Common in stadiums, parking lots, and other massive open areas, LED flood lights are high-intensity, broad-beam LED luminaries that provide sufficient illumination during low-light conditions. They basically flood the area with brightness, allowing you to enjoy the outdoors for a more extended period!
Although LED flood lights are primarily seen in sports events, there are models designed for residential and commercial properties. How can you use them to decorate and elevate your outdoor space?
Understanding LED Flood Lights
Because LED flood lights can produce an outstanding amount of luminance, it can be concerning to know how much they cost to run. Conventional flood lights may indeed be worrying, but an LED version is not! LED flood lights are powered by LED technology, which is known for being exceptionally energy-efficient.
LEDs can convert most of the electricity they consume into light, with a relatively small portion ending up as waste (heat). Because of this, even if they have a surprisingly lower wattage requirement, they can still produce remarkable illumination!
Furthermore, LED flood lights are longer-lasting than traditional lighting options. If a halogen flood light lasts 15,000 hours, an LED flood light can live up to about 50,000 hours—that’s more than double! So, if you are still using traditional flood lights or planning to buy new ones, always look for an LED version.
Choosing the Right LED Flood Light for Your Space
After you’ve decided to get an LED flood light, it’s time to filter your choices further and tailor them to your actual needs. What aspects should you consider?
Type of LED Flood Lights
Can you use the flood lights you see in stadiums in your backyard? Absolutely not, unless your backyard is a similar size as a massive football field! In a typical residential backyard, that amount of illumination will be too blinding and may disturb the neighbourhood. What type of LED flood light can you get and what is the most ideal for your space?
- Spotlight – this type has a more directional throw of light. It highlights gorgeous architectural structures, unique backyard elements, and plants. You can also use it for façade lighting.
- Dusk to Dawn – this flood light is designed with photocells, enabling it to automatically switch on once the sun goes down. It can double as security lighting!
- Parking Lot Light – this type is more intense and suitable for massive areas like parking lots.
- Wall-Mounted – this flood light is specifically installed on the wall. It’s perfect for perimeter lighting.
- Ground-Mounted – unlike a wall-mounted flood light, this variation stays on the ground. It’s suited for pathway or driveway lighting.
Key Features
To narrow it further, you must check the technical features, particularly the lumens, colour temperature, beam angle and IP rating.
- Lumens: this indicates the brightness level of the flood light. The bigger the area, the higher the lumens requirement.
- Colour Temperature: this describes the appearance of light. Typically, you’ll have cool white, natural white and warm white. For the sports arena and parking lots, cool white or natural white are perfect because they are clear and brilliant. For decks and outdoor lounges, it’s better to use warm white as it makes the space cosier and welcoming.
- Beam Angle: this specifies the spread of the light beam. The wider the angle, the softer the glow. The thinner it gets, the more concentrated the ray. A wide beam angle is perfect for general lighting, whereas a slimmer beam angle is ideal for spotlighting.
- IP Rating: this determines whether or not you can use the fixture outside. LED flood lights should have at least an IP65 rating. Anything below that is not water-resistant enough to survive the harsh outdoors!
Creative Design Ideas Using LED Flood Lights
What can you do with LED flood lights? How can it creatively enhance the visual appeal of your outdoors?
Highlight Architectural Features
If your home or building has a unique structure, texture, or colour, you can accentuate it to boost curb appeal. Either use the wall-washing technique or highlight specific elements like an intricately detailed column or exceptional tile work.
If you choose wall washing, consider wide-beamed flood lights for a softer, more feathered glow and line the units a few inches off the wall. For highlighting, pick thinner beam angles to draw attention to the design!
Landscape Lighting
If your backyard or building rooftop is filled with greenery, you can elevate its beauty with LED flood lights. You can put an LED flood light at the bottom of a tree or planter to create fairytale-like shadows.
Say you also have other garden features like a bird bath or fountain. You can put flood lights underneath to showcase them and add more dimensions. Just be careful with light placement if you have statues. The shadows may create a different image if not placed correctly!
Pathway Lighting and Driveway Lighting
The last thing you want is to trip and fall when walking in your backyard and making your way to your driveway. Ground-mounted LED flood lights with a wide beam angle can ensure that the walkway is safe and well-lit!
Security Lighting
Some LED flood light models have sensors. You can try a dust-to-dawn LED flood light so your backyard will automatically be illuminated when the sun goes down, or you can get an LED flood light with a microwave sensor so it only switches on when it detects movement. Both will immediately upgrade your property’s security if you position LED flood lights throughout the perimeter.
Conclusion
While LED flood lights are not your usual go-to for creative lighting, they can produce ingenious results that will take your breath away! They are energy-efficient, long-lasting, and cost-effective, and they come in different variations suitable for various applications!
Where can you find premier-grade LED flood lights? On our website, Simple Lighting! Besides the LED flood lights, we also have a comprehensive selection of indoor, outdoor and commercial lighting solutions.
