by AM Garden Team | Apr 23, 2024 | In-Ground Lighting, LED Lighting
LED lighting technology is increasingly becoming popular in landscape lighting, making outdoor LED lighting the number one choice for homeowners. You’ve probably noticed that everyone is embracing the LED lighting technology in their home exteriors and landscaping. People are shifting their focus from traditional incandescent bulbs.
LED lighting has become the best choice of lighting for outdoor applications. It’s an environmentally-friendly way to make your outdoor space more inviting and secure at night. Besides, LED light bulbs are bright enough to illuminate focal points in your outdoor living space, such as patios, pathways, and gardens.
What Are LEDs?
Light-emitting diode (LED) is a lighting technology that emits light more efficiently than incandescent light bulbs by 90 percent. These lights pass an electrical current through microchips, illuminating tiny light sources known as LEDs. Any heat generated by the light gets trapped by a heat sink, allowing the entire light bulb to stay relatively cool.
How Long Do They Last?
Unlike incandescent light bulbs, LED lights can remain functional for many weeks since they don’t suffer burnout. They can only undergo “lumen depreciation,” in which the LED light bulbs dim slowly with time. Expect LED light bulbs to work for an average of 50,000 hours. However, high-end LED light bulbs can emit light for up to 100,000 hours.
Benefits of LEDs for Outdoor
LED lights outshine incandescent light bulbs due to their numerous benefits. They come in a vast range of tints, making it easy to select what matches your style and aesthetic needs. LED lights can also conserve energy, helping you save more money on lighting. Besides, you won’t need to replace LED lights more often because they last longer.
Illuminate Your Outdoor Space with Professional LED Lighting
You can make your outdoor space more inviting at night with outdoor LED lighting bulbs that match your style. These energy-efficient bulbs are helpful in various types of lights, including path lights, patio lights, deck lights, string lights, and flood lights. You can also use bright LED bulbs for accent lighting and security lighting with a professional’s help.
Contact AM Garden to find the best LED light bulbs for your outdoor space.
by AM Garden Team | Apr 22, 2024 | Landscape Lighting, Landscape Lighting Services, Outdoor Living
In the tranquil hours of the evening, when the stars start to twinkle and the world around you begins to settle into a peaceful rhythm, there’s something truly magical about a well-lit backyard oasis. Transforming your backyard into an oasis with landscape lighting is a rewarding endeavor that allows you to create a magical outdoor space to relax, entertain, and connect with nature long after the sun has set.
Accent Lighting will highlight focal points in your landscape, such as statues, trees, or architectural features. This adds depth and drama to your outdoor space.
Illuminate your pathways and walkways with low-level path lights to guide guests safely through your garden. This enhances the functionality of your outdoor space and adds a touch of elegance and charm to your landscape.
If you have a pond, fountain, or waterfall in your backyard, consider adding underwater or submersible lights to highlight these features and create a mesmerizing aquatic display. The interplay of light and water adds an extra dimension to your outdoor space, creating a sense of tranquility and serenity.
With a professional plan for your lighting design, with the right fixtures and techniques, you can create a backyard sanctuary that truly shines, bringing joy and beauty to your outdoor living experience for years. So why wait? Illuminate your nights and start enjoying the enchanting beauty of your backyard oasis today!
Contact us today to schedule your free design consultation
by AM Garden Team | Apr 16, 2024 | Landscape Lighting, Landscape Lighting Services, Outdoor Living
Silhouette lighting is a technique that can add a dramatic effect to landscape lighting designs. It is often overlooked and underused, despite its potential to enhance the overall look of a landscape. While direct lighting techniques, such as up-lighting and cross-lighting, are popular, mixing in silhouetting can make a significant difference. To create this effect, the light fixture is placed between a shrub, fountain, or medium-sized tree and a hard-surfaced wall, typically the home’s front face.
Contact Us today to schedule your free consultation
by AM Garden Team | Apr 11, 2024 | Landscape Lighting, Landscape Lighting Services, Moonlighting Effect, Outdoor Living
Landscape lighting design is more than just functional; it’s a way to create ambiance, mood, and enchantment. The moonlight technique is a popular method used by landscape architects and designers to create a captivating, warm glow that resembles a moonlit night. Instead of harsh, direct lighting, this approach uses gentle pools of light to highlight the landscape’s key features while preserving the nighttime’s mystery and tranquility.
However, not all trees are suitable for moonlighting. The tree must have ample height and branches and foliage in abundance. These Specialty fixtures are installed 30’–50’ into the tree canopy with the light spread downward, casting light through the tree structure, and creating an array of shadows blended with light. The result of this technique is like a bright full moon shining through your trees, even when there is not a full moon!
In conclusion, landscape lighting is a powerful tool for sculpting space, eliciting emotion, and enhancing the look of your property and gardens.
Alexander Michael’s Garden and Landscape offers a free consultation service. Schedule your consultation today!
by AM Garden Team | Nov 1, 2021 | Color Changing Lights, Hardscape Lighting, Landscape Lighting Services, Moonlighting Effect, Pathway Lighting, Shadowing Effect
Wondering whether or not to upgrade or add to your existing outdoor / landscape lighting?
Do you have an older lighting system that either does not work very well or not at all? LED technology has advanced in a significant manner over the last five years. As one example, in 2020, scientists even developed a technique that allows for a single LED to produce all three primary colors, which allows the manufacturers full-spectrum, multi-color lights! Imagine having the ability to change the color of your lights, via a mobile application, based on the season of a special day. IE. Christmas colors, blue for law enforcement support, pink for valentines day, etc. LED technology is a great option for exterior lighting. As opposed to traditional halogen light systems, LED has lots of benefits, including energy efficiency, durability, low cost, and low maintenance.
But I have a 120-volt system. Can I upgrade to LED?
120-volt systems are a great alternative for commercial applications, where several hundred feet of coverage is required. If you currently have a 120-volt system, consider this: Each of those bulbs are consuming approximately 60 watts of power, whereas an average LED fixture will consume only 7 watts. And, if your system has antiquated Halogen bulbs, you could expect to use 80% less energy with LED technology. Also, a typical LED lamp has a life expectancy of approximately 45,000 hours. To put that into perspective, if you have your LED system turned on every night, for eight hours a day, you could expect these bulbs to last 15 years, or longer!
What can I expect LED maintenance to cost?
Regular maintenance, usually every one to two years, is recommended to avoid costly repairs. We offer a free one-year maintenance plan at Alexander Michaels Garden, Landscape, And Outdoor Lighting. We will check your system bi-annually forbad bulbs, overgrown vegetation, transformer connections, and wire that has become unburied. All outdoor lighting systems will require maintenance, but LED will require less maintenance and repair over the years.
Do you want your outdoor lighting system updated or retrofitted?
The experts with Alexander Michael’s Garden, Landscape, and Outdoor Lighting are here for you! Call us at 832-515-8240, fill out our online Contact Us Form, and let us provide you with a free design consultation and proposal. Check out our gallery recent projects here.
