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LED bollard lights are one of many ways that you can use outdoor lighting to increase safety and add flow to an area. Whether you are interested in implementing driveway bollard lights at home or commercial bollard lights along paths of commercial properties, this article will help with the ins and outs of outdoor bollard lights.
What Are Bollard Lights?
A bollard light is a short, often wide, outdoor light fixture whose primary use is to light up patios, pathways and other such areas outdoors. Bollard light fixtures are fixed in the ground and commonly have a bollard lamp at the top of the fixture. Sometimes, these lights are placed along the sides of areas.
Why Are Bollard Lights Important?
Illuminated bollards serve a crucial purpose outdoors, which is showing the path to be taken toward a building or other area or feature. This not only improves safety in the area, but bollards can also add visual appeal.
Using bollard path lights, you can easily outline winding pathways as simply as you can indicate the start and end of a straight sidewalk. These can give a sense of unity to your outdoor space while also making it feel more comfortable for guests to walk around in.
How Do Exterior Bollard Lights Enhance Security and Safety?
When you install modern bollard lights around your home or business, you are eliminating dark, shadowy spots that other lights in the surrounding areas might not cover. In so doing, you are leaving fewer shadows for intruders to creep around in. Someone is less likely to approach a property and sneak onto it uninvited when it is lit up so well that they can be seen.
Not only can it make it easier for you to look out of your own window and see someone out there, but your neighbors will be better prepared to see your property and alert you to any suspicious activity you might not see.
On an individual level, a modern bollard fixture can make navigating a pathway safer for guests. With a path well lit using short bollard lights close to the ground, people can feel more secure in every step they take down the path without fear of tripping over something.
How Can You Use Bollard Lights at Home?
Besides lighting up garden paths or footpaths leading up to your house, you can also use concrete, metal or wooden bollard lights in other ways.
- PATIO AND ENTERTAINMENT AREAS. Due to the nature of bollard lights, they are excellent for marking off various zones of outdoor spaces. One way to do this is to include them around sitting areas outdoors to indicate the perimeter of the space. Not only can this provide an attractive seating area with ample lighting, but it could also improve the overall aesthetic of the space.
- NATURAL FEATURES. Using bollard lights near trees, shrubs or other focal points in the garden can draw attention to the area and make them stand out more.
- THE DRIVEWAY. One of the most popular ways to use bollard lights is to place them along the perimeter of your driveway. Bollard lights along a driveway can clearly mark where the edges and ends of the driveway are. This can help guests who aren’t familiar with the home to park their vehicles without running over your grass.
How To Choose The Best Bollard Lights
When choosing bollards for your driveway, there are a few things to consider before purchasing. Much like any other kind of light, bollards share as many differences with one another as they do similarities.
- From concrete to metal to wooden bollard lights, there is a vast array of bollard light materials to choose from. The material that you opt for will depend mostly on personal preference. That said, you should also consider the surrounding aesthetic of the space, including the materials of other outdoor lights.
- Since these bollards will be constantly exposed to the elements, it is crucial that you choose lights that can withstand the exposure. Alongside choosing high quality fixtures made from hardwearing materials, you should also pay attention to the IP rating.
IP ratings stand for Ingress Protection ratings, and they indicate a light’s ability to protect itself against moisture and debris. For outdoor spaces, it is recommended that you choose lights with an IP65 rating to be extra safe. Still, you can also get away with lights rated around IP44.
- One of the benefits of LED lighting is the ability to choose the brightness levels. Brightness is measured in lumens instead of wattage when it comes to LED bulbs. By choosing higher or lower lumens levels, you can decide the atmosphere and mood of the area.
- COLOUR TEMPERATURE. Choosing a cool colour temperature can help make the outdoor space feel brighter and crisper, which is important, especially if you are mostly installing these bollards for safety’s sake.
Why Choose LED Bulbs for Bollard Lights?
LED lights have many benefits that have made them increasingly popular as the years go on. Some of these benefits include:
- LONG LASTING. As opposed to the 1,000 hours or so that traditional bulbs offer, LED bulbs tend to have a minimum of 20,000 hours of life before needing a change.
- Because you will need to buy new lights less frequently, you will not have to spend as much time on their maintenance.
- LOWER COST. Not only does buying fewer lights decrease the amount of money you spend on your bollards, but they also use less energy. Traditional bulbs output most of their energy as heat, whereas LED bulbs output most of it as light.
- ENERGY EFFICIENT. The energy efficient nature of LED lights also makes them more environmentally friendly, reducing your carbon footprint. They also use less electricity, which can reduce the cost of your energy bills.
How To Use Bollard Lighting Outdoors
- CHOOSE A LAYOUT. Before installing the lights, you should decide how you want to lay them out. You should look at the overall shape of your driveway to think about how many lights you might need.
- CHOOSE THE RIGHT BRIGHTNESS. You will likely need brighter lighting in commercial areas and less brightness in domestic areas.
- CHOOSE THE BEST MATERIALS. Depending on the fixtures in the area, you may want to match them to the other lights. You may also want to use them to provide an accent in an area.
- DECIDE ON THE COLOUR TEMPERATURE. As mentioned, warm and cool lights each have their place. In outdoor settings, depending on where you place the lights, it can come down to simple preference.
How Can You Use Bollard Lights in a Commercial Setting?
Bollard lights can be used in various ways to light outdoor commercial settings. These include:
- Along pathways leading up to and around the perimeter of the building
- In the garden areas of a hotel to make them easier to navigate
- In the entrances and exits of car parks
- In the entrances of hotels or office buildings
Can You Install Bollard Lights on Your Own?Â
Since bollard lights will connect to a mains power supply more often than not, it is recommended that you have a professional electrician handle this for you. Otherwise, you risk electrocution with improper installation.
Ideas For Outdoor Bollard Lights
Sleek and simple, the LFL006 5 Watt 450mm Tall Black LED Bollard Light is a modern bollard light for your outdoor space. It features a smooth cylindrical post that has a smaller cylindrical diffuser on top, softening the 500 lumens of 3000k warm white light that it outputs. The light has an IP65 rating, making it ideal for outdoor placement.
The LFL010 9 Watt 450mm Tall Black LED Bollard Light features a cylindrical black body that has a small circular diffuser at the top. It stands 450 millimetres tall, making it ideal for footpaths. The light outputs 800 lumens of 3000k warm white light and is great for outdoor applications with its IP65 rating.
Tall and thin, the LFL026 10 Watt 700mm Tall Black LED Bollard Light is a modern bollard light that is particularly well suited for lighting footpaths and driveways. It features a flat disc head that shines light directly down onto the ground. The light outputs 900 lumens of 3000k warm white light, making it quite bright. It has an IP65 rating.
Shine a light directly down onto a path or drive with the LFL062 12 Watt 600mm Tall Twin Black Spotlight LED Bollard Light. This light features two heads that shine down at an angle, outputting 1000 lumens of total light. It offers bright light that shines at a warm 3000k color temperature. The fitting is protected from the elements with its IP65 rating.
Different from most post-style bollard lights, the LFL051 4 Watt LED Modern Outdoor Path Lighting Fitting has an artistic flair to it. It features a rectangular shape with slits up the sides that shine light out onto the path in a wavy X-shape. This light shines 400 lumens of 3000k warm white light and has an IP65 rating.