As we all know, when the sun goes down and night falls, it gets dark. If the moon is shining brightly, it casts moonglow onto the landscape, but when the sky is cloudy or the moon is new, dark can be really black. To move about safely at night we need illumination, and in our modern times, we have a wide array of options for lighting our path. If you want to improve the safety of your home and yard by lighting the paths but want to save energy, you may want to consider low voltage outdoor lighting. If the lighting will be exposed to water or moisture, look into wet listed LED lighting

Since the lighting needs are so varied, a wide selection of types of low-voltage lighting is available, depending on your specific application. The added bonus is that all of these lights are designed to be attractive, to enhance the beauty of your landscape. If you have a dark, shadowy path from your front door to the sidewalk or your car, a good option would be path and area lights. I have also heard these called Malibu lights. These lights are normally about 24 inches high and have a shade that throws the light downward onto the ground. All that is needed in this area is a little light to show where the path is. One graceful type is called “swan neck.” It has a curved neck that points downward with a shade shaped like a belled flower. To save the most on your electricity costs, you may want to install solar-powered lights. These are also the simplest to install because no wiring is involved. On average the lights glow for about three hours after the sun goes down.

Flood lights are a good choice for two reasons. Flood Lights illuminate a large area which provide safety and security. On the positive side, extra light prevents those little household accidents. On the more negative side, a lighted area is less attractive to an intruder. Flood lights are small lights that can be aimed in the direction where light is needed. They can be installed at ground level and pointed upward or under the eaves and aimed downward. The main caution is to make sure that the light does not shine into the rooms of neighboring houses.

Spot lights closely resemble flood lights but serve the opposite purpose. While a flood light shines its light over a broad area, a spot light can be shined on a small area such as steps. Like flood lights, the spot light can swivel to aim it toward the dark spot.

The most varied category is the specialty light. These lights can provide just the small bit of light that you need to light up an outdoor area such as your deck. Deck lights are smaller lights that are attached to to shine some light onto the deck surface without elimininating the ambience during the evening hours. Another specialty light is the small light that you can attach to the sides of the steps to give a little light to a dark stairway.

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