Outdoor home lighting has two primary purposes; one is functional while the other is aesthetic. Lighting which has been installed with the purpose of home security and safety is functional. Aesthetic lighting on the other hand is used to illuminate specific landscaping and architectural features. Although the use is normally the way of defining outdoor home lighting another equally good way to differentiate one from the other is the power supply.
The power sources available for outdoor lighting are both high and low voltage mains power and solar. Low voltage mains power is very popular; it uses a 12 volt step down transformer which is simply plugged into a conventional 110 volt outlet. This type of lighting, available in a number of different varieties is commonly used for decorative as well as functional outdoor lighting. Low voltage lighting is commonly employed along walkways, near stairs as well as around patios and decks to add a special atmosphere.
High voltage lights are those that work directly from the 110 volt main power supply. These lights typically include spots and floods and are used around a home for security and safety purposes. A spot light illuminates a tighter area while a floodlight illuminates a wide area.
Solar power outdoor home lighting is rapidly gaining in popularity. This type of lighting includes a solar cell for each light, the cell is charged during the daylight hours and when the sun goes down, the light comes on. These types of lighting fixtures are extremely easy to install as well as change position should it become necessary or desirable. As there are no wires the lights are simply stuck into the ground on the integral posts. The only obvious drawback to solar powered garden lights is the fact that they are beyond the control of the homeowner; if the preceding day was overcast with little sun the lights will have limited illumination in the evening as the cells will only be partially charged.
There are two features that are commonly available with outdoor home lighting products; motion-sensors and photo-cells. Both of these features control the light, a motion sensor will turn the light on in the event it detects motion anywhere in its range while lights that operate off a photo-cell turn on as the sun sets and turn off again as the sun rises the following morning. Both of these features offer improved security and energy conservation.
A wide variety of outdoor home lighting is available when you shop online at Touchstone Accent Lighting. Unique lighting for fence and stairway installation as well as pre-packaged kits in both solar and LED is available for garden and walkway use.
