Myra, adjustable single lamp head, mains 240v GU10, IP44

Choosing the right lamp is a combination of 3 main factors, Lumen's, Kelvins and efficiency. There are other factors but not so relevant for exterior lighting products.  Efficiency matters because you want the maximum light out put possible ( Lumen's ) from the minimum amounts of watts consumed. The latest LED technology and compact fluorescent lamps are amongst the most efficient you can buy today. An example would be to change a mains halogen GU10 35w lamp to a ECO friendly GU10 5w LED lamp. The same be done by changing the older GLS light bulb for a compact fluorescent lamp. Reduced energy bills with no loss of light output helps the environment and reduce your energy bills.

               LED energy saving example

Lamp colour ( Kelvins )

The colour of a lamp is defined as a measurement called kelvins. A standard GLS light bulb in your house would be 2,700 kelvins which is in the warm colour spectrum and a lamp with 6,000 kelvins would be at the very cold white spectrum. Getting the right colour temperature of a lamp does matter as the warm colour wavelength helps to soften skin tones and gives a warm soft relaxed feel and at the other end of the scale a 4,000 to 6,000 kelvin lamp colour  would be used in offices or a fast food restaurants to make you feel less comfortable and relaxed and more alert. There’s nothing that can sour your opinion of a compact fluorescent  or LED lamp like buying a 4000K or 5000K bulb when you meant to buy a 2700K bulb, or vice-versa. When you buy a new, energy efficient bulb, keep your application and colour scheme in mind and make sure to buy the bulb with a colour temperature to match

Light output ( Lumens )

The amount of light that is produced by a lamp is called lumens and the more lumens the lamp has the brighter it will be. Lumens work in conjunction with kelvins and should not be taken in isolation of each other, for example if you had a very warm white lamp at 2,700 kelvins and it produced 300 lumens and you then had another lamp which was a cool white 6,000 kelvins which also produced 300 lumens the cooler lamp colour would always appear brighter to the naked eye than the warmer one this is due to the receptors in the eye that react better to a white light spectrum. Another factor on how bright a light may appear is contrast so if you shine a white 6,000 kelvin light on to a dark wall and a warm 2,700 kelvin lamp on to a white wall the warmer lamp would appear brighter due to the contrast of the material it is focused on. So when choosing a lamp always take in to account the area you want to illuminate and think about Kelvins ( colour ),  Lumens ( brightness) and contrast  ( colour of area ) 

Installation 

Choosing the style of a product is only part of the equation you must also think of where that product will be used and how it will be installed. All exterior lighting products on our web site have a IP rating which is explained further in our design ideas section but in simple terms the IP rating is appropriate to each light fitting and its intended application and is therefore fit for purpose. Water ingress is the enemy for outdoor lighting and the products supplied are only as good as the installation as the weakest point is always cable and transformer joints. All joint must be made 100% water tight and this can be done using heat shrink kits, waterproof junction boxes which are then filled with a resin mix. All joints where possible should be made above ground for easy access and reduced water ingress. When installing ground buried lights adequate drainage systems should be put in place especially in clay based soil areas. If possible use ground surface spike lights rather than a buried light.  Mains 240v cable will have less joint than a low voltage installation but care must be taken with the cable runs. 

Environmental impact

Care should be taken for the environment and local wildlife to maintain the ecological balance. Insects, bats, wildlife can all be effected by  light pollution. The warmer colour spectrum of  ( 2,700 Kelvins ) does not interfere with insects and general wildlife as much as the blue colour spectrum of light around 6,000 kelvins which can disrupt their normal night time activity. This also applies to bats where a anti glare light fittings works better as well as reducing the overall light pollution in the area. You must also be mindful of your neighbours and the effect your lighting can have on them and shining a 500w tungsten halogen flood light in to their windows at night will cause them distress. Try to keep the light in a downward position and local to the items you want to illuminate and even if you want to illuminate tall trees it can be done in a sympathetic way by placing a ground buried or surface spike flood light directly under the trees to illuminate the canopy. Some light fittings also have a anti glare shield fitted to reduce light pollution.

IP Rating

All the luminaries on our web site have been specifically designed fit for purpose and assigned a relevant IP rating which denotes the amount of protection that is required from water and dust. More information on IP ratings can be found in the design ideas section on this web site.

Light levels ( LUX )

Light levels are measured in something called LUX. Put simply LUX is a measurement of light falling on a given surface area. For example an average LUX of 200 would be needed for an outdoor tennis court for recreational purposes and a side street  walkway would have an average of 5 LUX. To calculate lux levels you need a very good calculator or computer as there is a number of factors that need to be taken in to account.

Average levels of illuminance in Lux

Sunny June day 80000 Lux
Bad light stopped play at Lords 1000 Lux
A well lit office 500 Lux
Main road lighting 15 Lux
A residential side street 5 Lux
A clear moonlit night 0.2 Lux

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