Blog - Category: garden lighting

Garden Heating Stockist

Garden Heating Stockist

Are you making the most of your outdoor space? The clocks moving forward might mean that we lost an hour's sleep but it also means we also get lighter evenings. Heating can help you to enjoy sitting in your garden or outside of your favourite restaurant as we all know Britain's weather doesn't always play ball. So here are some of the heaters you need to make the most of the lighter evenings…

Infrared Heaters

Infrared heaters like the Tansun Rio IP44 1.5kw Wall Heater emit heat via infrared rays (invisible to the naked eye) and provide a direct and gentle form of heat directly heating people, not just the air around them. Instant heat with very low running costs when compared to gas heaters, the Rio IP infrared heater is fully weatherproof and comes with a superior parabolic reflector and a high-quality long life lamp.

Floor standing Heaters

Floor standing heaters use the same infrared Technology but give you the option of moving the heater when required(no accidental stray footballs hitting and damaging the wall mounted). You have the Blaze Free standing heater or those that have the option of wall or floor mounted like the Warmlite 2000w patio heater. We have a large selection in stock at our new showroom for collection or delivery and most others can be ordered usually within 3/4 days. 

Garden Lighting Trends 2020

Garden Lighting Trends 2020

How to light your garden, A step by step guide from our award winning lighting designer Fraser Besant.When you are designing your garden and looking for lighting ideas it is important to have a good idea of the layout and what you want to use the space for. Split the circuits down allowing you to enjoy the different spaces and create different moods. You can easily dim your outdoor lighting which is popular as the sunlight doesn't just disappear, as the evening draws in and the sun sets you can bring on your lighting gradually. 

When I am working on a garden lighting design I always start at the house and work my way from there. Many homes now have open plan kitchens with sliding doors or bi-folds leading out into the garden. So the first place to consider a light is on the external wall. Either side of the doors. We supply a large range of wall lights but the up/down wall wash light is still my favourite. If you have a grey, white or anthracite frame on the door then try to match this up for continuity. 

Next you want to think of the immediate area outside the house. Many people will have decking or tiling to form a terrace or seating area. This will then lead into the grass area of the garden. I like to enhance this by fitting some small walkover lights to project a wash of light around the perimeter. This looks great and helps separate the spaces. It is also a great way to light up steps.

Finally you want to consider the design of the new garden. Planters, flower beds and features. Lighting can be used to enhance these and build up the light levels. Take for example a feature bush or tree. You can easily fit a low level spike light to focus a beam of light behind this. Many people will use trees and plants to form a border to their garden. So run a selection of lights either side of the garden to afford an even spread of light. This is also good to show depth and width on a dark evening. Spike lights are also a good way to illuminate walkways and paths in the garden.

So the primary areas of your garden are now covered. You have lit the main house, the decking area and the perimeter. Next you want to start lighting each space. The BBQ, a pond or an outside bar area. Over the years I have created some amazing outdoor spaces with some very creative and inspired designs. Below I will detail some of my favourite lights for getting the best out of your garden.

To light your BBQ area you can use an LED tape or my preferred source of light is a simple wall mounted fully adjustable spotlight. This allows you to point the light exactly where you want it. We sell these from £23.99 and they work with LEDs.

Our famous bespoke festoon lighting sets. Made to measure. There are lots of applications where a festoon lighting set would be ideal. Lighting a pergola, an outdoor dinning table, a large tree. But the coolest use of our festoon has to be the outdoor home cinema. You can buy a cheap projector and screen online. All you need is a warm evening and a blanket and your set. Festoon lights are the perfect way to light your outdoor cinema in style. Just send us the measurements and we can make the set to size for you.

Wall wash ground lights. If you have natural stone walls and features in your garden bring them to life with some up-lights. We now have a brand new ground light with an adjustable beam. You can open the lens up and spread a wide beam of light or if you have a slim wall you can close the lens and pinch the light into a more focused beam.

If you have a pond or water feature it is also possible to light this. We offer a range of IP68 submersible LED lights that would enhance any garden pond.

Modern Garden lighting

If you want a more modern source of light, something fun and unusual then check out these statement opal round feature globe lights. Starting at only £84.99 each. They come in a variety of sizes.
We also have this set of warm white LED decking lights available for only £40.00 for a set of 10 including a driver.  Ideal for low level mood lighting.

The finishing touches.
As I mentioned before we also have a great range of exterior products to ensure you get the best out of your garden. These include patio heaters, outdoor dimmer switches and a huge range of wiring accessories. This is all on display in the showroom and can be brought online now.

If you have any questions please email us sales@ablectrics.com 

Garden Lighting Specialists

Garden Lighting Specialists

Garden lighting ideas and tips, get the best out of your exterior lighting. 
    While we all appreciate the importance of getting the lighting right in our homes, balancing task ambient and accent lighting. How much consideration is given to how we light our gardens? Good outdoor illuminacion can transform any external space creating practical illuminacion for safety and security as well as creating a beautiful ambience and highlighting existing features.
    When planning your garden lighting it is important to identify where you will need lighting and what type of lighting you will need. For example, are you looking to create a warm welcoming enviroment in a dedicated seating area or do you wish to flood light over passageway or driveway for security? Whatever the application or desired result there are plenty of differnet styles of lighting available, below are a few pointers and examples to consider when planning your garden lighting project. Dont forget we offer a full lighting design service and we can help you create the perfect lighting design for your garden

Installation and useful information
    When planning the installation of lighting in your external space there are a few things to consider. Firstly all outdoor lighting solutions should be IP  rated, this means the fittings have been designed and manufactured with protection to stop penetration of solid objects or water entering the fitting. IP stands for ingress protection, as in how well protected the fitting is. This is then followed by two numbers which tell us how well protected the fitting is against solids or liquids. Digit one represents the protection against solids and runs on a scale of 0-6, zero being no protection and six being dust tight. The second digit is partidularly important for our garden lighting as is shows how water tight the fitting is and runs from a scale of 0-8. Zero indicates there is no protection at all and 8 means the light is suitable for continuous immersion in water (ideal for pools and ponds).
 

   Once you have drawn up your lighting plan for outdoor lighting, showing what you want and where you want it you will need to either notify building control if you intend to carry out the electrical work yourself or it must be installed by a Part P qualified electrician. Cables buried underground must be covered in a buried warning tape according to regulations, prefereably using steel wire armoured (SWA) cable. You must ensure that mains voltage outdoor lighting and electrics stays within building regulations. All outdoor cables, wires, sockets, appliancesand lights have to be protected by residual current device which instantly cuts off power in the event of an emergency. We keep all the main sizes of SWA in stock and have a full range of RCD's, RCBO's etc. If you live in or near Bristol we have a great network of electricians who use our wholesalers and we would be happy to recommned someone to do the job for you.
 

https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/products?search_api_views_fulltext=CAB6943
https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/products?search_api_views_fulltext=RCD

Security and Task Lighting
    An important aspect of external lighting is the security and taks lighting. These lights are positioned to cover dark areas of improtance to deter unwanted intrusions,  increase visability and ease of access and exit. These lights have many different styles but the most common is the ' LED Flood Light'. We strongly recommend the Collingwood FL range, with Colour Controlled Temperature (CCT) you can switch the colour of the light between 3000k, 4000k and 6500k. Thes lights also have a changable mounting bracket which is fantastic for allowing you to position the light into the exact area you want it. Backed up with a 3 year guarantee for peace of mind these lights follow Collingwoods famed reliability. We have a great selection of these on display in our Bristol showroom, or you can view them online now.
 

Festoon Lighting and LED Tape
    Using Festoon lighting and LED tapes are a great way to add ambient lighting and highlight certain features and areas, you can hang festoon around a BBQ area to 'frame it' or alternatively drap across a patio or seating area above head height to provide a warm overhead source of light. Changing the lamps in these fittings can completely change the atmosphere created, use warm white lamps for a cosy intimate feel or perhaps coloured golf balls for a fun party feel. We supply Festoon Kits in 5m or 10m lengths or we can make it bespoke to your specification:
 

https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/products/light-fittings/5-and-10-metre-outdoor-festoon-lighting-sets
https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/products/light-fittings/bespoke-made-measure-festoon-lighting-ip44-rubber-cable-uv-rated
https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/products/light-bulbs/jazz-coloured-led-golf-ball-set-5
https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/products/light-bulbs/pop-coloured-led-golf-ball-set-5
https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/products/light-bulbs/2watt-e27-2000k-90lm-amber-filament-led-golf-ball

    With LED tape we often use this to provide low level lighting and wall wash light, we have oftern used this under external built in seating and around ponds and waterfeatures.
 
    When using an LED tape it is important to ensure the colour temperature matches the surrounding decorative lighting so it compliments it rather than clashes with it, our bespoke LED tape is available in both 2700k and 4000k to ensure it matches exactly rather than cheaper versions which are produced at 3000k. Our tape is available in 3 different wattages, 4.8w, 9.6w and 14.4w per metre for highlight, task and wash applications, is IP65 as standard and can be cut, soldered and sealed to your exact specification for easy install on site. All tape is dimmable with the correct LED driver.  We also offer a great range of metal profiles and trims designed to house the tape and get the best out of the lighting.
To talk to one of our experts please feel free to call on 0117 9435355 or email; sales@ablectrtics.com .

https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/products?search_api_views_fulltext=abltape
https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/products?search_api_views_fulltext=ABLDRIVER

Driveway and Path Lighting
    Properly lit pathways and driveways make it easier to navigate around our homes after dark – and provide us with welcoming, guiding light when we return to them. ... Whether they lead up to the entrance of your home, along the side of it or through your garden,  well lit path or drive will add both style and safety to your property.. There are three main ways of lighting paths and driveways;

1) Bollard Lighting and post lights-
Bollard, Post or Pedestal lights are an excellent and stylish choice for lighting pathways with space along their sides. Simply position them at regular intervals along the edges of your path and they will provide you with the angled down-lighting you need to illuminate the way.  Alternatively use post lights for wide or longer paths and drives spaced out at greater intervals.
 
https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/products?search_api_views_fulltext=bollard+

2) Low level Lighting and ground lights -
If space is tight or you particularly like low level lighting then recessed marker lights in the path itself (or running parallel) are another excellent option. Again, simply install them at regular intervals to provide ambient up-lighting that will guide you while providing a beautiful and striking image. These can be mounted in open areas or the the base of a guiding wall to provide a lovely 'V' of light washing the wall.
 
https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/products?search_api_views_fulltext=walkover

3) Wall lights -
Finally, if space is limited on the ground then exterior wall-mounted lights are another great alternative. Depending on the length of your path, simply install one - or a series of them -along a wall to provide guiding light from above or low level. When positioning these lights take care with the mounting height to ensure they are not mounted at eye-level to avoid any unnessecary glare. If mounting at a low level (.5m high and below) perhaps consider angled downlights to create a decorative beam effect on the pathway.
 
https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/product-category/outdoor-lighting?f[0]=field_product_category%253Aparents_all%3A467&f[1]=field_product_category%253Aparents_all%3A881

Lighting Control
    Once you have all your plans in place and know what styles of lighting you like and what areas they are going in, it is worth taking a second to consider how you would like to control the lighting. We sell a selection of IP rated switches, sockets and our own unique outdoor dimmers, alternatively you may wish to set 'scenes' and have more control of timers and security settings when away. In which case we strongly recommend the RAKO Controls system This fantastic system allows you to control multiple circuits and scenes with ease, can automatically turn your exterior lights on and off in conjunction with sunrise and sunset (if desired) and can replay your last 5000 button presses whilst you are away for security, providing the impression the property is not empty. We have a working display of this Rako kit in our showroom. We also sell it all online. If you would like more information about this fantastic system please call 0117 9425355 or alternatively email us at sales@ablectrics.com.

https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/products?search_api_views_fulltext=wpdimmer
                                                      

Garden Lighting Showroom

Here at Ablectrics as part of our Lighting showroom we have a section devoted to garden lighting. On display you can find anything from LED decking lights and walkover lights to up/down decorative wall lights which look ideal left and right of bifolds. They come in anthracite grey, matte white and brushed silver. We have Astro branded outdoor lights, Searchlight bollards, posts and PIR wall lights including Collingwood LED flood Lights to name but a few brands. Being an Electrical Wholesalers means we can also offer you all the relevant cable and connections needed for installation. We sell SWA(along with cleats and glands) and UV rated flex by the metre. Wiska combi boxes, gels and IP68 glands are also available for all the piece of mind you need in your connection to cope with the British weather.

LED Decking lights:
https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/product-category/outdoor-lighting...

Festoon lighting can be found below, we can also get bespoke lengths of festoon, please contact us for details:
https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/product-category/outdoor-lighting...

Wiska items can be found here:
https://www.electricsandlighting.co.uk/products?search_api_views_fulltex...

We have many more options available to us if you don't like what you see, please come in and see us and we can tailor to your needs