Walkway lights - LED but NOT SOLAR? Is there such thing?
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Hi there-don't know where you live, but if the latitude is similar to mine at least half the year a working person never sees their landscape in daylight. Lighting is a powerful addition and well worth an investment. Low voltage is the only way to go...sorry. Anything else will become landscape trash.
A few years ago a new law came into being where landscapers, homeowners can not set up the transformers for low voltage. A licensed electrician must be employed. There was some loop hole that homeowners could install low voltage with a 'package lighting' deal...I'm not too clear on that but my advice and I am very, very serious is to hire a pro.
Lighting is powerful...done by an expert. A hard and fast rule in ANY lighting scheme is to not see any sources of light or bright blinding hot spots looking at a bulb causes. Money is wasted in purchasing fancy light fixtures. Read these words again! Money is wasted purchasing fancy light fixtures. You DON'T want to see light fixtures. Path lighting in particular...those flying saucers that light paths do nothing but get you to the house or car and are so much fun to knock over with mowing or maintenance or by a guest blinded by bright bulbs. The worst offender of all are 'security lights'...the bright lights blind homeowners, guests but a bad guy can stand just outside the swath of light and be perfectly invisible.
Here is the crux of professional lighting; One should not see the source of light but the object that has been lit. Spot lights in black, up-lighting a perfectly pruned multi-stemmed small tree is breath-taking. So too are lit boulders, grasses, sculptures. The object whether a tree, grasses, boulders, swath of gravel BECOME THE LIGHT FIXTURES.The landscape takes on a totally different manifestation. Curtains will remain open to be able to view the landscape...did I mention lighting waterfeatures?
Important to understand is 'ambient light'. That is the light that the tree, boulder, sculpture, shrubbery lit with low voltage spot lights SHEDS. In other words when you shine the spot light at a boulder alongside a path that boulder in turn sheds plenty of light with which to transverse safely a path.
If professionally installed, low-voltage lighting increases security by not blinding owners, thus not hiding bad guys/gals? Another security feature is CRUSHED ROCK or gravel...preferably 3/8 minus or crushed granite which is even finer. No one can sneak up or run away soundlessly!
Clients of mine that have tried a small set of low-voltage lighting (usually including a lifetime warranty transformer able to take on even more lights) ALWAYS have called back to ask for double or triple the lights.
Unfortunately, I've never seen an ad for lights that can do justice to the impact of low-voltage, professionally installed lights.
It may seem a bit expensive at first but I promise you you will be glad you spent the money...and I think your insurance insists on licensed electricians. If you ever get the chance to see a friend's landscape with professionally installed lights (the best are those with zero hot spots!) you will gladly increase your budget especially if you've had a landscape installed by professionals!
Solar, LED or Homeowner Building Material outlets just don't have enough power to provide a 'night' landscape. You won't get an accurate idea or even a semblance of the impact proper lighting can give...Professional lighting and a professional landscape have been found (Money Magazine) to increase the value of your home more than installing a new kitchen or an extra bathroom.
i think i saw some once in £ stretcher but it was last summer
A little research on web & you can find direct replacement LED units for standard lightbulb sockets & bayonet styles ( & others). Generally pricey but well worth it. Durability is best feature for outdoors & security lighting.Al Gore would be proud of you!
Definitely, they are out there...make sure they are water-resistant if not water-proof, and run off of 12V power source. Try the flex-strip along the edge of the path, perhaps.
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