LED Color can vary and can look great when used properly
The color of daylight is a topic given very little thought by the average person. We notice the actual color of light only when it is in contrast to darkness. What is light color and how is it measured?
While we may think of darkness as just black, the variety of white light colors are actually measured as a Kelvin unit of temperature. The measurement of Kelvin degrees was developed and named for an Irish engineer and physicist who understood the need for an absolute thermometric scale. Simply put, William Thomson, First Baron Kelvin, noticed the color of metal as it was heated. He realized that as metal got hotter, it changed colors. It would get RED hot, and then as it got hotter it would become YELLOW and then as it got even hotter it would turn WHITE. I’m sure you’ve heard the terms red hot and white hot. So, when the metal was about 2000 degrees it was red hot. At about 3000 degrees it was more yellow and at about 5000 degrees it was white hot. The entire Kelvin scale is very scientific and has little meaning to the homeowner wanting decorative lighting for his landscape, but is an important tool for the professional lighting designer, when choosing LED color temperatures.
(Notice the whiter light used in down lighting here)
Here’s how these color temperatures apply in our everyday lives: Most of us are used to the wonderful warmth of incandescent light color of 2700K. Halogen lighting is usually around 3000K, seen frequently in older low voltage landscape lighting. Moon light is about 4000K. Daylight and fluorescent tube lighting seen in many offices or commercial indoor settings is about 5500K or more.
When designing an artistic outdoor lighting plan, the LED color of the light has to be considered within the landscape, and each feature item may require a different color to maximize its impact. If we want to bring out colors like red in a Japanese maple, we would use a warmer color light. If we want to bring out whites or wish to highlight a specific green plant, we should use a whiter or more bluish-white light. To create a moonlighting effect we should use fixtures and lamps measured at about 4000K. Fill lighting in the landscape should be warm and soft and probably below 3000K.
Although we have all been accustomed to the warmer tones of incandescent lighting, recent developments in LED technology have dramatically improved the color spectrum for each of the applications we just described. Finally, the environmentally friendly LED will not only save the consumer money, it will look GREAT in every landscape.
Do you have a home in the greater Austin or central Texas area that could use a little pop? Contact us here.
