How to Install a Lighting System for Outside Your Home?

When the weather is warm, people want to be outside as much as possible enjoying their patios and gardens. With the installation of an outdoor lighting system, darkness does not have to bring an end to the enjoyment of the season. Outdoor lights can be used to surround a patio, light paths through the garden, illuminate fountains, highlight ponds and mark a clear path to the door for late night returns home. Installing a system of outdoor lights might seem like a difficult task but with the right planning and equipment, any homeowner can do it. A day's work installing the system will reap years of rewards in the enjoyment of warm weather outdoors.

The first step in installing an outdoor lighting system is plotting it out in some way. Having a visual of where the lights need to be and where the cords will run is essential to a functional end result. There are pre-packaged kits available that include the lights, wire and transformer and these are good for small spaces where additional lights will not be necessary or possible. This kind of kit is also good for a homeowner installing their first outdoor light system because it included everything required as well as instructions on proper placement of lights and how to hook everything up.

For a more advanced lighting system or one that a homeowner wants to eventually add more lights to, it is best to start from scratch with an original design. This design can incorporate whatever style of lights appeal to the homeowner but it is essential to keep track of the wattage of each light so the correct transformer can be chosen. The transformer for the lighting system needs to be powerful enough to handle current and future light energy requirements. Along with the transformer output, a homeowner needs to calculate how much wire they need to run all the lights together. The wire needs to be waterproof and weather resistant to it can withstand whatever nature assaults it with during the harsher seasons.

To keep outdoor lights energy efficient, there is the option of using LED lights. LED lights draw much less power and are just as bright as, and often brighter than, traditional incandescent and florescent lights. Outdoor lights can be bright, functional and attractive without drain a budget and the power grid. Solar powered garden lights are another alternative for outdoor illumination. There is no wiring involved with these lights as they run off batteries that are recharged daily by the sun. The level of brightness for solar lights varies depending on the style so it is important to find ones that provide ample light for the task required of them.

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