The alfresco areas on your property may be open-to-the-sky, semi-enclosed or entirely covered. These spaces add to the expanse and functionality of the indoor spaces and make your yard more functional. Having an outdoor feature like a patio or deck is a great way to make optimum use of the outdoor areas on your property.

But you also need to have the right type of lighting systems installed, if you want to use these areas optimally after dark as well. When you are getting your patio designed and installed, it’s a good idea to get the outdoor lighting planned and installed as well.

A skilled and experienced electrician will be able to provide ideas and designs on the type of lighting installations that can be added to your yard spaces. When you have well-illuminated outdoor areas on your property, you are more encouraged to use them and it adds to the safety of your home as well. Here are some tips to light up your patio and garden spaces:

The right type of lighting can have a significant impact on the way the spaces look. Even the most well-designed and well-installed patios and landscapes can look lack-lustre and drab if they aren’t illuminated well. Outdoor lighting is about getting the mood and ambience right. A skilled electrician would be able to advice you on which types of fittings and fixtures, colours, placement and sizes will complement the look of your home and the landscaping. There are a number of different types of light fixtures that can be installed on your patio, such as:

As you can see, there are a number of different types of lighting that can be added to the patio and garden space to add to their functionality and aesthetics and create the right mood and ambience.

Under-Cabinet LED Lighting Kit is available for purchase that contains a plug-and-play LED light strip, push-button dimmer, remote, 12V power supply, and connection accessories. If you want to build a custom kit, follow the steps below the diagram to ensure that you get everything you need.

3. Select a dimmer or controller

For single-color LED strip light setup

Select the power supply large enough to operate the amount of LED strip light you need to use. If you want to control the brightness of your light strips, you will need a Single-color dimmer shown installed with a non-dimmable power supply

For color-changing LED strip light setup

Follow the instructions above for the single-color light strip setup. However, instead of a dimmer, use a RGB color-changing light strip installation

4. Use an LED amplifier for long runs of strip

Depending on the strip chosen and its maximum run (the number of strips that can be installed consecutively before needing amplifiers), you will need to install an light strip interconnect cables. It is best to purchase a length of strip that is more than your application requires. For example, if your project requires 8 1/2 feet of strip, we recommend purchasing 9 feet of strip to ensure that you have everything covered.

By Clarissa Allison | December 2nd, 2016

When it comes to choosing which manufacturers to represent, several things are taken into consideration. Longevity, reputation, variety of selection, and response time are all paramount. This week LouieLighting.com would like to introduce a manufacturing partner we are proud to showcase: RAB Lighting.

RAB Lighting has been a leading manufacturer of sustainable indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures since 1946. Their reputation is grounded in the finest manufacturing, supported by a growing infrastructure complete with sophisticated facilities and engineering capabilities. Known for its cutting edge product design, quality, and customer support, the company operates the 6 acre corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Northvale, New Jersey as well as locations in China, Taiwan and Malaysia, from where RAB is serving a constantly growing lighting market.

In 2002, RAB Lighting provided the Vaporproof fixtures which formed the Olympic Rings – this project resulted in the largest sign in history. What a feat! Accomplishments such as these demonstrate the pride and craftsmanship central to the brand.

If your old electrical panel is no longer functioning properly, it can be endangering your home and everything inside it. Read on for the various warning signs you should be looking out for.

Even an old electrical panel is an improvement over fuse boxes (these can no longer keep up with the energy demands of today’s households), but if it’s getting to be a bit too old, you may need to look into replacing it. The panel is responsible for taking power from the main line outside and directing it through your electrical system.

The electrical panel also disconnects circuits when there is too much current flowing through — this is what protects you from hazards like electrical fires and damaged appliances. If you’re not sure you need to replace your existing setup, we’ve put together some of the warning signs that will indicate whether or not it’s time to move on to a new panel: