Six Responsible Garden Lighting Solutions: ALAN 2
Why do we need responsible garden lighting solutions?
We need responsible garden lighting solutions because of the adverse effects of artificial light at night (ALAN) on wildlife and human health. As biodiversity continues to decline, reducing unnecessary garden and outdoor lighting is a simple but important step. See Artificial light at night: its effects on wildlife post for more information on this.
1. Consider Whether You Need Lights and Where
Before choosing a garden lighting solution, ask yourself a simple question: Do I really need outdoor lighting?
For paths, entrances, and access to your house, the answer is often yes. You may also want lighting around seating areas, patios, or other spaces where you spend time outdoors after dark. However, do you need your garden brightly illuminated all night or floodlights shining across your driveway and house until dawn? Probably not.
In garden design, less is often more. Subtle lighting creates atmosphere, highlights key features, and reduces environmental impacts. Consequently, using fewer lights is usually the most responsible and effective approach.
2. Consider How the Lights Are Controlled
Next, think about how you will control your lighting. Different lights often serve different purposes. For example, you may have lighting for the driveway, front entrance, pathways, or outdoor seating areas.
Rather than placing these lights on automatic dusk-to-dawn sensors or timers, consider a more flexible solution. An electrician can install a remote-control system that groups lights according to their function and places them on separate channels.
This approach offers several advantages.
First, you can switch lights on only when you need them and turn them off immediately afterwards. As a result, you minimise energy use and reduce light pollution.
Second, you can control your lighting remotely using a key fob, wall controller, or smartphone app. For example, you can illuminate the driveway as you approach your home or switch on garden lighting as natural light fades. Similarly, you can adjust mood lighting throughout the evening without needing to leave your seat.
3. Consider the Light Intensity
You should also consider how bright your lighting needs to be. When selecting a lamp, check its lumen output rather than assuming brighter is better.
Because LEDs are energy efficient and inexpensive to run, many people unintentionally over-light their gardens. However, excessive brightness rarely improves the space. Instead, it can reduce atmosphere and increase light pollution.
A brighter light may be appropriate for a driveway or entrance. However, you should limit the time it remains on. For most garden features, a lamp producing between 75 and 95 lumens provides more than enough light for gentle illumination.
For pathways, several low-level lights often work better than a few bright ones. Depending on the width of the path, pathway lights producing as little as 2 to 4 lumens can provide adequate guidance while maintaining a softer appearance.
4. Consider the Lamp Design and Arrangement
The design and positioning of your lights are just as important as their brightness.
Choose fully shielded fittings that direct light downward and no higher than the horizontal plane. This reduces glare, prevents light trespass, and ensures that light falls only where it is needed.
In addition, carefully consider the beam angle and direction before installation. Good lighting should illuminate specific features rather than spread unnecessarily across large areas.
For pathways and steps, select fittings with top shielding and directional light output. These designs improve visibility while reducing unwanted light spill. Furthermore, glare guards and baffles can help focus light precisely where it is required, while also creating attractive visual effects.
5. Select Warm Light Colours
The colour of light is equally important. Most white LED lights contain significant amounts of blue light, which can disrupt the behaviour and physiology of both wildlife and humans.
Therefore, avoid cool white LEDs with high blue light content. Instead, choose lamps with a colour temperature of 2700K or lower. These lamps are commonly marketed as warm white and produce a softer, less disruptive light.
Even warmer options are now available. For example, 1800K lamps emit a gentle amber glow that works particularly well for spotlighting trees or architectural features where lighting is genuinely required.
For comparison, traditional sodium streetlights typically produced light at around 2200K. Consequently, many modern warm-coloured LEDs can provide a similarly wildlife-friendly alternative.
6. Leave Some Areas Dark and Create Buffer Zones
Finally, remember that darkness is an important habitat feature in its own right.
Consider the habitats that surround your property and ensure that light from your garden does not spill into them. Hedgerows, woodland edges, ponds, streams, and other wildlife-rich areas are particularly sensitive to artificial light.
Where possible, create a buffer zone of at least 10 metres between outdoor lighting and nearby habitats. This helps maintain dark corridors that wildlife can use for feeding, commuting, and shelter.
Within your own garden, leave as much space unlit as possible. In particular, retain dark areas with dense vegetation, shrubs, and ground cover, as these provide valuable refuges for wildlife.
Moreover, connect these darker areas wherever possible. Continuous dark corridors allow animals such as bats, hedgehogs, and insects to move safely through and around your garden. As a result, your garden can become a much more valuable habitat within the wider landscape.
Together, these six garden lighting solutions can result in an effective and responsible approach to illuminating your garden.
Further Resources:
Videos demonstrating the best types of lighting design and placement and their effects by Chris Hudson of Hudson Lighting.
