A home in Houston, TX, with landscape lighting

5 Tips To Cozy Up Your Houston Patio Lighting Part 2

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5 TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR PATIO COZY FOR FALL

(Part Two)

You can choose to add bold autumn colors like yellows, deep reds, and oranges, to those items. You can also decide to choose specific colors that will be able to take it to the next level in terms of coziness.

3. INTRODUCING OUTDOOR CUSHIONING OPTIONS

If you want to spruce the outdoor space, consider adding some outdoor cushioning to your already existing outdoor furniture.
This doesn’t have to be complicated, it can be just adding a plush, weather-proof pillow to the benches, or you can go and buy an entirely new set of furniture. There are some people who consider the season when planning the outdoor space. There are some people who prefer swapping their summer-themed furniture and go with pieces that will be of use during the fall. It is better to have heat-insulating cushions in October than having them in July.

No matter how large or small the change is, it is a good idea to add cushioning to any furniture you can.

4. GETTING INTO A HOLIDAY DECORATING MOOD

There are two major holidays that happen in fall: Thanksgiving and Halloween. These two holidays are when people love to decorate their homes! When you are decorating your home for these holidays, also remember that you have an outdoor space that needs your attention too. Show the space for some holiday love too.

For the porch, you can go with a traditional Jack-O-Lanterns and for the above patio, you can get a turkey-themed garland that you can hang crisscross above it. Another idea is making DIY signs that have words highlighting which season it is, e.g. “harvest” ”thankful”, etc. You have the chance of taking full advantage of the changes on leaves and trees.

Whatever you decide to do, we suggest utilizing this time into getting to the holiday spirit and have your outdoor space reflecting your enthusiasm.

INSTALLING AN OUTDOOR FIREPLACE OR FIRE PIT

If you don’t have one, and if you have room in your outdoor space, then you should consider installing a fire pit or outdoor fireplace. Fires will provide you with natural exterior lighting, and there is nothing that feels more fall than sitting around the fire spending quality time with your friends and family.

Apart from the light and warmth it provides, a fireplace will be the perfect focal point for your outdoor space.

CHOOSE ROBERT HUFFILLUMINATIONS

When you transform your outdoor space for the fall, you are creating a space that is comforting and welcoming, and this will make people coming over want to snuggle and sit around the warm fire drinking hot chocolate. You will fall in love with your outdoor space over and over again.

It is a good idea to get exterior lighting and outdoor home accents from our showroom I Houston. If you are not sure about what you want or where to get started, have no worries because we have a team of experienced lighting consultants who will be there to help you with everything you need.

Contact us today to find more information about us and the products we offer. You can reach us by giving us a call now or you can complete our online form and we will get back to you. Don’t hesitate when it comes to buying our products. We look forward to speaking with you.

 If you would like to discover more tips and tricks from Robert Huff Illuminations; visit our blog. Call or contact us today for more information! Click here for the first issue in this series.

5 Tips To Cozy Up Your Houston Patio Lighting Part 1

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Learn 5 Tips You Can Use To Make Your Patio Cozy (Part One)

The Houston weather isn’t typically what most folks would identify as ideal fall weather, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t get outdoor spaces and patios ready for the day the heat finally subsides. Does anything make a patio more cozy than a few pieces of comfortable outdoor furniture with wool blankets waiting for you under mood-setting lights?

We offer high-caliber interior and exterior lighting services and products for residential and commercial clients alike. If you want to renovate your outdoor patio lights or are just looking to shake things up a little, check out our light fixtures which can match both your budget and tastes. We have more than five decades of experience behind us, so let our lighting professionals and experts help you find the perfect solutions for your outdoor lighting. Contact us right away in order to schedule an appointment.

Keep reading to learn 5 tips you can use to make your patio snug and sound for the changing season.

1) Optimize The Circumstances Around Your Exterior Lighting:

Fall evenings here means it gets darker earlier than it did during the summer, and that means that our exterior lighting circumstances get more critical than they did when it was warmer. You need functionality from your outdoor lighting, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have beauty too. Even better is when you have adjustability so you can make your patio useful in a number of different situations.

Use this time to make any needed updates to your outdoor lights, like hanging lights or exterior wall lights whose best days are behind them. You might even use this time to buy and install extra lights that can complement your current lights, like holiday-themed string lights or even an extravagant or ornate outdoor chandelier.

Basically, you want to illuminate your overall patio area with some exterior lighting which can warm your outdoor space when it gets a bit chilly.

2) Add Cozy Items:

Okay, take a moment to think about it. Are there things better than breathing in fresh air outdoors while curled up under a nice toasty blanket while reading something you love? There might be a few things, but not too many. In fact, you might think of nothing at the moment.

Why spend all your time indoors during the fall when you know you’ll have to hibernate during the actual winter? Whether that is cool or cold but not yet freezing can still be enjoyed! Do this by adding comfort and coziness with the right items throughout your outdoor patio.

Here are just a few things that our home decor and lighting professionals recommend:

  • Porch Swings
  • Rocking chairs
  • Outdoor attire
  • Warm and soft blankets
  • Pumpkins
  • Garlands and wreaths
  • Tables, benches, chairs, and other essential outdoor furniture

 If you would like to discover more tips and tricks from Robert Huff Illuminations; visit our blog. Call or contact us today for more information! Click Here for the second issue in this series.

Outdoor Lighting Experts Tell You How To Light Trees

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Would you like to enjoy your trees and property at night?

When thinking about outdoor lighting, you often are wanting to highlight your home’s features. Trees tend to be a lower priority, however, tree lighting can often make a very dramatic difference. Your tree can be transformed into a piece of art with just one light.

There are two major kinds of tree lighting; down lighting and up lighting. Uplighting involves lighting fixtures being placed at ground level so that the light shines up to the tree. This type of lighting is used for showing off the tree’s canopy and interesting branch structures. Downlighting is a type of fixture that is strategically placed in the tree’s canopy that creates a very beautiful moonlight effect on the ground below and the tree’s branching structure.

By manipulating the fixture’s angle, the Kelvin temperature color and spread of the source light allows you to create interesting shadows, silhouettes or highlights on the ground cover or turf below, as well as walls, plants, and walkways. Great care needs to be given to your down lighting in order to protect the health of the tree over the long term. It is rarely done properly, so we highly recommend that you use a qualified professional to do this work.

Down Lighting and Up Lighting Work Together

One of landscape lighting’s more creative areas involves lighting trees using both uplighting and downlighting. They work together in order to showcase your trees, particularly the beautiful majestic oaks in San Antonio as well as the surrounding Hill Country. It creates a magical moonlighting effect by placing multiple fixtures in such a way that it shines down into and through the leaves and branches below to create a flowing, moving shadow as well as the light art below. When done properly, it has the feeling of a bright full moon that is shining through the leaves that are above which on the ground leaves a dappled moonlight. The tree is shown off by using the up light. The best results are produced by using the two together.

How to Care for your Trees

Often our customers are concerned about having lights mounted in their trees. Trees are treated like trees by us, and not buildings. We only install lights in trees that we know are able to support them. The Gurus uses specialty stainless steel tree bolts to prevent them from rusting or causing future damage or disease. A professional never will put staples in your trees, since that will ruin the tree and wire eventually and maybe a fire hazard as well.

A professional will also never surface mount any junction box onto a tree which creates a rot spot in the tree which invites ants as well as other pests into a tree. We hide cables on the tree’s non-visible side so you won’t even know that it is there. Our materials and methods are designed to protect your lights and trees. We are available to come when needed in order to adjust the bolts and screws as your tree grows as part of your annual service agreement with us.

 If you would like to discover more tips and tricks from Robert Huff Illuminations; visit our blog. Call or contact us today for more information!

The Best In Houston Outdoor Lighting Weighs In – Are All LED’s Created Equal?

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Are LED Lights All The Same? How To Choose A High-Quality LED Lamp For Your Houston Outdoor Lighting

AS LED is becoming the most popular option when it comes to selecting a lamp, there is a wide range of types and brands that are available now. But is every LED lamp identical? No! Like almost everything else in life, there are large variances between poorly made LED lamps and quality LED lamps.

When searching for a well-made lamp, one of the very first things that you should look for is the warranty. It is very important that you read the fine print and check it to find out how long the lamp is guaranteed to work and in which environments. There are some lamps that are designed for damp locations, some for dry locations, and others that are designed so that they can be submerged in water for brief periods of time. Landscaping lighting lamps all should be either wet location or damp location lamps. Some LED lamps are also are designed with slits or vent holes to let heat escape. That appears to make sense until it is introduced into a damp environment or it is an environment that has bugs. I cannot even tell you the number of times that I have pulled the lamps out from eBay or Amazon out of the fixtures that have tons of bugs in them that have corroded the sockets and fixtures that are beyond being able to e saved.

A big part of determining what the quality of an LED is how a bulb manages heat. Compared to a typical light, less heat is given off by LEDs, but all of them create heat in the same way. To live up to their full potential, they have to pull heat away effectively from the LED. Metal heat sinks that have fins are used by quality LED lights to pull away and also store the heat while plastic heat sinks or fans are used by cheaply made LEDs to attempt to do the same thing but will most likely fail, which reduces the life expectancy of your light. Also, the very best dim the output automatically when they reach their heat capacity’s upper limits. That rarely happens, but during those 90-degree nights in Central and South Texas, it definitely may occur.

LEDs are able to produce colors on all parts of the spectrum. Although the light color is mainly based on your personal preference, it is very important that your LED lights are all consistent in color. High quality LED lights that are the same color temperature that all look like the color is consistent when it is installed. LED lights that are lower quality will have inconsistent colors, even when marketed as being the same color temperature. The less expensive a lamp is the more variation there will be. That is particularly important when using feature lighting on sculpture and art or when lighting your home’s facade.

The LED lights construction is important as well. When choosing your LEDs, you should check the weight, feel, look and design.

Would you like more information on how to identify quality LED lamps?

There is a wide variety of integrated products, lamps, and color temperatures that are available as options. If you would like to discover more tips and tricks from Robert Huff Illuminations; visit our blog. Call or contact us today for more information!

Robert Huff Illuminations Weighs In – Gas Lamps Vs Electric Lamps

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The Advantages Of Outdoor Gas Lamps Versus Electric Lamps

If you want your outdoor space to feel cozier and more inviting, adding lighting is a great option. Today’s outdoor lamps come in more styles than ever. Before you choose a style, however, you should decide which type of lamp you prefer since there are both gas and electric models available. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options. Familiarizing yourself with their benefits should make it easier to decide which option is the best choice for your outdoor space.

The Advantages Of Electric Lamps

When compared to gas lamps, electric lamps that are designed for use outdoors provide a number of benefits including the ones listed below.

A Long Lifespan

Electric lamps are not only a low-maintenance option but they also last for an extremely long period of time. This is particularly true if they are equipped with LED bulbs. Because they require so little maintenance, you don’t have to worry about spending a lot of time working on them. Instead, you can simply turn them on and enjoy them anytime you want.

The Ability To Be Connected To A Timer

Electric lights can be connected to automatic timers or light sensors so that they can be turned on automatically. You can also control them with your smartphone, meaning that you can turn the outdoor lights on from wherever you are.

An Affordable Choice

In terms of operating expenses, electric lamps are usually more affordable than gas lamps since electricity is cheaper than gas. This is particularly true for propane lamps. You can maximize your savings by opting for LED lights in your electric lamps rather than traditional incandescent bulbs.

Another way to save money is by using a timer to control your electric lamps. That way, you don’t have to worry about accidentally leaving them on during the day and wasting power as a result.

A Higher Light Output

Even though gas lamps are attractive, they don’t provide nearly as much light as electric lamps. If you want to maximize the light output in your yard, electric is definitely the way to go. You can usually get by with fewer lamps if you choose electric rather than gas.

A Safer Option

Electric lamps that are equipped with LED bulbs stay cool to the touch. This minimizes the risk of fires. It also makes them safer for children and pets since they won’t cause burns if they get touched.

Relatively Easy To Install

As long as you already have electrical lines in your outdoor space, setting up electric lamps is a relatively easy process. If your yard is already equipped with lighting or if you have electrical lines running to a pump in your pond or pool, you should be able to install your electric lamps without a lot of hassle.

The Advantages Of Gas Lamps

An Attractive Appearance

Gas lamps have a visible flame, which makes them extremely attractive to look at. Unlike electric lamps that provide the same level of light at all times, gas lamps provide a gentle flickering light that can make your yard feel more welcoming.

Soft Lighting

The light produced by electric lamps can be quite harsh. Even though they make it easier to see the area around you, they don’t do much to add to the overall ambiance of your outdoor space. Gas lamps, on the other hand, give off a soft, warm light that makes your space feel more welcoming.

Both gas and electric lamps have advantages and disadvantages. If you want to create a cozy, welcoming outdoor space, gas lamps are a great choice. Although they don’t give off as much light as electric lamps, they are attractive and are ideal for creating a beautiful, rustic look.

If you would like to discover more tips and tricks from Robert Huff Illuminations; visit our blog. Call or contact us today for more information!

How To Prepare Your Residential Outdoor Lighting For Halloween

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Do’s And Don’ts For Residential Outdoor Halloween Lighting

Robert Huff Illuminations wishes you a Happy And Spooky Halloween! Halloween is almost here and everybody must be thinking about what to do to make their house a treat. Well, with proper lighting in your backyard, you can make sure that everybody including ninjas, zombies, superheroes, princesses and everyone else dressed up has a good Halloween. It’s a good way to keep everyone around the area safe to prevent injuries. Also, they will have a good idea of where to get the best goodies. You need to take time deciding the best lighting for your home this Halloween.

Most homeowners love decorating their yards for the festivities season, whether it’s Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas. Soon enough, a lot of guests will be coming to your home for trick or treating. After that, a few people should pass by with Christmas carols and cookies. Therefore, if you want to have the best lighting, this is the time to start assessing your yard. Imagine yourself passing by there in the dark and determine whether you would be able to navigate effortlessly? Are there steps that need to be climbed yet your trees obstruct the light from shining?

If that’s a yes, you need to hire a residential outdoor lighting expert to make sure that your yard is well lit. That way, you can create a welcoming atmosphere for anyone passing through your yard and prevent injuries, a trip to the nearest hospital or liabilities coming from a lawsuit. Although you need your house to have a haunted theme this Halloween, you don’t want people to stay away from it if they are afraid of getting injured. That defeats the whole purpose of the spooky day!

Make sure everyone passing around or near your yard is safe during Halloween. If you don’t have a well-lit path, children or adults might pass through the areas you don’t want them in and it might be dangerous. Use the trees to position the lighting to create a moonlight effect. With the best light fixture, you can shine a light on the walkway without creating a glare. You can either place the lighting on one side of the walkway or put a staggering pattern. Your professional lighting expert should advise you on the best way to install the lights for the best outcome.

Whatever you do, stay away from floodlights because they shine a bright light on people’s eyes thus they would have a hard time seeing anything. Since most houses come with these, they might not be a safe option although they might seem attractive. Remember, people might be wearing masks or other elements that obscure their vision. Therefore, make sure they have a memorable Halloween by lighting their paths properly and not blinding them with a glare.

Good lighting creates a welcoming ambiance to anyone in your yard without it appearing like a creepy and spooky place or a resemblance of an airport runway or a prison. You can achieve this by hiring a certified residential outdoor lighting professional. Since they are trained in designing residential outdoor lighting fixtures and installations, you can always count on quality products. 

 

If you would like to discover more tips and tricks, visit our blog. Call or contact us today for more information!

A home in Houston, TX, with landscape lighting

Houston Area Outdoor Lighting Experts Tell Us The Essentials In Outdoor Lighting

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The Most Important Elements Associated With Houston Outdoor Lighting

There are numerous elements linked to outdoor-lighting, yet it always comes down to the trio of components, installation and element designs that are all interconnected.

The Design

The design has to do with the way in which we achieve desired results along with making it look gorgeous. Great lighting designs use the foundational principles, but they do not lock into the cookie-cutter approach where pre-arrange kits are used and every home is treated the same. Design is what allows a designer to tap into their creative juices for each project. The expert lighting designers use only the best products to create effects that you should expect from your lighting which includes highlighting, safety, drama, warmth and more. We look forward to opportunities to create designs that will excite you.

The Components

Components linked to outdoor lighting, have to the do with the fixtures themselves. Yet components will also include the wiring, bulbs, connectors along with any other materials that are used in these systems. Importance of high-quality components should never be overlooked. The fixtures of quality with bulbs or lamps that are suitable and rated for outdoor use are essential for the system to offer you long-term use. Cheap aluminum and plastic fixtures are unable to stand up to outdoor elements or be able to perform like the copper or solid brass types will. The heat-shrink wire connections also work on protecting the connections, which allows the lights to operate for a lot longer in comparison to pierce types. An outstanding lighting design is not able to compensate for materials of poor quality. If your lighting is placed perfectly, but they are not able to work, the overall design will mean nothing. We suggest and incorporate high-quality brass and copper products for all the landscape lighting-projects that offer a far longer-lasting performance. An installation that is inadequate even when the product and design are of exceptional quality and perfectly positioned, will always end in disaster. The incorrect installation can result in frustration, failure along with unnecessary costs. A shoddy connection will usually fail prematurely, while wired that have not been buried correctly are prone to corrosion or the risk of being cut. Tree lights which have been installed incorrectly may cause harm or even the death of a tree while lights that have been placed incorrectly are prone to breaks. Cutting corners can lead to frustrating outages and many unhappy customers which is why never cut corners. Main elements involved in the best lighting designs, installation and components are interdependent and interconnected. Making a shortcut on 1 and others are unable to compensate, which is always why we strive for professional services when it comes to our techniques and materials. We have a goal of offering top-rated services when it comes to our lighting systems, making sure you are completely satisfied with the end product that you are able to rely on for years into the future.

About Our Houston Outdoor Home Lighting

Outdoor lighting for residential properties may in some cases appear to be similar to utilitarian home projects, and many companies make the mistake of approaching these projects as technological tasks. Our latest LED landscape outdoor lighting combines functions and form to offer landscape-lighting solutions which do a lot more than only provide lighting to your garden or yard. To create the best types of LED landscaping lighting has to do with work provided by the Robert Huff design team that brings together collective architectural-designs that employ the very latest when it comes to outdoor solutions for LED landscape lighting. Our team often works alongside pool designers, architects and landscapers to arrive at the renowned Robert Huff lighting effects when it comes to all types of outdoor spaces for either your business or home. Robert Huff Landscape Illuminations is proud to be in the business of designing home-lighting outdoors with Security, Elegance, and Beauty for more than three decades. We also have a specialty in installation and designs of the commercial based LED landscaping lighting. Our clients have come to trust in Robert Huff as we are always delivering outstanding designs in residential and commercial outdoor lighting all over Houston, TX.

Here at Robert Huff, we strongly believe it only takes one innovative idea in order to transform your own outdoor spaces. While the other companies might offer different outdoor-lighting solutions, our Robert Huff designs always extend above-and-beyond. When choosing Robert Huff for outdoor LED landscape-lighting, you are offered with fully-inclusive support and designs that are built upon excellence, creativity, and experience.

More Than 30 Years In Houston Outdoor Home Lighting Designs

Robert Huff Lighting has gone onto spend over 30 years as the pioneer when it comes to outdoor lighting. This is why we are a premier choice when it comes to outdoor-lighting solutions all over Austin, Houston, and the surrounding areas. With our extensive experience, we already have lists of satisfied customers for commercial and residential projects. We are also insured, licensed and each team member equipped and trained when it comes to assisting you with your outdoor lighting requirements.

 

If you would like to discover more tips and tricks, visit our blog. Call or contact us today for more information!

Optimizing And Updating Your Houston Outdoor Lighting System

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How To Convert Your Houston Outdoor Lighting System From Halogen Into LED

There are numerous reasons why you may want to consider converting your outdoor lighting system to LED lamps from halogen lamps: you might want to reduce your energy bills, or maybe expand your current outdoor lighting system, or perhaps you would just like to reduce the amount of routine maintenance that you need to do. Whatever the case may be, there are no disadvantages to using LED lamps as part of your outdoor lighting system. for inspiration or examples of LED’s used in outdoor lighting systems, take a look at Our Work!

Use LED To Save Money

It is amazing how much your energy bill can be reduced by using LED lamps. Less electricity is used by LED lamps compared to traditional halogen lamps. Typically low-wattage LED outdoor lights use 80-90 percent less electricity compared to halogen systems. The reason why less electricity is used is LED lights reduce your outdoor system’s overall electrical load. For a majority of outdoor lighting systems, when they are converted to LED it takes the load off of the operational costs of the outdoor lighting system. In most cases, The average electrical bill for an outdoor lighting system using LED can be reduced down to $3-$5 a month.

Reduce Routine Maintenance and Lamp Replacement

The overall costs of routine maintenance and replacing lamps are also reduced when you switch over to LED. With halogen systems, lamps must be replaced about once a year. You need to take into consideration the cost of replacing each lamp every year and the cost of every individual lamp. However, if you switch to LED lamps, it eliminates how often you have replaced your system’s lamps. A majority of reputable LED lamps in today’s marketplace are rated to last for 10 years at least and have a 5-year replacement warranty. That is because high quality LED lamps are designed to last. Although LED lamps might be more expensive upfront, they actually pay off very fast. One thing that needs to be noted is that switching over to LED lamp doesn’t completely eliminate needing to service the system and maintain its optimal operating condition.

Provide Your System With More Lights

When your lighting system is converted from halogen lamps over to LED lamps it also takes off an electrical load from your overall lighting system, which allows room for additional lights. Allow me to explain this further. Any lighting system has a set amount of wattage that it can handle, which will depend on the kind of transformer it has. For example, a 300-watt transformer is restricted to being able to support 200 watts without tripping and possibly overloading the system. With halogen systems, 20-35 watts is used by each lamp. With a maximum 260 watt capacity, a halogen system only is able to support 8-13 fixtures or lamps without possibly overloading. Theoretically, if the same 300-watt transformer is taken, and 4 watt LED lamps are used rather than 20-watt halogen lamps, the same system will be able to support 65 fixtures or lamps rather than 13 (when properly designed). If you retrofit your existing halogen system with LED lamps, that will reduce how much electricity is used. When a load is taken off of your system through LED lamps there is more room for adding fixtures without needing a bigger transformer. It is very important to understand there are numerous things that need to be taken into consideration if you would like to add more lights to your system after retrofitting it with LED lamps. Are your lines properly balanced? How will voltage drops affect more lights being added? How long will your wire runs be? Each system is uniquely engineered and needs to be approached in a different way. Consulting with your lighting specialist regarding LED lights as well as other lighting solutions is always a good idea.

Contact us or call today to revolutionize your space.

How Many Lumens Do I Need for Houston Outdoor Lighting?

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How To Choose The Right Lights For Houston Residential Outdoor Lighting

At Robert Huff Illumination we help you navigate the ins and outs of all facets for your residential outdoor lighting needs. The intensity of a light is measured with a unit called a lumen. This is something you should pay attention to when checking the specs of a lightbulb or other lighting solution. The ideal amount of lumens for your outdoor lighting will vary in function of the type of lighting you need. Step lights, path lights, and hardscape or landscape lighting are typically used to create a soft atmosphere. There is no need to invest in bright lights for these uses, but you need to make sure your step and path lights will be bright enough so you can easily so the ground. The recommended range goes from 50 to 200 lumens for these lights. Some lights such as motion sensor lights or pond and pool lights need to be more visible for safety reasons. Look for lights in the 200 to 700 lumens range depending on the size of the area you want these lights to cover. Lastly, floodlights are used to light up a broad area and should be very noticeable, even from afar. You will want to look for lights in the 700 to 1,300 lumens range for this use.

LEDs or CFLs?

Should you get LED or CFL lights for your outdoor lighting system? LED lighting is a popular option and will probably be more adapted to your needs. Here is what you need to know about these two options. CFL stands for Compact Fluorescent Light. This technology relies on a filament that is heated up and becomes incandescent thanks to electric current. The downside of this technology is that exposure to extreme temperatures considerably reduces the lifespan of the filament inside of the bulb. The other downside of this technology is that it can take a few minutes for the filament to heat up and emit the full range of lumens of the bulb. LED stands for Light Emitting Diodes. These lights use small diodes rather than filaments. The diodes don’t emit any heat and are more resistant to extreme temperatures. They emit the full range of lumens right away. The biggest advantage of LED lights is that they use a lot less energy. In fact, a CFL bulb typically uses twice the amount of energy of an LED light with a similar lumen range. You should easily get the number of lumens you need for your outdoor lighting system with low-wattage LED lights and save money on your energy bills. The lifespan of LED lights is another advantage. An LED light will typically last five times longer than a CFL bulb. CFL might seem like the best option due to their lower initial price. However, the prices of LED lights have been decreasing and both technologies are available in a somewhat similar price range.

Other Features To Consider For Houston Residential Outdoor Lighting

There are a few features you should consider when choosing an outside lighting system. Start by looking at the lux of a light. The lux represents the amount of light per square meter. This spec will give you an idea of the size of the area that a single light bulb can cover. Keep in mind that one lux is based on how much illumination you can get by standing three feet away from a candle. Pay attention to the wattage of a light. A 200-watt bulb will use 200 watts per second of use. A light with a high wattage will result in higher electricity bills. If you want to install several high-wattage lights, think about hiring an electrician to install a new outdoor system. Get in touch with us if you need help with choosing the best lights for your outdoor lighting system! Also, be sure to take a look at other examples of our work, and slide on by our blog for a little inspiration!

Whether it’s residential outdoor lighting or commercial, lighting a patio, or custom lightscaping your whole yard, Robert Huff Illuminations has you covered. Feel free to call us or contact us today to see how we can help illuminate you.

How To Optimize Your Houston Exterior Lighting Pt. 1

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Great Tips For Enhancing Your Outdoor Environment – Houston Landscape Lighting How To Pt. 1

Here at Robert Huff Illumination, we receive numerous requests and questions from customers who are intimidated by landscaping and exterior lighting. However, assisting customers with adding value to their properties through the use of Houston residential outdoor lighting is my specialty, and I know many ways to make our customers’ outdoor areas – gardens, decks, backyards, front yards – look fantastic through the use of outdoor lighting techniques and fixtures.

The bottom line is that outdoor lighting doesn’t have to be a confusing or overwhelming project. You can make it as detailed or as simple as you would like it to be. After reviewing the following basics, also check out the ideas I have for putting them into practice – these are all things that you can do right now to enhance your outdoor areas.

My goal in writing this “Basics of Landscape Lighting” guide is to get some of the key outdoor lighting concepts introduced that you can get implemented immediately. To make it even more helpful, I will be using specific examples to illustrate the principles behind the concepts. That will provide you with plenty of information to starting thinking about what will work the best in your outdoor environment and how you can use lighting to create a beautiful outdoor area.

Some of the common questions that I get are “I would like to give my yard some extra life and would like to use lighting to do that. What do I need to know before I begin? Where do I start, and what should I do?” When you are considering how to best design your exterior landscape lighting, one of the most important things that you need to understand is that less is often more Since the eye is drawn into areas that have the highest level of visual contrast, you don’t necessarily need a lot of lighting fixtures in order to create an effect that is very beautiful. We also have a great blog to pull ideas from.

Once you have the fundamental “less is often more” concept in mind, your next step is to figure out what you would like to light. Do don’t want to light up your entire yard so that it resembles a Las Vegas casino. If you try to highlight everything, then nothing is going to be special or stand out. Instead, you should think about which features you would like to show off, and then determine how you are planning on using specific outdoor areas. Choose a few selected features, make sure they are lighted well (in terms of fixture placement, appropriate beam spread, and light quality), and then think about how you would like to fill other areas in.

Make sure you consider the perspective that you will be looking from and viewing objects when you are thinking about lighting. For example, if you will be featuring a tree that is seen from every side, then one accent light is not going to give you the effect that you desire. You are going to need to have other lights on the other viewable sides as well.

Browse our Landscape Lighting Selection

How much light is needed for creating a nice outdoor environment?

Not too much if you just want to light objects in your yard. Just like with desk mounted, small task lamps, a little can go quite a long way when a small amount of light is placed exactly where it is needed. If overall light levels are kept low, then the contrast in between shadow and light of a highlighted outdoor feature will create a very dramatic effect.

For a favorite outdoor reading area, you can place a spot over a pergola or in a tree, and then direct the light over your shoulder and down. For outdoor entertaining and dining, you don’t need lots of light. There are numerous ways that you can use light to create a fun summer entertainment center, especially in Houston. Ultimately, what you want to do is create a relaxed and casual mood for your outdoor area.

Be sure to contact us or give us a call for all your Outdoor Lighting needs, also read the conclusion of this article!