Outdoor LED Lighting Buying Guide

Installing outdoor LED lighting can help you breathe new life into any outdoor space. Landscape lighting elevates any residential or retail space and enhances the overall layout and design. Outdoor lighting can be decorative and add character to any area or illuminate high-traffic areas to prevent accidents. Outdoor LED lights can improve safety in hallways, stairwells, entryways, and other outside areas. Learn more about the different types of outdoor lighting and their applications below.

What Is Outdoor LED Lighting?

Outdoor LED lighting refers to an array of outdoor light fixtures that help enhance an outdoor area's security, safety, and appearance. LED landscape lights come in many styles and designs to fit any building's decor and overall aesthetic. Using outdoor LED lights for security lighting in residential areas can improve safety by helping homeowners ward off intruders at night and illuminate any areas that might become safety hazards in the dark.

Using LED lights for landscape lighting also has numerous benefits beyond security and appearance. Switching to outdoor LED lights is a great way to cut down on electricity costs every month. LED lights use far less energy than incandescent or fluorescent bulbs and can help people save a lot of money over time. Outdoor LED bulbs also last longer than traditional lighting methods and require less maintenance in the long run.

Different Types of Outdoor LED Lights

There are many types of outdoor LED lights available to meet a variety of different needs. If your concern is home security, dusk to dawn lights are a good choice because they automatically detect when the sun goes down and turn on accordingly to ensure a residential area never goes fully dark. If you’re looking for decorative ambient lighting, wall pack lights might be a good option. Learn more about the different outdoor LED lights available at e-conolight below.

Wall Pack Lights

LED wall pack lights fit alongside walls or similar vertical surfaces. Wall pack fixtures are typically attached along walls outside homes and buildings to provide ambient lighting along walkways and entryways. These LED light fixtures come in different designs, which include lanterns, sconces, and other decorative features. Wall pack outdoor LED lights provide the perfect balance of lighting and aesthetic design value.

Flood Lights

Outdoor LED flood lights provide ample lighting to help provide extra security and safety to outdoor spaces. Flood lights function by directing a wide beam of light toward a specific object or location. Many flood light users purposely shine the light on a tool shed or garage to discourage intruders from entering. Outdoor LED flood lights are also compatible with motion sensors that turn on when they detect nearby movement.

Dusk to Dawn Lights

Dusk-to-dawn outdoor LED lights are effective for enhancing security in residential areas. Dusk-to-dawn bulbs only turn on when the sun sets to illuminate the outside of a home or building overnight. These outdoor LED light fixtures are also ideal for users concerned about energy costs. Using dusk-to-dawn outdoor LED lighting fixtures ensures that the light is only on when it's dark, meaning you can leave it alone without worrying about it staying on for long periods.

Canopy Lights

Canopy LED lights hang beneath an exterior overhang. Outdoor LED canopy lighting fixtures are commonly seen at gas stations and other businesses open after dark. These lights provide directional lighting for vehicles and pedestrians at night to help avoid collisions and other accidents. Canopy LED light fixtures are a must-have to ensure safety and security at any business with operating hours that go late into the night.

Vapor Tight Lights

LED vapor tight fixtures are ideal for outdoor settings where water, heat, and humidity are concerns. Vapor tight fixtures envelop the LED bulbs in a sealed enclosure that prevents moisture and debris from accumulating and damaging the LEDs. These light fixtures are great for homes and businesses in hot and humid climates. Vapor tight outdoor LED lights require replacement less frequently because they keep out anything that could damage the bulbs.

What to Look for in Outside Lights

It's important to keep a few things in mind when searching for the right outside LED lights. If you want to maximize your lighting output, LED bulbs with higher lumens emit more lighting in an area. Wattage refers to how much energy a lighting solution uses. An outdoor LED lighting fixture that requires higher wattage will likely raise energy costs annually.

Color temperature and Kelvin measure the different colors associated with each light bulb. Lower temperatures are typically warmer colors that are great for ambient lighting, while higher temperatures are cooler colors that are great for lighting large spaces that need ample lighting and visibility.

Lumens

Lumens are a measure of the total amount of light visible to the human eye. Outdoor LED lights that have a higher lumen count produce more lighting. Retailers and other businesses use bulbs that provide more lumens because they have to illuminate large areas. LED lights with lower lumens might be more ideal for ambient lighting in residential areas or decorative lighting.

Watts

Wattage refers to how much energy a fixture consumes to produce light. While outdoor LED lights with a higher wattage requirement use more electricity, they often use less than traditional lighting methods like incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. Typically, LEDs that produce more lumens or cover a larger area will consume more energy.

Color Temperature & Kelvin

Outdoor LED lights come in various color temperatures that offer differing levels of warmth. Kelvin is a unit that measures how "warm" a bulb's color is and lets people know which LEDs to purchase for a particular area. When shopping for landscape LED bulbs, you might notice the following colors noted on the packaging.

3000K: 3000K LED bulbs put out a warm white color. When compared to other color temperatures, 3000K bulbs may appear to be more yellowish and subdued than the brighter white light emitted from other bulbs.

4000K: These light bulbs produce a sharp natural white light that is brighter than a 3000K bulb. 4000K LED lights replicate daylight and typically illuminate office buildings and other places of business.

5000K: 5000K light bulbs are the most popular choice for large outside venues and outdoor areas, such as parking lots, because they provide natural yet bright lighting that offers more coverage than 3000K or 4000K bulbs.

5700K: 5700K LED bulbs are bright lights with a blue tint. While 5700K bulbs are unique in appearance, they are not as sustainable as other LED lighting solutions.

Outdoor Lighting Considerations

When shopping for outdoor lighting solutions, consider the following extra details to make the most informed decision possible.

The IDA Seal of Approval

LED lights with the IDA seal of approval have been inspected by the International Dark-Sky Association to ensure they minimize lighting pollution and the other adverse effects of artificial lighting on nature. The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) looks into various factors such as light trespass, glare, deep shadows, sky glow, and more. Purchasing IDA-approved lighting helps reduce the amount of light that escapes into other areas, floods the sky, and negatively impacts nature cycles (like bird migrations).

DLC Luna

LED lights that meet DLC’s LUNA requirements are lighting solutions that minimize light pollution, provide people with appropriate visibility, and limit the damage done to the environment and nature. DLC's LUNA requirements cover many outdoor lighting categories to help buyers make energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly lighting decisions. Products sold through e-conolight that are labeled with a DLC certification badge, means their lighting solution meets DLC’s established criteria.

Smart Lighting

Smart LED lighting, or Smart Home outdoor lighting, is lighting that directs its beam only where it's needed. Smart lighting is another way to reduce unintended light pollution. Many smart home lighting fixtures are marked with the IDA seal of approval. Dusk-to-dawn lights and smart lighting solutions can be used together to mitigate light pollution and reduce energy consumption.

Using outdoor LED lighting can help you elevate any outdoor area. Landscape lighting enhances any residential or retail space and contributes to the overall layout and design. Whether you want decorative outdoor lighting to improve your home's aesthetic or bright lights to improve safety in high-traffic areas, there's an LED light fixture tailored to fit your needs.

Interested in our variety of outdoor LED lighting products? Look through our selection of outdoor LED lights and find the right match for your residential or commercial needs!

Article Written by Andrew S.

Andrew is a Product Marketing Specialist. He aims to bring innovative, high-quality lighting to the market that provides a solution to customers’ needs. By keeping the consumer front of mind, he focuses on providing superior customer service and competitive pricing and delivering the best overall experience and value straight to the consumer.