Outdoor lighting at home. Country house lighting

Proper organization of lighting in the courtyard of a private house is the key not only to safety, but also to the attractiveness of the site. If you want to make the illumination of the territory with your own hands, the first step is to study some of the nuances associated with the choice street lamps, as well as a variant of courtyard lighting. In the following, we present to you a few practical advice with photo ideas for street lighting at home.

Decide on the purpose of the lights

First of all, you need to decide why you want to conduct light in the courtyard of a private house. Lighting of the territory of the site can be decorative, security, functional or even festive.

The most important is the functional lighting, which is responsible for the safety of movement around the yard. This category includes steps and porches. Most often, the owners of private houses illuminate such objects with lamps on short legs, which complement the landscape design of the site during the daytime, and effectively perform their function at night. To save money on yard lighting, it is also recommended to use luminaires on solar panels(on the last photo):

next, no less important option illumination of the yard of a private house - security lighting. In this case, lamps on poles are used, aimed at the perimeter of the entire site, the parking lot and the main entrance. In order to save on electricity and understand in time that there is an outsider on your site, it is recommended to use LED spotlights with a motion sensor. Such luminaires turn on the light only when there is movement in the detection zone of the sensor. See what security looks like yard lighting residential building, you can use the following photo examples:

As for the decorative illumination of the yard, it is used just to emphasize the most important objects of the garden. An original solution would be to install lamps in ponds, recreation areas, inside fountains and garden sculptures. In this case, there are no special requirements for lamps, the main thing is that they do not contradict the overall landscape design and illuminate all elements of the yard in a balanced way.

Festive lighting of the courtyard area, in fact, as well as decorative, consists in decorating trees in the garden, a residential building, fences and garden buildings. The most popular fixtures in this case are street garlands and pendant lights. Most often, this backlight option is used for birthdays and New Year when you need to make a themed atmosphere. Best Ideas Yard decorations for the holiday are provided below:

The best garden lighting options

Choosing the right lamps

To make safe and durable lighting in a private courtyard with your own hands, you need to pay special attention to lamps. Firstly, they must be outdoor - dust and moisture-proof. Secondly, they should be economical - consume as little electricity as possible and at the same time illuminate the yard area well. We recommend that you choose spotlights with LED lamps, which are several times more economical than other light sources. good decision will use motion sensors and photocells. You can also buy a suitable lantern separately and already for it.

The rest of the fixtures are selected according to design and, of course, cost. The video tells about which lamps you can choose to illuminate the yard:

Expert advice

Electric installation work

We have already considered with you how to organize, where we dwelled in detail on important points electrical wiring. To independently conduct light into the yard, we recommend that you consider the following practical tips:

1. Before equipping the yard area, be sure to plan the layout of the lamps and the route for laying wires to each of them. It is better to immediately run the cable to the connection points, so that later you do not tear the decorated garden and do double work.
2. Wiring is best done in the soil so that it does not spoil the design of the site. About that, we talked about in the corresponding article. The only thing we can add is that it is recommended to lay the cable under water bodies and flower beds at a depth of 1 meter, and not 80 cm.
3. Light switches are best installed in the corridor so that they are not affected by bad weather and outdoor lighting control was convenient.

Otherwise, there shouldn't be any problems. If you have any questions, and you do not fully understand how to make lighting in the courtyard of a private house with your own hands, we recommend that you describe the situation in the "" category so that our experts can help you with advice!

With the advent of various lamps, many owners of country houses began to think about the outdoor lighting of the building. As practice shows, outdoor lighting is a few light bulbs located at the gate and above the main entrance. You can often see lanterns installed along the paths. A well-thought-out lighting system is a reliable guide that helps you move around. personal plot even in the dark. And your decorative lighting country house will help create a special atmosphere. But what about the fact that the light takes a lot of electricity? It doesn't matter, because modern technologies allow you to create a unique lighting design with energy and cost savings.

In this article:

Advantages of modern lighting technologies:

• lighting brightness control;
• the use of solar panels;
• adjusting the operating time of the bulbs;
• turning on the backlight through motion sensors or when it gets dark;
• the possibility of creating enchanting special effects on the site.

You can create an outdoor lighting project yourself. But if you have not done such a thing before, you should still seek help from specialists. After all, decorative lighting of a country house – very difficult process, requiring safety and the necessary luminous flux. There are many special organizations that help to bring any ideas to life quickly and safely.

Types of street lighting

Street lighting is presented in two types:

• utilitarian (functional);
• decorative

Functional site lighting ensures the safety of movement around the site when it is dark outside. In order to be comfortable and safe near the house, you should illuminate the porch of the building, the entrance to the garage, as well as garden paths. If you are looking for a simple and inexpensive option, then it will be enough for you to evenly distribute the lamps along the tracks.

Decorative lighting, to which the article is actually devoted, allows you to preserve the beauty, sophistication, as well as the individuality of the backyard. With the help of a competent distribution of illumination of flower beds, flower beds, fountains, as well as garden sculptures, a unique night image of the site is created, which differs significantly from the daytime appearance of the courtyard. You yourself have the right to decide what appearance the courtyard will take - romantic, mysterious, dramatic or festive.

Key points to remember:

• For facade lighting, it is better to use lamps made of materials such as: colored glass, plastic, ceramics. Also, various diffusers will be excellent options, with the help of which interesting lighting effects are created.
• Decorative lamps should not be used as sources of general or working light.
• Do not install lamps at every step. After all, outdoor lighting, in addition to facilitating movement around the site, should emphasize the best sides exterior and landscape design.
• Do not get carried away with lighting fixtures, turning night into day. It is better to install one or two spotlights at the entrance, and to add light to garden paths or a pond, choose small, subdued lanterns. This combination will come in handy if you want to admire not only the beautiful view of the backyard, but also the beauty of the night starry sky.

Best Decorative Lighting Ideas

Regardless of whether you will create lighting design yourself or with the help of specialists, you should still leave room for experiments. After all individual approach will help to make a real “highlight” from several lamps, which will appeal to both home and guests. You can even take several ideas and combine them into one. There will be a very unusual lighting. And you can draw inspiration from finished projects landscape design, which we will consider below.

Illumination of plants. Trees, bushes and flower beds with backlight look quite interesting. To create this effect, install small spotlights on the ground. It is recommended to install them in small recesses.

Illumination of reservoirs. Illuminated water is an indescribable sight. If your backyard has a pool, small pond or fountain, then install small light bulbs there. They can radically transform your site.

Decoration of the area around the house without lamps, spotlights and lamps. LED lighting can be used to illuminate the area. This is essentially a hidden backlight, which is often hidden in flower beds, on trees, shrubs. In this case, LED low-voltage lamps can be held on stones, a branch, or on a special building structure. LED lighting allows you to transform the site as your heart desires.

Garden decoration. special attention deserves the garden, which serves as a source of inspiration. Here, perhaps, you can let your imagination run wild. Decorate the garden with designer lighting fixtures or homemade ones? Why not? Just when decorating the site, do not forget about the following nuances:

• On the open terraces, playgrounds, gazebos, patios, as well as in other places of recreation, give preference to soft diffused light. It is better if it is warm tone. With the help of subdued light, a cozy atmosphere is created, conducive to a relaxed conversation with family and friends, as well as to a good pastime.
• Choosing garden lighting different colors, use 2-3 shades that harmoniously complement each other. If the area glows with all the colors of the rainbow, then it will not look natural.
• If there's a party coming up and you want to spruce up the area, grab some string lights and LED strips, then hang them from trees, in the gazebo, or around the perimeter of your patio.

Results

Create a cozy and special atmosphere for suburban area quite easy. The main thing is to start creating a light distribution project at the beginning of the concept of landscape design. Lighting planning is best done together with planning projects for objects such as gazebos, terraces, garden paths, patios. And then you get a beautiful landscape picture that will allow you to plunge into a special atmosphere.

Home lighting carried out using a variety of lighting fixtures. These are all kinds of chandeliers, floor lamps, table lamps, sconce, dot and much more.

A competent combination of light can zone the room, emphasize showiness, create a special mood.

All appliances available in the house are conditionally combined into common system, creating comfortable conditions for the inhabitants of the house. Such home lighting system should be effective and completely safe.

Country house: site lighting

Any homeowner wants his brainchild to look beautiful and well-groomed. Sparing no time and effort, he equips facades, lays paths, breaks lawns and flower beds. All day long, the surrounding beauty pleases the eyes of households and guests, but with darkness it becomes invisible.

Hidden the backlight, unlike the contour one, does not illuminate the whole, and only highlights some protruding elements.

An example is the illumination of a balcony base or cornice. Technically, this is provided by a hidden LED tube located under these elements.

Territory lighting

Household lighting- this is not only the illumination of residential buildings or their elements. It is also supposed to supply light to a variety of objects located on the estate.

The original illumination of the tracks decorates the site very much.

With the help of contour street lighting, you can accentuate the features of the local relief and its intricate configuration. To do this, the lamps are located on the sides of the alleys or along the paths and paths.

Flower beds with small power lamps installed in their central part look great. To effectively highlight the branches of trees or their crowns, spotlights are used, which are mounted directly on the ground.

Various garden portable lamps are also suitable, which also differ low power. With the help of garlands create very original and unusual compositions.

Lamps and other lighting devices presented in large assortment. They can be placed on poles and arbors, on walls and located on paths and steps.

Their main qualitative difference is reliable sealing, which protects against moisture penetration. For different households, different lighting devices are selected, depending on the preferences and capabilities of the owners: they differ in type, color, functionality, purpose and power.

Selection and competent combination of suitable lighting fixtures is daunting task. To facilitate it, developed special program, the use of which will help to correctly calculate the number and power of the required fixtures. In addition, it will take into account the types of devices used and their power, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe territory and the features of the designer's idea.

Lighting the courtyard of the house: order and installation procedure

This process always starts with a careful design of the project, selection of suitable instruments, determination of the working capacity of the system.

Owners of country houses with great pleasure use the illumination of the facades of their homes. This design technique not only allows you to illuminate the territory, but also to distinguish the building from the rest in an original way. Artistic lighting of the facade of the building is an interesting modern trend in the field of architectural delights.

Facade lighting is included in the arrangement adjoining territory, since it is used as additional element decor. This technique can either emphasize the advantageous aspects of the building or spoil the overall impression of the building. The photo shows a lighting option that favorably emphasizes the advantages of architectural solutions.

Therefore, when developing a project for lighting a house, you should consider:

In order to create beautiful option Illumination of the facade of the building is used in several ways:

• Illumination of local parts of the structure.
• General lighting of the building.
• Highlighting some outlines.
• Silhouette lighting.
• Dynamic, bright lighting.

When developing a lighting system for the facade of a building, they proceed from the general landscape, the geographical location of the house, the architectural features of the building and the style of the facade. The purpose of the structure also matters.

General, flood lighting is used for decorative highlighting of buildings with the help of large-sized, but low-power spotlights. Lighting devices are located around the perimeter of the entire country house on the roofs of neighboring houses or on the ground. The photo shows the described version of the illumination of the facade of the house.

Directional or distributed lighting equipment can be used as light sources. In the first case, the light comes from a source equipped with lenses. Moreover, the light beam can move in the direction opposite to the source. In this case, the user has the ability to set the desired scattering angle. This technique allows you to favorably highlight an old statue, stucco molding or fashionable coloring of the facade. The photo shows a variant of illumination of a country house with directional lighting.

To obtain illumination of the house with distributed light, equipment with reflective lamps is used. Atypical results are given by devices that are equipped with ceiling lamps of a special design that allow changing direction in a given plane. But, do not worry about the safety of the ceiling. It is mounted in such a way that it is not afraid of any strong wind, no precipitation. In the photo we can see the option of distributed lighting.

The option with hidden looks very nice in the dark. street lighting houses. In this case, the front part of the structure is used as a canvas for the artist, on which specialists, using spotlights and multi-colored lighting fixtures, create unique masterpieces. It can be absolutely any image that will appeal to the owners of a country house.

Since the lighting of the facades of houses is included in the design of the landscape, the illumination of the housing itself should be harmoniously combined with the illumination of individual plants, garden paths, fountains. Depending on what style of decoration of the backyard territory was chosen, the facade lighting option is correctly selected. It can be a gothic cold tone or multi-colored Japanese lanterns. Moreover, the illumination of the house can be a continuation of the illumination of the site or its individual elements.

To create high-quality illumination of the facade of a country house, it is not advisable to use lighting equipment with long mounts. Such a decision would ruin appearance structures, which will be especially noticeable in the daytime.

To illuminate friezes, balcony balustrades and cornices, it is better to use luminaires with fluorescent lamps. Such devices light up in a matter of seconds, do not flicker, illuminate with even light.

In conclusion, it must be emphasized that the facade lighting of houses is fashionable and original solution, which will highlight the cottage against the background of neighboring ones, will give individuality and originality to the building. Moreover, lighting the front of the building will mask the nearby support poles and wires, because all the attention of passers-by will be riveted to your home.

Lighting a residential building of an individual type is much more complicated than lighting an apartment. After all private house in addition to the lighting network directly inside the house, it must have an outdoor lighting network, as well as a lighting network for adjoining buildings.

And the presence of individual water treatment and drainage systems, subsidiary farms and workshops only further complicates the electrical network of a private house. That is why the planning of the lighting network should be taken very carefully.

The electrical network in any private house begins with the input of power. Power input can be from the mains, diesel generator, wind generator or from solar panels.

And although only the first option is mandatory, independent sources of energy supply are increasingly used in our country. Therefore, in our article we will consider them.

Connecting the house to the general electrical network

First of all, consider the option of connecting a private house to the electrical network common use. The PUE norms assumes two connection options - cable line underground and overhead line.

Since it is simply not realistic to get a connection to the electrical network without permits from the energy supervision authorities, you have to accept their conditions. And in almost 100% of cases, they require you to connect using an overhead line.

So:

• An overhead line connection is now in most cases carried out with a SIP wire. Main Feature this wire is the insulation of the phase, and for some models, and neutral conductors. This allows for a more comfortable installation, and also improves the appearance of the power supply network.
• If the distance from the nearest power pole to your home is more than 10 meters, then you will need to install an additional pole. At the same time, its height must be sufficient to ensure a distance from the ground to the wire of at least 6 meters if the wire passes over the road.
• The input of the wire into the house in accordance with paragraph 2.1.79 of the PUE must be carried out at a height of at least 2.75 meters. At the same time, the distance from the supporting insulators to the wall, as well as from the wires to other elements of the building, must be at least 20 cm.
• The passage of the wire through the wall of the house in accordance with clause 2.1.78 of the PUE must be carried out using pipes or. At the same time, their design should exclude the possibility of ingress, as well as accumulation of moisture inside the pipe.
• If your meter is installed on the facade of the house, and the cable from the input goes down to it along the wall, then the cable should be protected from mechanical damage. For brick houses it can be a plastic corrugation, but if this is lighting in wooden house, then it should be metal pipe or corrugation.

Connection to the electrical network of autonomous power sources

As for autonomous power sources, for different types these devices are quite different. And a lot depends on how you work.

For example, if a diesel generator should be connected to the network only after the mains voltage fails, then other types of autonomous power supply can work in parallel with it.

So:

• Instructions for connecting diesel, gasoline or gas generators usually assume their operation as an emergency source of power supply. In this regard, their inclusion in the work should occur when the voltage disappears. The connection scheme also depends on this.
• Usually, an ATS cabinet of the lighting network is used for connection. The essence of this cabinet is to install two starters. One of them is supplied with power from the electrical network, and the other from a diesel generator.
• In the presence of voltage in the electrical network, one starter is pulled up. When the voltage disappears, it disappears and the starter from the diesel generator is turned on. Usually, these starters, in addition to the electrical one, are also equipped with a mechanical interlock, which excludes pulling up one starter when the second starter is pulled up.

• As for wind and solar panels, you will need quite expensive equipment to install them. optional equipment- this is a battery and an inverter. In addition, the kit usually includes a cabinet for interaction with the electrical network.
• The point is that these sources electric current can work both completely autonomously and in parallel with a common electrical network. The second option is more convenient and will allow you not only to consume, but also to generate electrical energy into the network. But the price of this option is naturally higher.
• Therefore, options for autonomous operation of such devices are often used. If the load is too high, or the batteries are discharged, then the electrical network turns on. This parameter is usually controlled using a voltage relay, which, under certain limits, turns off the input of an autonomous power source and turns on the input of the general electrical network.

Note! Some models of such autonomous power sources contain additional current protection, temperature protection, and similar automation equipment. It depends on the configuration and the manufacturer of the power supply.

Interior lighting of a private house

Now let's look at the features of the internal electrical network in the house. It largely depends on the building materials from which the house is made, the total expected load and the lighting control automation tools used.

Group lighting board

The very first and important element in any electrical network at home is a group shield. The main thing here is not only to choose its location correctly, but also to install it correctly.

Indeed, in most cases, Energonadzor does not give permission to connect electrical energy without an already installed group switchboard.

So:

• The primary task when installing a group shield is to choose its location. This place, if possible, should be equidistant from other rooms of the house, which reduces wire consumption for further installation. In addition, this place must satisfy a number of PUE standards.
• According to clause 7.1.28 of the PUE, the control panel should be located in a place convenient for maintenance. It may even be a dry basement. It is only worth considering that if flooding of the basement is possible, then the electrical panel should be located above this flood line.
• At the same time, switchboards should not be placed under kitchens, bathrooms and other wet areas. Only in extreme cases is it allowed to place shields in such rooms, and then only when measures are taken to waterproof the floor of wet rooms.
• If you plan to do the installation yourself, then you should observe the distance from the pipelines. According to clause 7.1.28 of the PUE, it must be at least 1 meter. Moreover, this distance does not depend on whether it will be a sewer, gas or any other pipeline.
• The shields of the PUE norms themselves are recommended to be installed in special niches. But this applies only to walls made of fireproof materials. For walls made of combustible materials or in the absence of a niche, a conventional hinged switchboard can be installed. But in this case, it must be made of fireproof material.
• If you plan to install a meter in your switchboard, then you should purchase a panel with a separate niche for the meter. It must be equipped with glass for taking readings without opening the shield. All switchboards must be locked.

Interior lighting

After installing the switchboard, you can begin to create an internal electrical network. Lighting in the house consists of several groups, which are formed according to the territorial principle and the total load.

• In general, we have already paid attention to the issue of forming lighting groups more than once, so we will not dwell on this issue in more detail. Let us dwell only on the most important aspects of the formation of groups.
• Groups can be formed on a territorial basis. That is, lighting and sockets in one or two adjacent rooms are powered by one group machine. And they can be formed according to the type of load. That is, lighting in several adjacent rooms is powered from one group machine, and sockets in these rooms are powered from other group machines.
• PUE allows both principles of formation. It limits us only to the rated current of the group machine, which for residential premises should be no more than 25A.

Note! According to clause 6.2.10 of the PUE, in one group you should not have more than 20 lamps and sockets. This is especially true if you are using LED lighting for a home that is not heavily loaded. At the same time, it should be remembered that for this item one luminaire is considered one connection. That is, a multi-lamp chandelier is considered one lamp.

• In addition, clause 7.2 of VSN 59 - 88 requires that loads be divided into living rooms and non-residential, such as a bath, kitchen (see), dining room, and the like. This should be taken into account at the planning stage of lighting groups.
• If your lighting country house assumes the presence of transformers, impulse relays, additional circuit breakers and other similar equipment, it is better to place it in the switchboard. This is also where the power quality controllers should be located.
• Internal wiring can be made open or in a hidden way. For houses built from fireproof materials, hidden wiring is usually used. For wooden and the like similar houses more often open wiring is used. Hidden wiring can be laid in a wooden house, but these are additional costs for materials and additional difficulties with installation.

Outdoor Lighting

A separate topic of our article will be outdoor lighting. Here we included lighting of the territory of the house, decorative, facade lighting and, of course, lighting of utility rooms.

• According to the norms of the PUE, the outdoor lighting of a private house must be powered from a separate switchboard. Therefore, in a garage, dry shed or other utility room we should install another switchboard.
• Of course, if all your outdoor lighting is a few bulbs in front of the entrance, then this is not necessary. But when powered, in addition to the lighting network of the yard, there is also a garage, a barn, a greenhouse, or even a full-fledged workshop, you can’t do without it.
• The same requirements are imposed on the outdoor lighting panel as on the indoor group panel. The only thing worth noting additionally is the requirements for heating the shield if the temperature in it can drop below +5⁰С. And when installing the shield outdoors, you should select the appropriate moisture protection class. Usually it is IP 45 and above.

• The lighting of the courtyard of a private house should be mounted using a cable or SIP wire. Only as an exception, the use of an uninsulated overhead line is allowed. But the use of conventional wires is completely prohibited. They can only be used inside utility rooms.
• The formation of outdoor lighting groups is performed in the same way as for indoor lighting. Only here it is necessary to work out in more detail the plan for the territorial placement of lamps.
• Lighting control becomes a separate issue. After all modern facilities automation can significantly save on outdoor lighting through the use of motion sensors, light and timers.
• When using such equipment, you may need to install a starter that will turn on the lighting of several groups at once. Such devices are best placed in a switch cabinet.

• The lamps themselves are recommended to be installed at a height of at least 2.5 meters. At the same time, according to clause 6.1.15 of the PUE, luminaires with IP54 and higher should be used for this.
• You can use fixtures with installation at ground level. But before you make such a lamp, you should take care of drainage system in the area of ​​its installation. After all, water should not accumulate in this place.

Conclusion

As you can see, even in general terms the lighting network of a private house turns out to be quite voluminous and has many requirements. Therefore, we advise you to get acquainted in more detail with each aspect of creating a network of indoor and outdoor lighting on the pages of our website. And get to know in more detail general principles you can form a lighting network for a private house with the help of video.