When it comes to finding the right lighting for your home, you want to find the right balance of practicality and style. One of the best ways to create a positive balance of these two characteristics is to use outdoor accent lighting. Accent lighting usually consists of having light shine on a direct area of your outdoor wall. Usually accent lights are planted into the surrounding ground and are angled upward, to create a vertical projection along a precise, or accented, area of your home’s exterior.
If you are thinking about adding accent lighting to your home, one of the most important decisions you will have to make during the process is what type and style of lighting you want to use. Some of the more popular options include floor illumination, outdoor lanterns or using the common upward angle technique discussed previously.
Another important factor to take into consideration when purchasing outdoor accent lighting is making sure that the lights you use are made of durable materials. Since these lights will most likely be installed the ground surrounding your home, they will be subject to all sorts of damage, whether it is from the ground, rain, wind or other force of nature. You want to be sure that whatever type of outdoor accent lighting you decide to go with, it will be able to withstand physical harm. Since these lights will be out in the open and could potentially be exposed to children and animals, you will also want to make sure that your outdoor accent lighting consists of low voltage bulbs in order to eliminate any electrocution risk. By nature, outdoor accent lights are low voltage because of this. Also, since these lights will be turned on every night, it makes sense that they are low voltage; otherwise, the electricity bill would be extremely high.
Of course, an increasingly popular alternative source of power for outdoor accent lighting is solar power. Solar powered accent light use solar panels to soak in the sun, which in turn powers the lighting system at night. This is a great alternative option, as it is beneficial for both the environment as well as your electric bill.
When it comes to finding the right outdoor accent lighting system for your home, some of the best places to find a great selection include, but certainly are not restricted to, The Home Depot, Walmart, Lowe’s, Target, CSN Lighting and Lighting By Gregory. A few of the more popular brand names to look out for include Lite Source, Minka Lavery, Westinghouse, Thomas Lighting, and Hinkley Lighting. When it comes to price, you fortunately do not have to spend an arm and a leg for great outdoor accent lighting. The majority of the aforementioned brands and stores will have a selection of accent lights available for under $100. High quality accent lights will generally cost in the range from $100 to $200. One other thing you may want to consider is the amount of work required to install, as some accent lights may be easier to get up and running than others.