exterior entry lighting
Entry lighting is important to safely illuminate the way in and out of our homes, or to illuminate nearby signs or some building details.
Using more than one Light
Pay attention to the lighting level in your home’s entry. Do not exaggerate, and do not concentrate the light in one single very bright fixture. Do not bet on uniform light levels.
The best solution is usually to use several low light level fixtures - instead of just one very bright fixture.
Using just one fixture causes sharp lighting contrasts, glare and excess exposure of the entry to other people’s eyes; using several fixtures with low levels of lighting, will let you put the light where it is most needed (by doorways or stairs, or signs...); and will also help you to get a more evenly distributed lighting, energy savings and increased safety.
Using a timer
Timers can be very useful in exterior entry lighting. They can switch automatically the entry lights on/off at sunset/sunrise, and in the case of some models even to adjust that switching to daylight variation.
Shielded (or directional) lighting
Using shielded fixtures - or directional lights like LEDs – can be advantageous in entry lighting solutions. Unshielded fixtures using traditional bulbs disperse the light into the dark of the night - becoming a cause of glare, electricity waste and light pollution - instead of focusing it in the right spots.
See: Shielded Lighting
The amount of light
Bet on a soft lighting for the entry area and its key points. Excessive contrast between the dark of the night and the illuminated entry areas of a home is undesirable.
An excessively lit entry is a cause of glare and will cause a more difficult eye adaptation. A very bright entry makes its surroundings appear darker. A contrast ratio of less than 5 to 1 is often recommended.
Design Questions
Before deciding your final entry lighting solution, consider some basic points involving aesthetics, functionality, energy efficiency or maintenance.
Follow your style and taste but bet also on low glare, even light distribution, low contrast, reduced light levels and adequate delivery of the light to the right spots. And do not forget maintenance and running costs, that is, energy efficiency.
Energy efficiency
Halogen flood and other incandescent lights can cost you a fraction of, say, CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps), but they will have annual operating costs amounting several times those of CFLs. Privileging the first cost is often a big mistake.
Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) and LEDs (Light Emitting Diod) are the most energy efficient entry lights.
Avoiding light pollution
Excessive light of the entry of a building is a source of light pollution.
See: Outdoor Lighting
See also: