Garden lighting is a fundamental aspect of making our outdoor space welcoming, safe and attractive.
But how many lumens are needed to achieve the right balance between aesthetics and efficiency?
In this article, we'll explore what lumens are, why it's important to have the right amount, what the difference is between lumens and watts, and what lumens are recommended for the garden.
What are Lumens?
Lumens are a measure of the light intensity produced by a light source, that is, they represent the amount of visible light emitted by a lamp or light device. Contrary to popular belief, lumens do not represent energy consumption, but rather the quantity of light actually produced.
The Importance of Lumens
Having the right amount of lumens in garden lighting is important for various reasons.
First of all safety, having correct lighting helps prevent accidents such as trips and falls during the night, in fact the passage areas should be illuminated with at least 100-200 lumens per square meter.
Secondly aesthetics, adequate lighting can improve the appearance of the garden, highlighting architectural details, trees and flowers. In fact, a creative use of lumens can create suggestive atmospheres.
Finally for functionality, because for specific activities, such as reading a book outdoors or having dinner in the garden, more adequate lighting is required, around 300-400 lumens per square meter.
Lumen difference and energy consumption
The confusion between lumens and energy consumption often stems from the fact that people commonly associate the brightness of a lamp or light device with the amount of energy it consumes. In fact, these two concepts are closely related, but they are not the same thing.
Lumens and Watts: lumens measure the amount of visible light emitted by a light source, while watts represent the power consumed by the lamp to produce that light. In the past, before the advent of LED lamps, it was possible to make a rough estimate of the light intensity of a lamp based on its power in watts.
Incandescent lamps, for example, were often associated with a power rating of 60 watts for standard ambient light. This association between watts and brightness led many people to think that lumens were a measure of energy consumption, but this is not the case. We explain this difference better in the article dedicated to the power ratio between Lumen and Watt.
Energy efficiency: modern LED lamps have made the association between watts and brightness obsolete.
LED lamps are much more energy efficient than traditional lamps. For example, a 10-watt LED lamp can produce the same amount of light or more than a 60-watt incandescent lamp. As a result, relying on watts to evaluate actual brightness is no longer accurate.
Solar garden lamps are also super efficient, we talked about it in more depth in this article.
How many lumens are needed for the garden?
To determine how many lumens are needed to illuminate a garden, it is important to consider various factors, including the size of the garden, the intended use, for example, whether it is only for decorative lighting or also for practical purposes such as passageways, and the personal preferences.
In general, to have good garden lighting, you can refer to the following guidelines:
Decorative lighting: 10-30 lumens per square meter.
Functional lighting (for example, paths and passage areas): 100-200 lumens per square meter.
Lighting for specific activities (for example, reading or dining): 300-400 lumens per square meter.
In conclusion, finding the right balance between quantity of lumen and environmental impact is essential to illuminate the garden effectively. Always choose modern and efficient solutions, such as LED lights and use the right amount of lumen based on the activity you are going to carry out in the garden!
Come and discover our garden lamps on our Diffusione Luce website!
Written by Alice Pruccoli