Well Light, Floodlight Or Spotlight??

Inground well lights (floodlights) and spotlights are some of the most popular lighting fixtures used in outdoor lighting design. These two types of fixtures are basic staples. Spotlights and floodlights have distinct functions in outdoor lighting and depending on your home and yard, and desired lighting outcomes, we may incorporate one or both of these types of lights.

A spotlight provides a narrow focused beam of light, whereas an inground well light or flood light provides a wide beam of light. An easy way to remember the difference is by comparing it to the headlights on your vehicle. Your high beams are floodlights, designed to cast a wide beam of light so you can see both far ahead and to each side of your car. The low beams of your vehicle are spotlights, narrow focused beams of light.

Inground well lights create an inviting illusion that a wide swatch of light is emerging from the ground. These fixtures are low profile and are easily camouflaged. Because they are submerged in the ground, you can mow over them or use an edge trimmer around them and not cause any damage. You won’t trip over them. These lights won’t get knocked out of position by children or pets playing in the yard, so these are a great low maintenance choice.

Floodlights also create a wide beam of light, but are installed above ground. They can provide up to 120 degrees of light and can be directed. Wide beams of light are great fixtures for highlighting large details or providing a backdrop of light and curb appeal architectural features, driveways, stonework, trees or another large feature. Floodlights are used in parking lots, commercial buildings, and other similar applications.

A spotlight is a narrower focused beam of light which is great for highlighting features high up or focusing on a specific detail in your landscape like a bush, a statuary, or the upper portions of a tree or home. Spotlights are above ground like floodlights so they’re more difficult to hide or blend into the landscape, but they can be directed at an object instead of only pointing up as inground well lights do. Yards with a lot of foliage will need spotlights over well lights because the latter would be swallowed up by foliage.

So, how do you choose? Here are a few ideas from the landscape lighting design experts at Landscape Lighting Ottawa.

Uplighting provides light from one direction only – up. This is great for lighting up a home’s façade, a fence, trees, and other features. Spotlights, floodlights, and inground well lights will all be useful for this application depending on the desired results.

360° degree viewing is when a landscape feature is intended to be viewed at night from more than one angle. Inground well lights are the best choice for this application.

Moonlighting is intended to provide light from high up pointed down, often filtered through a tree’s foliage, to mimic natural moonlight. Floodlight and spotlights will work equally well for this effect.

Be sure to visit our gallery for lighting ideas. Now is the time to have professional landscape lighting installed so you can enjoy it all summer long. Installation is often done in a short period of time and won’t cause damage to your landscaping. Contact us today!