LED Lighting Offers Efficient Flexibility

An outdoor lighting trend that continues to gain traction is LED lighting, and flexible rope and strip lighting are two popular options. Our experts can recommend quality fixtures for your landscape design and outdoor lighting purposes. Task lighting needs brighter light than accent lighting, and a number of other consideration will go into professional recommendations.

LED lights are preferred by customers because they come in a variety of shapes and styles, they’re more energy efficient, last longer and generate less heat than incandescent bulbs. They also come in a wide variety of colours. Some fixtures also allow you to add a filter for seasonal colour changes.

Rope lighting can be purchased with either LED or incandescent bulbs, so make sure you know what you’re getting. These light strings are inside a clear somewhat flexible tube. The tube could be made from plastic, epoxy, or another clear material.

The strength of rope lighting often is cost. If you are looking for a one-season lighting solution, or some ambient lighting for a particular event or weekend party this might be the best bang for your buck. Because there’s no “wrong side” with LED rope lighting, these are great for wrapping around trees or other objects to be seen from any angle.

There are a couple of downsides to LED rope lighting. One is that the rope is a fairly thick tube and won’t tolerate sharp bends. If your plan is to use rope lighting under a lip or cabinet, make sure you account for the clips you’ll need to install it. Because the tube is often a plastic of some sort, it will yellow with exposure to the sun and distort the colour of the bulbs. Rope lighting usually only comes in one colour and you can’t switch it out.

Rope lighting is fairly dim, so it’s not appropriate for task lighting or safety lighting (stairs, pathways, pool decks, etc.).

Strip lighting is a flat ribbon or tape made of flexible circuit boards with LED lights mounted on one side. Usually strip lighting comes with adhesive on one side. There is a wide variety of quality with strip lighting, so be sure you know what you need for the task and what you’re getting at each price point.

Be sure the LED strip lighting is rated for outdoor use, but remember these lights cannot be submerged - so avoid using them around pools or under outdoor kitchen backsplashes, etc.

Strip lighting can be quite a bit brighter, so they could be used for task or accent lighting. They can be programmed to change colours and set on timers and dimmers if desired. Strip lighting is often a great solution to those small places where regular light fixtures just won’t fit. Unlike rope lighting, strip lighting can withstand a 90 degree bend.

Interested in adding outdoor lighting to your home or business? Be sure to visit our gallery for outdoor lighting ideas for your project. With the warmer weather on the way, now is a great time to get a quote. Don’t head inside when daylight ends, extend your outdoor enjoyment with professionally installed outdoor lighting from Landscape Lighting Ottawa.