well as this year’s No. 1 residential upgrade for homeowners looking to boost resale value.
Although many people are privy to the value-add and aesthetic benefits that come with landscape lighting, few are enlightened about the marketable upgrade’s functional and security advantages.
Not only does strategically-placed lighting put your beautiful home or business on the map, landscape lighting is also actually making the world a better place. Here’s how:
Well-Lit Homes and Businesses Keep Crime Away
Dark homes and businesses are attractive targets for potential burglaries and other crimes.
Landscape lighting is a strong deterrent for criminals who thrive under the cover of darkness. In fact, outdoor lighting was shown to cut crime by 39 percent, according to a recent study.
Lighting draws attention to a house, increasing the chances that a neighbor or passerby could catch a would-be thief in action. By heightening an area’s visibility, landscape lighting helps reduce break-ins and other crimes in residential and commercial areas.
Flood and wash lights, which disperse wide cones of light, are ideal for illuminating large spaces and are some of the most popular lighting options to promote security.
Here are some of the most important parts of your home or business to include lighting to reduce crime:
Driveways
Parking areas
Streets
Backyards
Entryways
Corners
Decks and patios
Pool areas
Yard perimeter
Doors
Automatic light timers and dimmers, as well as motion-activated light fixtures, also work to startle potential intruders and prevent crime.
Because landscape lighting is so effective in reducing crime, certain insurance companies even offer an insurance credit when you increase your exterior lighting.
An Easy Upgrade That Ups Your Personal Safety
In addition to reducing crime, landscape lighting can also increase your safety and security, by helping you and your guests navigate your yard at night.
Illuminating different areas of your outdoor space, strategically-placed landscape lights help you avoid injuries caused by falls and missteps.
Outdoor parties and other nighttime activities can be potentially dangerous, especially for visitors and guests that may be unfamiliar with your yard.
Path lighting brightens pathways and entryways, so that you and your guests can easily find your way around. Path lights also increase the safety of potential hazards and problem areas, like uneven paths and cracked sidewalks.
Inground well and deck fixtures light up steps, staircases, railings and deck ledges, preventing potentially detrimental falls from greater heights.
Well lights are also often placed along the perimeter of an outdoor pool or spa, highlighting the area so guests don’t fall in.
You can also install water-resistant mounted and recessed spot lights, wash or flood lights and other fixtures inside your pool to illuminate the outdoor focal point. The increased visibility further promotes the pool’s safety, since it allows you to keep an eye on children or guests who want to go for a late-night swim.
Energy-Efficient LEDs are a Bright Idea for the Future
You can further promote a safe environment for your outdoor space by using LED fixtures in your landscape lighting design.
LEDs emit much less heat than incandescent or CFL bulbs, reducing the risk of combustion and burns. These light bulbs are also made with epoxy lenses, instead of glass, making them much more sturdy, durable and resistant to breakage.
Safety aside, some of the greatest benefits of LEDs lies in their energy efficiency – another way technology-enabled landscape lighting is making the world a better place.
LEDs can last 25 times longer than traditional bulbs. Because they need to be replaced much less frequently, more LED bulbs are kept out of landfills – making them a much more eco-friendly option.
LEDs are also much more energy-efficient, typically using between 25 and 90 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs.
In 2012, 49 million LEDs were installed in the U.S., saving roughly $675 million in annual energy costs.
By 2027, the widespread use of LEDs could save about 348 TWh of electricity – the equivalent electrical output of 44 large electric power plants.
Switching entirely to LED lights over the next two decades could also save $250 billion in energy costs, reduce electricity consumption by nearly 50 percent and avoid 1,800 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
Shedding Light on the Benefits of Landscape Lighting
Whether you’re looking to boost your home or commercial building’s resale value, ambience and appearance or overall safety and security, or reduce your environmental footprint, LED-enabled landscape lighting is a savvy upgrade that has you covered in every facet.
Strong landscape lighting design can make your home the go-to place for parties and outdoor entertaining, while also making the world a better place overall.
If you’re ready to upgrade your home’s ambience, safety, value and energy efficiency with landscape lighting, find a Nite Time Decor contractor in your area today!