Not so long ago it seemed that hardly anyone lit their garden at night and those few who did had little choice of lighting available. Since then a quiet revolution has swept through and now there is garden lighting to suit every possible project and budget, with LED garden lighting fast establishing itself as a dominant force in this market.
This is hardly surprising when you consider how LED garden lights combine visually appealing and novel effects with characteristics such as simplicity of installation and affordable purchase and running costs. Additionally, the fact that they consume only tiny amounts of low-voltage electricity means they remain cool to the touch and are thus safe for animals, children and plants.
LED garden lights are usually powered in much the same way as their incandescent counterparts - the various separate light fixtures are connected to a cable that supplies low voltage (12v DC) electricity stepped down from mains voltage by a transformer situated indoors. But a fundamental difference is that outdoor LED lights consume less then 10% electricity than regular incandescent (which includes halogen) lights.
Conventional incandescent lights work by literally burning a metal filament - this converts electricity into light (about 10%) and heat (90%). LED lights work by stimulating electrons which causes emissions of photons (technical term for light) but instead produce over 90% light and less than 10% heat - in other words the exact opposite ratio.
Two are two obvious implications of this. First, with less than ten percent of the energy lost as heat, LED light bulbs run almost cool to the touch. Second, to get the same level of light as say a 30 watt incandescent bulb requires an LED that draws only 3 watts of power (i.e. ten times cheaper to run). They also last on average over twenty times longer so maintenance hassles and cost are greatly reduced.
On the issue of the quality of white light produced by LED lights, the Colour Rendering Index which assesses how faithfully an object is depicted using artificial light rates them highly. The basic color choice for most LED garden lights is white but they also come in a wide selection of other stunningly rich colours too.
The light that is emitted by an LED is a pure color, meaning that it represents just one part of the spectrum rather than being a blend of colors. This tends to give them a somewhat metallic, gem like appearance - think sapphire blue, emerald green, diamond white and ruby red. LED lights are also by nature very directional which makes them ideal for spot lighting, though other effects are easy to create using diffusers and filters.
These days LED garden lights come in a huge variety of different styles including: wall wash effects; floodlights; patio and deck lights; rock lights; lanterns; submerged in ponds; integrated in garden ornaments; bollards; spikes and pagodas. However, the most frequently found are still LED spot lights.
To cap it off, the following points provide a basic checklist of what to take note of next time you buy LED garden lighting.
First don't be fooled by the diminutive power levels; it's surprising how bright a 1W LED light for example can seem once night descends on the garden.
Secondly take note of the beam angle (how tightly focused or widely dispersed the light pool is) since different applications need different effects.
Thirdly check that the external casing is sturdy and able to prevent water ingress - nothing kills the electronics in LED lights as easily as moisture.
Finally, remember that quality and cost tend to be closely related when it comes to LED lighting and accordingly you are on the whole likely to get what you pay for. - 30228
This is hardly surprising when you consider how LED garden lights combine visually appealing and novel effects with characteristics such as simplicity of installation and affordable purchase and running costs. Additionally, the fact that they consume only tiny amounts of low-voltage electricity means they remain cool to the touch and are thus safe for animals, children and plants.
LED garden lights are usually powered in much the same way as their incandescent counterparts - the various separate light fixtures are connected to a cable that supplies low voltage (12v DC) electricity stepped down from mains voltage by a transformer situated indoors. But a fundamental difference is that outdoor LED lights consume less then 10% electricity than regular incandescent (which includes halogen) lights.
Conventional incandescent lights work by literally burning a metal filament - this converts electricity into light (about 10%) and heat (90%). LED lights work by stimulating electrons which causes emissions of photons (technical term for light) but instead produce over 90% light and less than 10% heat - in other words the exact opposite ratio.
Two are two obvious implications of this. First, with less than ten percent of the energy lost as heat, LED light bulbs run almost cool to the touch. Second, to get the same level of light as say a 30 watt incandescent bulb requires an LED that draws only 3 watts of power (i.e. ten times cheaper to run). They also last on average over twenty times longer so maintenance hassles and cost are greatly reduced.
On the issue of the quality of white light produced by LED lights, the Colour Rendering Index which assesses how faithfully an object is depicted using artificial light rates them highly. The basic color choice for most LED garden lights is white but they also come in a wide selection of other stunningly rich colours too.
The light that is emitted by an LED is a pure color, meaning that it represents just one part of the spectrum rather than being a blend of colors. This tends to give them a somewhat metallic, gem like appearance - think sapphire blue, emerald green, diamond white and ruby red. LED lights are also by nature very directional which makes them ideal for spot lighting, though other effects are easy to create using diffusers and filters.
These days LED garden lights come in a huge variety of different styles including: wall wash effects; floodlights; patio and deck lights; rock lights; lanterns; submerged in ponds; integrated in garden ornaments; bollards; spikes and pagodas. However, the most frequently found are still LED spot lights.
To cap it off, the following points provide a basic checklist of what to take note of next time you buy LED garden lighting.
First don't be fooled by the diminutive power levels; it's surprising how bright a 1W LED light for example can seem once night descends on the garden.
Secondly take note of the beam angle (how tightly focused or widely dispersed the light pool is) since different applications need different effects.
Thirdly check that the external casing is sturdy and able to prevent water ingress - nothing kills the electronics in LED lights as easily as moisture.
Finally, remember that quality and cost tend to be closely related when it comes to LED lighting and accordingly you are on the whole likely to get what you pay for. - 30228
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If you're interested in finding out more then also read this additional article about outdoor LED lights.
