Sustainable garden design is about more than choosing native plants and making your own compost. Just as important are the decisions you make about the non-living elements such as lighting, and we’re not talking about simply installing a few solar lights here! A good outdoor lighting design will help you to make the most out of your outdoor space in a way that benefits the environment as well. In this blog we’ll look at the benefits of eco-friendly outdoor lighting and explore some lighting ideas that will make your garden glow sustainability.
To help beat the long winter gloom, many of us turn to artificial lighting to create that welcoming garden glow. Nothing beats the twinkle of fairy lights or an uplighter on a favourite tree for adding warmth and cosiness to your outdoor living space at night – you can read about some of our Outdoor Lighting Ideas in our blog. Here’s why you should choose eco-friendly outdoor lighting in your garden setting…
Good sustainable outdoor lighting begins with a good outdoor lighting design. Unfortunately, we have found that solar powered lights are not the answer to creating sustainable outdoor lighting as they are unreliable and do not last. Instead, it is better to have low intensity lights that only come on when necessary, all of which can be achieved with a good lighting design. The benefits of low intensity lighting and reduced exposure are explained in more detail further on in this blog.
While solar powered lights are not yet good enough to provide a longterm solution for sustainable outdoor lighting, solar energy can be used to power your lights. Light up your garden with green energy by installing solar panels to your property and using the electricity they create to feed your outdoor lights.
Outdoor lighting can affect wildlife negatively so it is important to consider this when choosing the kind of lights you want for your garden. Exterior lighting can affect the natural cycles of light and dark that animals rely on for sleep, reproduction, feeding and protection from predators. To combat this, choose softer lighting, such as that emitted by low watt lights that are less disruptive to nocturnal insects and wildlife. Use timers and motion sensors to minimise the amount of time the lights are turned on and avoid too much uplighting of trees and plants as it can disrupt the natural behaviour of birds and insects.
When we think about eco-friendly outdoor lighting, most of us immediately think of low watt lights, but there are other ways you can illuminate your garden in a sustainable way. Here are some more eco-friendly outdoor lighting ideas.
Another way of making your outdoor lighting eco-friendly is to put your outdoor lights on smart timers. This helps to reduce electricity usage as there is no danger of forgetting to turn the lights off at night. But it also means you can programme them to welcome you home in the dark after a long wintery day out! An app like TCP Smart allows you to programme a schedule for each set of outdoor lights in your garden. You can also control them from your phone to override the scheduled times if you need.
Motion sensors work by detecting changes in infrared radiation or the presence of heat and movement within their coverage area. The most common type of motion sensor is a passive infrared (PIR) sensor, which detects changes in the infrared radiation emitted by objects in its field of view. Lights with motion sensors are a sustainable choice because they don’t waste electricity – once an object has been detected they stay on for up to a minute once the movement has passed before turning themselves off again. They are also considered kinder to wildlife as the lights are not on long enough to disrupt natural nocturnal patterns.
LED bulbs are considered an eco-friendly outdoor lighting choice because they are energy efficient, long-lasting, recyclable, and don’t contain toxic materials. They use up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs and convert 95% of their energy into light, making them particularly good for security lighting. Because they last up to 130 times longer than incandescent bulls, there is less waste from production and materials.
When choosing sustainable outdoor lighting, don’t forget to look at the material the lighting case is made from. Many mass-produced lights on the market are made from plastic but there are other more environmentally-friendly options. Bamboo is a great product for outdoor lighting and there is a growing range of sustainable bamboo lights for outdoor use on the market.
A simple solution to lessen light pollution is to choose low-intensity lighting using low-lumen bulbs. This not only reduces light pollution but also creates a pleasant gentle ambience for your garden setting. Other measures include choosing downward-facing lights or lights with shielded fixtures or hoods to control the direction of light and minimise light pollution.
At Gardens by Keltie & Clark, we are passionate about sustainability and apply sustainable practices to all of our garden designs. If you are considering a new sustainable garden design project, please get in touch to discuss your ideas.
