{"id":1568,"date":"2015-04-21T12:38:05","date_gmt":"2015-04-21T18:38:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/night-scenes.com\/?p=1568"},"modified":"2015-04-21T12:38:05","modified_gmt":"2015-04-21T18:38:05","slug":"austin-outdoor-lighting-design-par-landscape-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/night-scenes.com\/2015\/04\/21\/austin-outdoor-lighting-design-par-landscape-light\/","title":{"rendered":"PAR Landscape Lights"},"content":{"rendered":"

What are PAR landscape lights?<\/h2>\n

In the outdoor lighting industry, you have seen me write or heard me speak about the vast array of fixtures and lamps (light bulbs) available to suit just about any purpose imaginable. Most were created to accommodate a specific primary application.<\/p>\n

There are quite a few landscape lighting projects in the Austin, TX and hill country areas that have used only PAR well lights<\/strong><\/a><\/span> to illuminate a house, trees and everything else.\u00a0 These projects were very likely installed by an irrigation or landscape company that adds a little lighting as an extra revenue stream for their company. Not to say that there aren\u2019t landscape or irrigation companies that can and do install quality landscape lighting systems and take the task seriously, but more are not trained lighting designers.\u00a0 While these PAR landscape lights look better than no lighting at all, it doesn\u2019t look like it should and would if it were designed using the proper fixtures, lamps and lenses for the many desired effects.<\/p>\n

\"PAR<\/a>
PAR lamp used in well fixtures and some above grade fixtures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A little history about the ever popular Parabolic Anodized Reflector or the PAR landscape lights.\u00a0 The PAR lamp was originally designed to be a head light for tractors and cars back in the 40s or so, and have changed very little since.\u00a0 Really the only change is that the lamp is now available as a halogen lamp and even more recently as an LED lamp.\u00a0 As for the well light fixture itself, it is a piece of 6\u201d PVC pipe with a lamp holder \u2013 no bells or whistles.\u00a0 The wire attaches directly to the lamp on the back side. There are also PAR landscape lights that are used above ground.<\/p>\n

At NightScenes, we have very rarely used PAR landscape lights for several reasons.<\/p>\n