There are a number of requirements for lighting in the country, the fulfillment of which determines the convenience of rest and work on the site. Among them, the main places are occupied by autonomy, efficiency and safety. The need to illuminate a large area, as well as frequent power outages, make owners think about the proper organization of street lighting for a summer residence. For this, various types of lamps and lanterns are used, differing in design and function. In today's article, we will talk about the types and purpose of outdoor light and give some tips on organizing lighting in the country with our own hands.
Outdoor lighting
The process of organizing outdoor lighting on the site should begin before landscaping and laying paths. It is important to determine in advance the locations of the lamps and mark them on the diagram so as not to disturb the garden decor later.
When wiring, it is importanttake care of the safety of connections and cables. The wires are placed in a corrugated pipe, and the connections are carefully insulated.
Lamps and lanterns must have a housing that protects structural elements from dust and moisture. It is also necessary to take care of the presence of an RCD to prevent overloads.
The convenience of turning on and off outdoor lighting in the country can be ensured using a relay located on the site or in the house. Such foresight will be especially pleasing in inclement weather, when it will not be necessary to go outside to turn off each element of the lighting individually.
Outdoor lighting performs a number of functions designed to ensure the convenience and safety of staying at their summer cottage. Among them: comfortable rest and movement around the site, scaring off intruders, creating an attractive landscape. A house, outbuildings, a garage, an access road, garden paths, gates, a fence, stairs, ponds, sculptural and plant compositions, and landscape differences are subject to lighting in the country. The variety of functions performed by lighting makes it possible to distinguish its types: general, technical, security, accent and decorative. Let's talk about them in more detail.
General
It allows you to provide a level of light comparable to daylight. In such conditions, you can not only relax, but carry out work on the site at any time of the day. Powerful lanterns on poles to illuminate the cottage, as well as wall sconces, provide an intense luminous flux. Place lamps near the gate, alongdriveway, entrance area, garage, pavilions.
Technical
Technical lighting is mandatory for comfortable movement around the site and safety. It is installed above the gate, along the driveway, stairs, on the porch. It is also necessary to illuminate outbuildings, garage, parking, garden paths. Technical lighting is often used as general and security lighting.
To illuminate the gate area, powerful spotlights on poles or wall lights that are installed on the fence are suitable. To illuminate the paths in the country and the driveway, autonomous solar-powered lights are often used. Small built-in lamps are suitable for stairs. Porch, entrance area, outbuildings, garage can be illuminated with wall lights.
Security
Security lighting is designed to prevent illegal entry into the territory, because it is difficult to hide in a light-filled area. Security lights are installed near the gate, porch, garage. Lights with a motion sensor located along the perimeter of the site will create the effect of the presence of the owners and scare off intruders. Security lighting often performs a technical function and provides comfortable movement around the site.
For security lighting in the country, wall models of street lamps are most often used. Lamps with a motion sensor are installed in such a way that there are no obstacles in the radius of action,interfering with the operation of the device. It is better to entrust the installation of security lighting to professionals, they will take into account all the nuances of the area and create an effective system for preventing intrusion into the territory.
Accent
Such lighting is most often used to highlight recreation areas, benches, gazebos, outdoor terraces. Sometimes in this way a staircase, an entrance zone, a gate are distinguished. In this case, lighting performs not only an accent function, but also a technical one.
To organize accent lighting, lanterns on poles and small models stuck into the ground can be used. Lighting in the gazebo in the country can be done using wall sconces and hanging models. Lanterns can be powered by mains or solar panels. In the latter case, a significant amount of electricity is saved.
Luminaries equipped with insect exterminators deserve a special mention. Rest on the open veranda will become more comfortable if the annoying midges do not interfere. The range of such models can reach 40 meters.
Decorative
Using decorative lighting, landscape designers create a romantic atmosphere in a magical garden. Flower beds and alpine slides are decorated with small colored lanterns in the form of gnomes, fairies, and insects. Lamps in the form of frosted balls look great in the hollows of the relief on the lawn. Bushes and trees are decorated with garlands and hanging lanterns. Small models of directional light can emphasize gracesculptural groups and features of the architectural solution of the facade. Waterproof models are used to decorate pools and ponds. Luminous frosted balls and exquisite water lilies create a truly magical atmosphere.
Decorative lighting cannot replace general or technical lighting due to the low power of the LEDs used in the design. It is used only to create a beautiful picture of the night garden (above is a photo). Lighting in the dacha of a decorative nature is removed for the winter.
Buy lamps
The choice of lamps for lighting a suburban area should be approached with special attention. Every prudent owner is interested in the question of how to make lighting in the country efficient, safe and economical. In this vein, the problem of choosing lamps comes to the fore. Theoretically, all types of household lamps are suitable for outdoor lighting. However, there are nuances to consider.
Let's start, as usual, with incandescent bulbs. Their luminous flux is in the yellow-red spectrum, which is pleasing to the human eye. Lamps are not afraid of voltage drops in the network, which is not uncommon for suburban villages. They are cheap and able to operate over a wide temperature range. They are large enough and can be used as general and technical lighting. And now about the disadvantages: incandescent lamps heat up and have a very low efficiency, respectively, they consume a lot of electricity. If you use them to illuminate a large area, the hole in the budget will be enormous. Besides,incandescent lamps flicker. If you are a fan of reading in an outdoor gazebo, you should look for other options, otherwise your eyes will quickly get tired.
Halogen lamps are an improved version of incandescent lamps. They give light that is pleasant to the human eye, consume several times less electricity than their predecessors. Their small size allows them to be used for spot lighting, but they do not tolerate power surges.
The most popular outdoor lighting is LED lamps. They are small in size with a fairly bright light flux. They consume 7-10 times less electricity. Do not flicker and do not heat up. LED lifetime is up to 100,000 hours. They are not afraid of power surges. LED lamps come in all possible shades of the light spectrum. Their only drawback is the high price, however, given the service life and resource savings, they quickly pay for themselves.
Moisture protection
Outdoor luminaires are regularly tested for durability by weather conditions, so they must always be protected from dust and moisture. Special waterproof flashlights are marked IP with two numbers, the first of which indicates the degree of protection against ingress of solid particles into the body, and the second - moisture. For outdoor use, the marking must be at least IP67. They are not afraid of either prolonged downpours or complete immersion in water.
The body of such lamps is made of durable plastic or aluminum, and allconnections have a sealing silicone or rubber gasket. The design and type of the lantern can be anything: in the form of a pole, wall, hanging. It will not be difficult to choose a model that suits the architectural solution of the house and the taste of the owner.
Solar powered lights
Solar lighting for summer cottages saves up to 70% of electricity. These flashlights are compact and self-contained. The design consists of a photocell, a solar battery, a battery, an LED, a reflector and a waterproof housing. The photocell reacts to changes in the intensity of illumination of the surrounding area and automatically turns on the lantern at dusk and turns it off at dawn. The polycrystalline solar cell effectively absorbs even scattered light in cloudy weather and transfers the charge to the battery. The latter is able to accumulate enough energy to illuminate the space for 8-10 hours.
Solar lanterns can be used for both general and decorative lighting.
Lamps with motion sensor
Lamps with a motion sensor help save up to 30% of electricity. They are equipped with an infrared, ultrasonic or microwave sensor. For street use, the last two varieties are suitable.
Lamps with an ultrasonic sensor successfully detect movement by capturing reflected ultrasonic waves, however, when moving quietly and slowly, they may not work. In addition, ultrasound is unpleasant for pets and makes them anxious.
Lamps withmicrowave sensors have a higher efficiency, however, high-frequency electromagnetic waves are hazardous to human he alth, so they should not be installed in places where people are constantly present. They are suitable for installation on the gate and around the perimeter of the site.
Motion-sensing lights effectively alert guests and deter intruders.
Lighting automation
Automatic switching on and off of lighting in the area can be configured using a relay. It is installed in a junction box. The most popular are twilight, time and astronomical relays.
The twilight switch is powered by a sensor with a photocell that reacts to the level of illumination of the surrounding space. The light automatically turns on at dusk and turns off at dawn.
Temporary relay set to a convenient time for the owners to turn on / off the lighting.
The astronomical relay operates on the basis of a microchip, into the memory of which the date and time zone are entered. The "smart" system itself calculates the time of sunset and sunrise in a particular area at a given time of the year.
Lighting in the country house performs a number of functions that ensure the comfort and safety of the owners of the site. These include: general site lighting, ease of movement, intrusion warning and intrusion warning, and decorative lighting for a beautiful exterior.
