Looking to jazz up your yard for this season’s summer festivities? A little outdoor lighting can go a long way! From fancy patios to tree-lined country yards, the right outdoor lighting can help you meet an array of needs, including illumination that makes tasks easier, sets the mood, and keeps your family and guests safe.

Cooking and entertaining festivities held outside after dark need lighting that is convenient and safe. Practical and economical, wall mounted lights can meet an array of needs, providing focused task lighting for…

Carriage lanterns can help define patio and walkway edges, lighting the path to doors and entryways and illuminating obstacles such as stairs and garden beds.

Parameter lights offer form and function, adding a decorative element, but more importantly, when properly placed at key points in your yard, add guidance to entry and exit points on your property.

Mixed lighting can create a truly magical effect throughout your property. Professional installation can save you time and money, conveniently planning and tapping into preexisting electrical lines.

To easily control brightness levels according to time or mood, you may wish to consider adding dimmers to newly installed or existing outdoor lighting.

Make plants and landscaping pop with LED illuminated planting pots. Far from the average run-of-the-mill flower pot, these amazing lights not only make plants pop, but radiate high level outdoor light, making them an excellent choice for walkways.

Not just for holiday lighting anymore, string lights can add sparkle and mood to any outdoor setting, such as trees, pergolas, arbors, posts, and furniture. They are also very effective when used to line railings, guiding guests along walkways.

From classic outdoor camping lanterns to fun craft finds, suspending lanterns from trees with fishing line can bring romance and magic to outdoor entertaining spaces. Battery operated or real tea lights make illumination a breeze, just be sure to keep candles a safe distance from leaves.

When choosing fixtures and bulbs for outdoor lighting options, consider energy saving LED options, which use up to 85 percent less energy than incandescents and up to 50 percent less energy than fluorescents. Hate changing outdoor bulbs? LEDs last more than 10 years on average - that's 25 times longer than incandescents and 2-5 times longer than fluorescents.

Solar lighting options are also an excellent choice, converting and storing the sun’s energy and coming in a variety of types and uses, including wall-mounted, lamppost, security lights, and lanterns. Be sure to check “nightly run times” on product labeling to ensure you have enough sunlight for operating solar lights in your area. Feeling crafty? Make a few solar decorative lights of your own.

Adding outdoor lighting to your property can be fun if it’s done properly and safely. Some installations may require running underground electrical cables, additional wiring within the walls of your home, the installation of fixtures, proper GFCI outlets, and more. Ensure all outdoor home electrical work is installed properly and safely by a licensed professional, using UL listed, weatherproof, safety compatible materials and devices.

Transform your space and take full advantage of your time outdoors. Contact Mr. Electric® and brighten up your yard with the latest in outdoor lighting today.

Since we covered outdoor lighting last time, this week we thought we would focus on lighting that you use more frequently. Everyone wants a house with good lighting. A bright house can fill you with energy or create a peaceful atmosphere. There are plenty of options out there for you if you are redoing your indoor lighting.

Pot lights are becoming a popular option in many homes over the last few years. Because pot lights are receded you can get a great “clean” look in any room. You can put many pot lights in one room without it looking busy or overwhelming. This also helps to give great light coverage from corner to corner.

In February we talked about adding a new chandelier to your home. This is a fantastic option for those with a big open space. A chandelier can bring the room together and look great. If you pick out the right one you can also add tons of light to a dark space. For those of you looking for something above and beyond this could be the right option.

Ceiling fans offer both functionality and aesthetics. We previously discussed the efficiencies’ of having a ceiling fan during the summer to keep your home cool. With a ceiling fan you can turn down your thermostat and let the fan regulate the air. Ceiling fans also come in a wide variety of styles, ensuring that there is one for every room. If you have an upper level room that is just getting too warm during the summer months, a ceiling fan is perfect for you.

Track lighting used to be bulky and unattractive. But the design has significantly improved over the years. Now you can find sleek designs with a combination of heads and lights. Track lighting allows you to focus the lights in the places that need it most. In a living room you can create a cool environment, or in a kitchen you can brighten up a workspace.

Each one of these lighting options can fit a different space. Take a look at your room and think about what works best for you.

LED cove lighting is a great way to add accent lighting or color to any room, and LED strip lights are the perfect product for the job. LED strip lights can be used for any type of RGB LED strip lights, you can choose from a ton of dynamic color-changing and single-color modes with adjustable brightness and speed control. variable color temperature strips are also available and can be used with a compatible controller and remote. Installing LED cove lighting is easy, and we’ve provided basic instructions for a standard L cove, recessed ceiling/tray ceiling cove, or crown molding cove in a 16-by-16-foot room. We recommend that you have a certified electrician wire your strip lights to power.

Tools and Optional Materials:

The way you install the strips or even the number of strips used might vary depending on the room size or the style, shape, and size of your cove. The steps and materials needed for this particular installation could be used in a room with a standard L cove, crown molding cove, or recessed ceiling/tray ceiling cove. The photos below show several different cove types.

DIY “L” Cove

Valence Cove

Crown Molding Cove

8) If desired, use a double-sided 3M foam pad to mount the amplifier in the middle of strips 1 and 3. Cut the foam pad, and use it for both amplifiers.

9) Repeat steps 6-8 for strips 2 and 4.

10) If you are experienced, connect your power supply to power. Otherwise, hire a certified electrician to set up power for your new LED cove lighting.