What LED wattage do I need for outdoor lighting?

Do you ever notice how some houses look like they’re lit up like a Christmas tree while others just seem kind of dark? Believe it or not, the wattage for outdoor lights plays a big role in how your home looks from the street.

Homes without landscape lights look cold and unwelcoming. If a home’s landscape lights are too bright, it doesn’t look good either. This is why it’s important to use bulbs that fall in the right range for outdoor home use.

So if you’re wondering what the best wattage is for outdoor lights around homes, wonder no more! Keep reading to find out.

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Outdoor lighting is one of the easiest ways to enhance your outdoor space. Whether you’re planning to grow your garden or turn your yard into a cozy event place, lighting fixtures will certainly help set the vibe you’re looking to achieve.

However, too much of anything is never good, and the same goes with outdoor lighting. You want your fixtures to accentuate your surroundings but not to the point where it’s blinding and uncomfortable to the eyes. This blog will discuss the best wattage for outdoor lighting and other related topics.

Why Does Wattage Matter?

First and foremost, wattage is the unit of power used to measure your electricity consumption, so yes, wattage matters as it could seriously impact your monthly bills. However, when it comes to light produced by bulbs, higher wattage doesn’t correlate to brighter lights. Different types of lighting may have different ways of utilizing energy, so it also would be different in the amount of light it can produce. If you’re trying to find out which product creates a softer or lighter glow, look for lumens.

What Happens If You Use Too High Wattage Light Bulb?

Since sockets indicate their maximum wattage, you should be safe on using anywhere near that range or lower. Going above and beyond the suggested maximum wattage causes severe damage to your bulb and socket and potentially generates harmful hazards to your home.

Purchasing a light bulb requires you to understand first your lighting fixtures’ wattage needs. Suppose you’ve overestimated and bought a higher wattage bulb than the requirements. Using that bulb anyways could lead to overlamping.

Some of the dangers caused by overlamping are the potential overheating of the light bulb, melted sockets, permanent damage, and could even cause a fire. Aside from saving yourself from expensive electric bills, you could also prioritize safety by being responsible for your wattage use.

How to Determine Wattage of Light Fixture?

Every lighting fixture has a particular maximum wattage requirement. This specific number is applied to the type of bulb suitable for that fixture to work as optimally as possible and prevent unnecessary damages. 

So how do you determine the wattage of your light fixture? Look for the silver sticker that indicates the maximum wattage of that specific fixture. Most stores offer different bulb wattages, so it’s best to parallel the required wattage to your lighting before buying a new bulb. If you still have the box, you should also be able to find the wattage requirement in this method.

What is the Wattage of LED Lights?

There have been a lot of improvements to the way we use light bulbs years before and today. And one of the most responsible for this is none other than LED Lights. Since LEDs figure out how to use energy much more efficiently than traditional options, it is no doubt why it takes over the bulb choice for every homeowner.

So what is the wattage of LED Lights? Most LED Lighting Fixtures are in the range of 20-40 Watts. For perspective, it is beneficial to compare LED Light’s wattage use compared to other traditional bulbs.

It only requires 4-5 Watts for LEDs to produce 450 lumens. On the other hand, CFLs need 8-12 Watts, and Incandescents require 40 Watts to produce the same amount of lumens. This is why wattage isn’t the only significant indicator, since lumens output ultimately dictates how bright the fixture could be.

Best Wattage for Outdoor Lighting?

Let’s go back to this question. So what is the most optimal wattage if you’re looking for a fixture for outdoor use? 40 Watts or lower should be more than enough to illuminate your outdoor space.

Since most LEDs range from 20-to 40, you should be able to find excellent outdoor lightings that will elevate your landscape’s aesthetic and feel. The totality of wattage used for all your fixtures would depend on how massive your space is outside. With the efficiency of LED Lights, you can showcase your lovely lighting at night without worrying about your monthly electric bill. 

Bottomline.

We hope that we’ve straightened things out regarding the importance of understanding wattage and how it relates to your landscaping plan. Remember that safety should be above everything else, especially for outdoor lighting use. 

If you’re still having trouble finding the correct wattage for your fixtures, check out our different LED Garden Lighting here at Best Pro Lighting today!