Can LED bulbs be used outdoors? Expert’s Answer in a minute

Can LED bulbs be used outdoors? – Questions like this always make us burst out! Choosing outdoor lighting should not be a headache. This article lists known light sources and shows you how to test whether your lights can cope with unpredictable outdoor conditions.

Can LED bulbs be used outdoors?

The good news is that LEDs are generally quite durable. As long as your LEDs are in place and have the proper seals, you can safely use them in outdoor environments. However, it is essential to know that LEDs have different characteristics. 

Any LEDs placed outside must match the exterior. However, you can use LED lights for recessed fixtures or patio lights. Weather-exposed LEDs should be UL-listed for wet locations, depending on exposure. On porches and under eaves or partitions with specific openings require a wet location index, while not fully covered LEDs require a wet location index.

3 Benefits of LED Outdoor Lighting

#1. Elevated Aesthetic

Outdoor lighting adds natural beauty and energy to your home. It highlights the glamorous elements, illuminates the roads, and creates a charming atmosphere. You can also capture the nighttime beauty of a pool or body of water with LED underwater lights. Or use lighting as a feature: spotlights placed in the corners with tree shadows create depth and interest.

#2. Safety and Security 

Safety is always a top priority. When you’re at home, evenings are prime time for outdoor recreation, so main walkways need to be adequately lit. When you’re not at home, outdoor lighting can help protect it. 

#3. Take your yard to the next level

Professional landscape and outdoor lighting add value in many ways. It can highlight design elements or make an area more visible. It adds beauty and enhances the feel of high-demand outdoor living spaces after dark.

***Refer to more: Best LED Light Bar for the money: Top 8 highly-recommended in 2022

How to verify the quality of LED bulbs?

Here is a five-step specification checklist to ensure your lighting solution meets the minimum standards: 

• Compatibility

 Ensure lamps or fixtures and lighting will be mounted on generic/standard (or guaranteed) connections – make sure your supplier takes into account possible modifications or accessories needed to fit the existing installation application 

• Corrosion resistance wears

Make sure the luminaire has been thoroughly tested for outdoor and corrosive environments. Look for facilities that have passed the ASTM B117 salt spray or salt spray test. In settings near the ocean, this is especially relevant to prevent corrosion of metal or coated metal fixtures and premature attenuation of light.

• Electrical reliability requirements

Ensure fixtures and fixtures meet electrical reliability requirements and meet all lighting standards. 

• Electromagnetic interference standard

Almost all lights sold by U.S. retailers have all been reviewed under 47 CFR 15. More scrutiny is required for lighting distributors using foreign manufacturers that do not ordinarily retail products in the United States. 

• Mechanical reliability requirements

Ensure that fixtures and fixtures meet all mechanical reliability requirements of lighting standards. Ensure that the mechanical limits for the poles for mounting outdoor fixtures are met.

Buying guide of Outdoor Lighting

There are some aspects you should consider

#1. Purpose

You should determine the answer for such questions as: where will you attach them to? 

• LED Parking Lot Lights

Outdoor parking is one of the essential applications of high-quality outdoor lighting. Parking lots present three significant obstacles for real estate organizations and facility managers:

1. Your parking lot must be well lit to provide tenants and customers with a welcoming and safe atmosphere. The type and performance of lighting used in your parking lot generally make for the safety and professionalism of the entire building. We call this common characteristic the quality of light.
2. Your parking lights should be as energy-efficient as possible, as they typically operate from dusk to dawn.
3. Maximizing the life of fixtures is essential, as hiring and staffing onboard ships to change bulbs and ballasts regularly can become very expensive.

It is vital to install the best combination of energy efficiency, long life, and high quality when choosing a lighting solution for these three reasons. LEDs are the 21st-century answer to all three of these problems.

• LED Wall Pack Lights

Wall lights are an essential part of your outdoor lighting system. This type of outdoor luminaire is commonly used to illuminate vehicular and pedestrian areas and for security purposes. It is not uncommon to see multiple lighting fixtures mounted on a building or a wall, with fixed spacing designed to provide ground lighting around the exterior of a building.

Among other benefits, such as reduced power consumption, LED lights can also help you significantly reduce the maintenance of wall lighting. This is how LEDs produce light and increase their operating life compared to traditional HID lamps. The luminous flux of LEDs degrades very slowly over time rather than shutting down when the fuel source is reduced.

As a result, the functional life of LED products (typically over 100,000 hours) can be significantly longer than that of HID lamps. Longer life means more bulb changes and smaller ballasts, and therefore less maintenance.

• LED Parking Garage Lights

Parking garages are very similar to outdoor car parks with one noticeable difference and have a ceiling. Luminaires are no longer pole-mounted, but the same essential considerations apply to street lighting in car parks. This means customers looking to retrofit or retrofit garage lighting tend to be interested in lower energy costs, lower maintenance costs, and better lighting.

***Refer to more: 6 Best Hardwired LED Garage Lights: Ideal Choice for your spaces

#2. Power and Performance

With options ranging from hardwired spotlights and evening plug lights to solar moving lights, you can find the perfect outdoor spotlights for your home’s landscaping and exterior.

Solar-powered outdoor lights get the energy needed to run the lights from sunlight. While this option may cost more for the initial purchase and setup, you can save on your energy bills in the end. Ensure to install solar panels in places with enough sunlight and avoid dark and shady areas of your home. 

Plug lights must be located in an area where there is an outlet or extension cord. With this option, you will have an exposed wire that you may need to secure or conceal. 

Wired lights connect directly to your home’s electrical wiring. Installation requires additional security measures but can be an easy project to do on your own.

#3. Material

Another factor to consider is the type of bulb you want to use for your outdoor lighting. 

LED bulbs are a popular option, and although they cost more than other bulbs, they have a much longer lifespan. 

Other standard options are CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) or halogen lamps. Both can get hot, but compact fluorescent lamps contain mercury which can be dangerous if bulbs break. 

In addition, HID (High-Intensity Discharge) lamps can be installed, which are mainly used in large rooms. 

Bulbs can be used outdoors as long as they are not exposed to the elements.

#4. Lumens

Lumens are a measure of the luminous flux or brightness of a light. The more lumens, the brighter the lamp will be. Lumens differ from watts in that watts measure the amount of energy used by a lamp or the power of light. 

The amount of lumens required for outdoor lighting depends on the area you want to illuminate. When you’re shopping for street light bulbs and looking for brightness, compare lumens, not watts. Standard 100W bulbs give about 1600 lumens. 

You can select a brighter headlamp for the emergency lighting. Consider using a spotlight timer as well as a motion sensor. The recommended lumens range for the safety floodlights is 700 to 1300.

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