led outdoor lighting raleigh Archives - Page 4 of 10 - Lite Visions- Landscape Lighting Experts in Raleigh & Eastern NC

Let there be light

A typical evening lighting demonstration for Lite Visions consists of myself arriving at my clients home an hour or so before dusk to set up some lighting and then waiting for dusk to call the clients to come out after touching up a few fixtures.

This isn’t a Clark Griswold moment. It is a real life moment several times a week. Walking onto their porch to gaze out at what they can now see thru their window to the back yard.

It’s a different kind of wow, with subtle lights illuminating plants’ structure, texture and color. The landscape takes on a new dimension when lighting is properly placed and expertly installed. The homes architecture seems to come to life as the sun sets.

Then after settling on the total design and setting a date the real install happens. I have had clients invite their friends and neighbors over to see not only the demo but to wait with anticipation for the first night of the outdoor lighting to be turned on. Sometimes even sitting around the fire pit with wine.

What I’ve found with my clients is, lighting is contagious with them as well as their friends and neighbors.

Once we light up the front of the house, they want to light up the back or the sides, or the entry or tree that they love. Then the neighbors want outdoor lighting as well after looking over at how great their next door neighbors backyard now looks from their deck.

Landscape lighting technology has evolved significantly in the last five to seven years. More recently the availability of cost-effective LED lighting makes operating landscape lights efficient and easy on the wallet.

LED lights, they’re not going to have to change a bulb for 30,000 to 50,000 hours, and they’re happy about that

Clients who would have possibly only wanted lighting from dusk to midnight are now able to leave their outdoor lighting on all evening with no electricity bill concerns.

Call Lite Visions Today and see why we are trusted by so many Triangle area homeowners 919-518-9900

Lite Visions landscape lighting proudly designs and installs American made lighting fixtures and transformers

Posted on January 3, 2020January 3, 2020 by admin in Landscape Lighting, Outdoor Lighting, outdoor lighting professionals raleigh

Lite Visions landscape lighting proudly designs and installs american made outdoor lighting fixtures and transformers. we install only the best outdoor landscape lighting fixtures and transformers available to the outdoor lighting professional and this makes it possible are to really stand behind our installations. Using cheap inferior Chinese products might make us more profit,but in the long run we prefer to give the client better Value and not have to unnecessarily return to the job site.

On a low voltage lighting system the low voltage transformer is the heart and soul of the system,feeding and regulating proper current to the lighting fixtures .

The 2nd most important item in the system is that the LED lamps have proper heat syncs to allow heat in their enclosed lighting fixture to be at a minimum, some cheap inferior LED lamps DO NOT ALLOW PROPER COOLING and operate at temperatures that might cause early lamp failures.

The LED lamps Lite Visions installs have been tested over and over in the field and operate at much cooler temperatures than their competition.

Lite Visions also builds value by using some of the best water tight connections in the outdoor lighting industry to help avoid problems arising from connections. Lite Visions Landscape Lighting cares first and foremost about building client relationships because we are passionate about our long lasting and worry free lighting designs.

Why retrofit your old outdoor landscape lighting system with energy saving LED lamps?

Posted on January 2, 2020January 2, 2020 by admin in Landscape Lighting, Outdoor Lighting, outdoor lighting professionals raleigh

Green friendly:

LED lights “are on track to cut power consumption for lighting… by over 40 percent.” That would provide annual savings of more than $20 billion for consumers and businesses within a decade. And that in turn would reduce U.S. CO2 emissions by some 100 million metric tons a year.

Money Saving:

As LED Lamps are long lasting ,avg lamp life of 50,000 hours the saving alone on not having to relamp every year or so over the lifetime of outdoor lighting is a huge savings itself.

Little to no heat:

Led lamps produce little to no heat and therefore do not attract insects or pose any risk of hazards that hot halogen lamps could produce when surrounded by mulch and pine straw etc.

Less power consumption:

Led lamps will cost you way less to leave your outdoor lighting system on from dusk to dawn then if you were just using your lighting from dusk till midnight. I personally hate giving money to the power company.

High Quality LED bulbs:

Poor quality, cheap lamps don’t last long. My experience is that if you install quality lamps they do last. Some of my LED bulbs are more than 8 years old and still going strong.

Most landscape lighting customers quickly understand the benefits of converting from halogen to LED, lighting professionals say.

For example, most LEDs have a five-year manufacturer warranty.

Voltage drop:

Most old, all halogen lamped systems installed have some sort of voltage issues,when retrofitting with LED lamps most of these systems that might have a 300 to 100 watt transformer will have their total power consumption lowered to less than half.

Call Lite Visions today to speak with us about upgrading your old lighting system to energy saving all LED lamps

PROFESSIONAL OUTDOOR LANDSCAPE LIGHTING IS NOT CHEAP!CHEAP OUTDOOR LANDSCAPE LIGHTING IS NOT GOOD

Posted on December 31, 2019January 1, 2020 by admin in Landscape Lighting, Outdoor Lighting

Professional outdoor landscape lighting is not cheap, and Cheap outdoor landscape lighting is not good.

I work with an interior designer who says “Do it right and you only cry once”. My outdoor lighting designs include seeing the effects not the light source.I work with many different types of fixtures, lamps,color temperatures,filters and shields. Along with Professional lighting that lasts a very long time.

Examples of a few BAD lighting installations Lite Visions took out and redid for the homeowners.

Big box store lighting kits are JUNK,come with horrible non water tight connectors that pierce your wire which is the worst thing to do.They come with poor lighting fixtures that start falling apart and come with a not good transformer.

Maintenance is a must,I can’t tell you how many old installs I get called to look at where a fixture or cable has grown into a tree.Old wires and bad connections that do no longer provide proper voltage to the lights.

Lite Visions, when you want it done right the first time Call Us.

FROM LIGHTING THE STARS TO LIGHTING UNDER THE STARS

Posted on September 16, 2019September 6, 2019 by admin in Landscape Lighting

My decision to open an outdoor lighting design firm came naturally to me,coming from a concert lighting design background for many years.

I worked with bands from local area bands to arena acts from Kool and the Gang, to Whitney Houston to Tim Mcgraw, Alan Jackson and many more concert acts to the Christmas sensation the Trans Siberian Orchestra as a lighting technician.

a few memories from my many years of touring in the music industry

CREATE A STUNNING BACKDROP WITH OUTDOOR LIGHTING

Posted on September 13, 2019September 6, 2019 by admin in Landscape Lighting

As a lighting design professional we take pride in painting a scene with our outdoor lighting designs.

Here are a few photos from nighttime outdoor lighting installs where we created a backdrop to the property in the evening as well as outlining the changes in elevation with beautiful outdoor landscape lighting.

This outdoor lighting will not only create safety and security for the homeowner, but will also give them some nice soft outdoor lighting to be able to enjoy sitting out in the backyard into the evening hours without having the floodlights light up the yard too brightly.

Call Us Today 919-518-9950 to see your yard and home in a whole new light.

Light Visions Outdoor Lighting and Landscape Lighting Raleigh NC

WHAT IS OUTDOOR SECURITY LIGHTING & WHY IS IT IMPORTANT

Posted on September 11, 2019September 6, 2019 by admin in Landscape Lighting

OUTDOOR SECURITY LIGHTING RALEIGH

Security lighting should provide security by discouraging trespassers. A well-lit home is less likely to be broken into.

Outdoor landscape lighting adds beauty and dimension to a home. Lighting is also an integral part of an effective home security system. Outdoor security lighting discourages would-be intruders from targeting your home by increasing the risk of being caught. The best lighting design allows physical detection and facial recognition minimizes hiding spots and increases your sense of safety.

You don’t have to light your home like a football field to feel safe. Over-illumination with floodlights pointed all over can draw unwanted attention to valuable items in your home or business and can cause light pollution. In this guide, we offer an overview of security lighting and simple tips to help you identify potential safety and security risks, select the best security lights, and determine their placement to ensure your safety and security.

A 2007 Washington Post article found burglars search for homes that appear to be unoccupied. Lighting adds an element of surprise and establishes an occupancy pattern that deters intruders from targeting a home in the first place. Residents that use outdoor lighting as part of their security plan significantly decrease their chances of being burglarized.

The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) further explains that good security lighting anticipates potential threats and predators, and increases the means necessary to commit a crime, discouraging would-be criminals from breaking into a home. This security approach is known as target hardening. In other words, the longer it takes to plan and execute a break in, the less likely criminals are to target that home. According to the IES, home security lighting must have the following aims:

Provide a clear view of the area; including people and objects such as fences, walls and barriers
Allow facial recognition at a minimum distance of 30 feet
Make tasks such as finding your keys, retrieving the mail, or walking the dog easier and safer
Help people avoid criminal threats and/or defend themselves when a threat is perceived
Enhance your sense of safety when spending time outdoors

Call us Today 919-518-9950 Lite Visions Outdoor Lighting and Landscape Lighting Professionals Raleigh NC

Creating a private escape in your backyard with outdoor lighting.

Posted on September 9, 2019September 5, 2019 by admin in Landscape Lighting, Outdoor Lighting

CREATING A PRIVATE ESCAPE IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD

Beautiful landscaping, a backyard patio area, and a water feature already highlight your backyard space. Perhaps even a walled privacy fence with some beautiful plant material in front of it. Could life be any better?The answer is yes, with outdoor landscape lighting you cannot only enjoy that area into the evening hours, but with the right lighting, you can create your own personal backyard escape.Imagine walking down your newly illuminated pathway with a glass of wine enjoying the moonlit effect heading down to the softly lit gazebo to chill out and listen to the crickets and frogs singing beside the now artfully highlighted bridge over your water feature.You sit back, enjoy your glass of wine and ask yourself why you did not do this eight years ago. Life is good in your new private backyard escape.

BUILDING A NEW HOME? MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE THE LED LIGHTING OPTION

Posted on August 25, 2019August 21, 2019 by admin in Landscape Lighting

I did a home and garden show recently and spoke to a lot of couples who were building homes. When we started talking about things they were doing I was surprised to find out LED lighting isn’t a standard in every home built today. I can’t imagine installing landscape lighting today with the old, not efficient halogen light bulbs that do not last. With most LED manufactures giving a warranty of 5 years or 50,000 hours I can’t imagine why LED lamps are not required and why the old very un-efficient halogen can lights used in most homes are still installed in this day. If you are building or remodeling a home, please do yourself a favor and ask the builder or electrician about the many LED options available from can lights to very nice track lighting and wall sconces. Visit a professional lighting showroom and have them go over the options with you. Most LED sources are also able to work with dimmers and if you are installing a beautiful stone fireplace, do yourself a favor and have them install some LED track lighting just above the stone with the lights focused down along the stone. There are also many nice outdoor LED fixtures for garages and floodlights. There is ever a very interesting LED candle flame effect that looks really nice in the outdoor lantern type fixtures. Do yourself a favor and use energy-saving green friendly LED lights in your home and watch the power bill go down.

https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/save-electricity-and-fuel/lighting-choices-save-you-money/

LED RETROFIT INTO OLDER OUTDOOR LANDSCAPE LIGHTING SYSTEMS RALEIGH

Posted on August 22, 2019August 21, 2019 by admin in Landscape Lighting

Sometimes I will get a phone call from a customer in the Raleigh asking if it is possible to come and look at their 15 year old landscape lighting system in and around the Raleigh area and possibly retrofit it to the new LED bulbs. I am always glad to come look at an older existing system as long as it is a professionally installed system with professional landscape lighting fixtures and not some of the big box store lighting that someone installed themselves. If the light fixtures are high grade materials and there is an existing professional transformer in place and the wiring and connectors are still in good shape, it is possible to upgrade an older landscape lighting system to the new energy saving and green friendly LED bulbs. There are many options available ,from just retrofitting the existing fixtures with drop in LED lamps,to redoing the system’s connections,updating wiring and installing the new long lasting LED chip on board landscape lighting fixtures. Some of these nice fixtures even have a variable wattage and focus on the fixture.