Looking for some thoughts on external lighting for side entry...

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Hello all.

I have a Semi-D but the entry at the side of the house has never had any external lighting. I want to add some.

The entry is about 7m long by 2m wide.

So, some options:
* Single or multiple lights?
* Switched or movement activated?
* LED or halogen?
* Timed or static?
* Lumens required?
* Fittings to be used for long life


Any advice or thoughts appreciated.
 
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For a 7m long space, two lights
Switched, or via a photocell so they are on when it's dark and off when not.
Halogen are obsolete so it's LED or nothing.
Timers are pointless, LEDs are so cheap to run a timer will save nothing.
Lumens - far less than most people expect.

2x 4watt LED fittings controlled via a photocell.
 
For a 7m long space, two lights
Switched, or via a photocell so they are on when it's dark and off when not.
Halogen are obsolete so it's LED or nothing.
Timers are pointless, LEDs are so cheap to run a timer will save nothing.
Lumens - far less than most people expect.

2x 4watt LED fittings controlled via a photocell.


Thanks!

The wattage tip is appreciated.
 
I'd go PIR rather than photocell (unless the lights are decorative rather than just functional) and wire it so switchgear gives options of off, PIR or on. Agree with the wattage thing, couple of 4w bulkheads or floods will be plenty.
 
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I agree with the above.

Also think about the shape and beam characteristics of the fixtures you choose in relation to the shape of the space. It's a long thin space, and presumably you're lighting it from the side wall, so spotlights are going to be pretty useless. Floodlights might be OK, but could be a problem if there's anything you wanted to avoid lighting up, like the neighbours windows. If you go down the bulkhead route, then make sure it's something angled or shielded rather than a traditional symmetrical bulkhead, otherwise you're wasting half your light to the sky (and causing light pollution)

I'm not recommending this specific product, I haven't tried them, but for your application it's the kind of thing I'd be looking for... https://www.universal-lighting.co.uk/products/black-angled-ip44-outdoor-led-bulkhead-light/
 
Also, what’s it for?
A couple of bulkheads at knee height would light the ground so a safe route could be followed.
A couple of bigger lights could illuminate the whole space but be way more intrusive
 
The entry is about 7m long by 2m wide.
I'd go PIR rather than photocell (unless the lights are decorative rather than just functional) and wire it so switchgear gives options of off, PIR or on.
With a 'long and thin' path like that, I think it would be difficult to position a PIR sensor so that it effectively detected people both when approaching and leaving the side door along that path.

PIRs essentially detect movement 'across' their field of view (not towards or away from the PIR). With a fairly narrow path, it would be difficult enough to achieve that for either people entering or leaving the side entrance, but I imagine that to achieve that for people moving in both of those directions with a single PIR detector could be next-to-impossible.

Kind Regards, John
 
With a 'long and thin' path like that, I think it would be difficult to position a PIR sensor so that it effectively detected people both when approaching and leaving the side door along that path.

From above.
 
From above.
I think it would have to be quite a long way 'above' to detect people at two ends of a 7m path and, in any event, when leaving the house they would probably have tripped over the unlit doorstep before any PIR could possibly have detected them!

If I were to try it, I think i would expect to have to have at least two PIR sensors (possibly more), and I doubt that it would be practical for any of them to be integrated PIR/light combos.

Kind Regards, John
 
To a PIR mounted on the wall above, people on the path below will always be walking "across" its field of view, not towards or away. Even if you need one near each end of the path, looking down will be best.

But I use a "permanently on" LED lamp because I have calculated that the cost of a photocell or PIR control, divided by its probable life, is not worthwhile.
 
To a PIR mounted on the wall above, people on the path below will always be walking "across" its field of view, not towards or away. Even if you need one near each end of the path, looking down will be best.
Sure, as I implied, 'low down' is going to be pretty useless with that narrow path. However, as I said, virtually no PIR, wherever placed, could reliably detect someone as they stepped out of the door and tripped over something, so ....
But I use a "permanently on" LED lamp because I have calculated that the cost of a photocell or PIR control, divided by its probable life, is not worthwhile.
I (and flameport) agree (well, not 'permanently on' but 'dusk to dawn')..

Kind Regards, John
 
Great replies so far, thanks to all.

Here is a snap of the dwg of the side of the house.
I have a gate at the front and will be adding a gate at the rear at some point.
The party wall is shown on the left.
The neighbours hse is a mirror of mine.

We use the space adjacent to the party wall to store our bins (x3) and coal/wood bunker so the are gets frequent traffic.

Power is available above the garage roof in the loft space.

I like the idea of two 4w lights. I don't want to dazzle the neighbourhood.
I also like dark skies so targeted down lights are preferred.

I like the idea of just lighting the path (great idea) but its a utility area as well so the lighting needs to be above head height.

Not so keen on a 24/7 on approach. I get the costs saving are nil but i am a child of the era of the halogen bulb.

Like PIR.
Like the photocell idea
Like the idea to have a on/off/auto switch but not sure how to do that.

A pair of ip44(?) Adjustable spot lights, led, 4w, with PIR and Photocell compatibility.

I saw in Lidl, a 20w on/off led unit and Aldi had a 10w PIR led unit.

Not available now but I've Amazon so I've something to look at now.

Is it worth spending much, or are they disposable when the LED bulb goes?


Screenshot_20220109-191249.jpg
 
Not so keen on a 24/7 on approach. I get the costs saving are nil but i am a child of the era of the halogen bulb. ... Like the photocell idea
Indeed. There's no need for literal "24/7", but 'dusk to dawn' (with a photocell) is a good compromise.

I've voiced my reservatioins about PIRs in your situation - the main one being that it is unlikley that one could detect you 'soon enough' when you were stepping out of the side door.
Like the idea to have a on/off/auto switch but not sure how to do that.
If you had to implement it yourself, it's easy enough (ask us if the issue arises) but many/.most PIRs have the facility that if one switch them 'off then on' in rapid succession, they switch into a 'permanently on' mode.
Is it worth spending much, or are they disposable when the LED bulb goes?
Opinions vary, but (after lots of bad experiences with expensive things) I personally tend to "buy cheap and replace if/when necessary"!

Kind Regards, John
 
Is it worth spending much, or are they disposable when the LED bulb goes?
If you buy 'integrated' fittings, then yes - the whole lot is scrapped when they fail. Not recommended, and if you have 2 of them, it's inevitable that when one fails, a matching replacement won't be available so it's either replace both or have two that don't match.

Other types are readily available where the lamp can be changed when needed, which also provides for situations where the lamp selected ends up being too bright / too dim, or the wrong colour, etc.

8W of LED lights on a dusk-dawn sensor will cost about £7 per year to run, assuming they are on for 50% of the time and electricity is 20p per kWh.
If they are switched frequently from a PIR, they will fail sooner that those which are only switched once per day.
 

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