Probably one of the greatest things about the modern outdoor space is that you have just about as many options to design, build, and install updates and improvements as you do inside your home.

• An incredible array of outdoor furniture from which to choose
• Integrated landscaping and rock garden solutions
• A rainbow selection of sail sheets for sun protection
• Soothing waterfalls
• Bubbling spas
• Statement-making pergolas
• Functional patios
• Multi-tiered decks
• Four season gazebos
• Charming tiki huts
• Killer outdoor kitchens
• Relaxing baja shelves
• Multi-speaker audio systems
• Mesmerizing fire pits
• Brick pizza ovens
• Built-in BBQs
• …the list goes on!

And then there’s the component that brings them all together: lighting. Renowned for creating ambiance, its subtle casts can make a room look bigger. Lighting also highlights architectural elements like coffered ceilings and unique niches and shrubbery. It totally sets the mood of the space; outdoors or in.

LED (light-emitting diode) lighting is possibly the single best innovation in that industry – at least since vivid neon letters drew attention to commercial signage!

While the science behind it is pretty interesting, it is the variety of uses across-industry that make LED lighting the most exciting with its ability to reduce energy consumption and maintenance costs for: homes, schools, service companies, medical facilities, retail and hospitality buildings, and corporations. And yes, the great outdoors!

LED Cost Savings

Visible light is measured in lumens. Traditional incandescent bulbs produce light using electricity to heat a metal filament until it becomes “white” hot. (These bulbs typically release 90% of their energy as heat.) In just one example of the difference between incandescent lighting and LED lighting, a 100-watt light bulb emits between 1,400 and 1,750 lumens. A 40-watt bulb produces about 450 lumens.

An LED pool light that emits the same 1,400–1,750 lumens may use only 14–20 watts. The reduced heat generation also means it lasts longer.

As far as longevity, incandescent lights generally last a year but an LED pool light that produces the same amount of illumination using less energy has a useful life of 15-20 years.

According to Energy Star, “LED lighting products produce light approximately 90% more efficiently than incandescent light bulbs. An electrical current passes through a microchip, which illuminates the tiny light sources we call LEDs and the result is visible light. To prevent performance issues, the heat LEDs produce is absorbed into a heat sink. The useful life of LED lighting products is defined differently than that of other light sources, such as incandescent or compact fluorescent lighting (CFL). LEDs typically do not “burn out” or fail. Instead, they experience ‘lumen depreciation,’ wherein the brightness of the LED dims slowly over time. Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED “lifetime” is established on a prediction of when the light output decreases by 30 percent.”

And in more impressive LED stats, besides the savings and the efficiency you’ll add a high-tech aesthetic to your pool and outdoor entertainment center.

LED Pool Lighting

So, there you have it! A solution that is flexible and cost effective. Definitely something pool owners should know considering many strive to keep a cap on pool operating costs. Granted, in no time a new pool installation will pay for itself in staycations alone, but it’s always nice to run everything in and around your home as environmentally consciously (and affordably) as possible.

Where to Install LED Lighting in Your Yard

1. Outdoors, you can create all kinds of drama. Check out this solution for a screened lanai. Referred to as a Sunset Sconce a sleek LED lighting fixture is mounted to the vertical posts making for practical and attractive illumination. What’s even better? With a remote control you can adjust from the most functional white lighting to a range of pastels and even regulate the brightness level. Set the tone for your evening or your event at the press of a button. Beautiful.
2. In your backyard pool, you give it character when you can change the color scheme to suit holiday parties. Or show your football/baseball/hockey/soccer pride by dressing your pool in your team’s colors. Edges, ladders, and handrails should always be well-lit for safety. You can make this practical yet stunning addition easily with LED pool lighting. Perhaps you want to accentuate your pool bottom’s stunning mermaid mosaic. Shine some LED enchantment on the depths to bring your “under the sea” motif to light!
3. Even if your swims are not necessarily midnight ones, some clients tell us they don’t tend to use their pools as much after darkness falls, because their pool just doesn’t seem inviting enough or they can’t see well enough. But with an LED light design you can tap an app to play a little music and light up the night! Objects (and people!) in motion stay in motion (Newton’s Law) so when you keep consistent the intensity of your physical activity, you will receive the maximum health and enjoyment benefits of this sparkling addition to your home!
4. Landscaping and hardscaping lend themselves to LED lighting because they offer the perfect venue that loves to be lit. Uplighting can be installed to showcase an especially beautiful tree or line of hedges. You can flood radiance along footpaths or on stair treads. Lighting interspersed between the elements of a rock garden will get it up on its feet while allowing you to enjoy it day or night. Also, when your party goes from afternoon into evening, you can really bring the heat (not the incandescent kind!) for some serious “wow” moments when LED lights emphasize your carefully composed outdoor designs.
5. Docks and decks get special treatment when they are outlined with strings of LED lights or when a lighting design is undermounted to give the water beneath the dock some personality and/or for those nighttime fishing forays!
6. It’s not just your yard that can do with a unique light show. There is a wide variety of LED solutions for your home’s curb appeal. From walkways to hedging to the front entryway, they can do with bullet lights as well as down lights, well lights, flood lights, and wash lights. Set the stage by making the special aspects of your construction and design stand out from the crowd.

The visionary George Lucas didn’t name his company Industrial Light and Magic for no reason. Light is both soothing and powerful. It is just the finishing touch your backyard oasis wants.

As home improvement financing solution experts since 1979, we’ve seen the most extraordinary use of LED lighting for homes across our pool-loving country. At Lyon Financial we are proud of the difference we can make for your family by providing something that puts years of memories within reach. Call 877-754-5966 for more information.