The organization of a functional, productive and at the same time aesthetically attractive lighting system is included in the basic list of works on the improvement of the territory adjacent to the house. Lighting design, subject to a competent approach, poses not only questions of a utilitarian nature, but also echoes the tasks of expressing the architectural and design advantages of an object. Traditional lights with spotlights, in any case, will perform the key functions of the system. However, balanced street lighting also affects small stylistic nuances in the context and landscape design.
Why choose LEDs?
This technology is not the first year mastered by both ordinary homeowners and industrial enterprises. In the process of acquaintance and the first experience in operating LED-lamps, many advantages are discovered, including high energy saving (more than 50% efficiency compared to traditional lamps), durability (service life more than 10 years), wide control options, environmental friendliness and compactness.
The main disadvantages are associated with price tags and unnatural color rendering. However, the latter factor is manifested to a greater degree at workplaces, when office employees, for example, have to spend many hours in contact with LED lamps. But LED street lighting in this respect is harmless and may well replace incandescent lamps and halogen devices. Moreover, it is the format of compact diodes that is advantageous for use in landscape design due to minimal heating of the case. This makes it possible to safely install devices even on trees and in the thickets of shrubs without the risk of fire.
Types of illumination at the place of application
Immediately it is necessary to distinguish between a class of high-grade lighting devices and specifically lighting devices. The first are distinguished by high power, large buildings and the task to be solved in the form of coverage of a large target zone. The backlight as such does not aim at serving a specific area. As a rule, such funds are used for decorative purposes. In this regard, it is possible to distinguish devices used for facades, pools, the same vegetation, architectural structures, etc. That is, street lighting directs radiation to specific objects, making them noticeable in the dark. There is also a separate group of devices designed for the lighting of tracks and other functional elements of the site.
Ribbons as the most common highlight
The device is a flexible base strip of small width, on the surface of which SMD diodes are placed. The design includes resistors that limit the characteristics of the current, and RGB controllers that allow you to adjust the color glow in one mode or another. For a landscape designer, this option may be interesting for reasons of compactness and wide possibilities of use. The standard use of the tape is as a street illumination of building facades . The strip is attached to the base with the help of special brackets or with a self-adhesive method in one or another configuration of the arrangement of circuits, connected to a power source and, if necessary, is provided with additional protection. By the way, for use in the open air it is advisable to initially purchase tapes with a protection class of at least IP65. Such products are insulated from moisture, dust and dirt.
Pros and cons of LED strips
The main advantage of this type of LED circuit will be to provide a sufficient backlight effect (in terms of brightness, contrast, radiation depth, etc.) with miniature dimensions. In the design of the site with technical functional devices, whether it is safety equipment or sound equipment, it is always important to comply with the requirements for camouflage. And in this case, it also remains relevant. Properly organized street lighting will create the desired visual image of the same facade in the evening and at night, but will be invisible during the day. As for the shortcomings, the main one is the impossibility of switching the tape from the backlight mode to the format of a full-fledged lamp. Still, low power performance limits the operational capabilities of such devices.
Laser devices
Externally, such devices resemble floodlights. The laser illumination unit is based on RGB LED elements projecting blue, green and red shades along a wavelength in the range from 450 to 650 nm. Typically, manufacturers program such installations on specific topics. The projection can reflect on the facade plot illustrations from fairy tales and famous works, neutral floral compositions, etc. Street laser illumination is placed at any point that is advantageous in terms of the direction of the beam. There are models for installation on the ground, fixing on the wall, as well as suspension structures. The choice should also take into account the covered area with optimal indentation. For example, from a distance of 15-20 m, an average power device can cover an area of 150 m 2 .
Solar powered lights
One of the most unpleasant stages of the organization of external lighting is the technical support of power lines. This is not just a troublesome stage, but also a complicated operation in terms of choosing the optimal cable management loops in terms of supporting their security and secrecy. Therefore, street lighting of the house and the site based on solar batteries is increasingly being used. These are the same lighting devices, but their source of energy is not a 220 V network or generators, but a built-in battery that stores energy during daylight hours. Sunlight is converted into current, which powers the device at night. It turns out a fully autonomous backlight that does not require special laying of network communications.
New technologies - what to look for?
It will be irrational to create a backlight torn off from the main lighting system . LEDs can be combined into a common integrated network, for which cable management is also not required. Communication can be provided via Wi-Fi or other radio modules. But communication in this case is needed not for food, but for the convenience of integrated management. The same setting for operating modes, projected images or individual glow characteristics can be programmed depending on the time of day, weather conditions and other factors. Sensors are also widely used, which also in some way optimize the process of controlling street lighting, responding to movements in the served area or to changes in temperature conditions.
Finally
How effective the organized system will be depends not only on the choice of the concept of its implementation. Much will be decided by the quality of devices, which, as already mentioned, are not cheap. Chinese inexpensive products should be discarded immediately. Really durable and stable in working properties street lighting of buildings is present in the lines of Philips and Osram companies. Alternatively, we can recommend domestic enterprises that manufacture devices based on components of the above-mentioned companies, but this choice should be made only as a last resort. Responsible modules, controllers and control units should also be purchased only from large manufacturers.