Driveway lighting

A driveway can be illuminated in a number of different ways and the length and width of the driveway, combined with shadows from surrounding trees or buildings, will determine how much light is required.

Why should you illuminate the driveway that leads to your garage?

There are two reasons why having lights illuminating your driveway is a good idea.

The first one is visibility. It is easier to see in good light and you will have no trouble spotting any object that has been left on the drive, or that has found its way on to the drive. This may save you the cost and inconvenience of a puncture, or prevent you from hitting or running over some object that was left on the driveway.

The second reason is security and safety. Unfortunately we live in world where crime is increasing and much of that crime is directed against people and their property. Nothing deters an unwanted guest light bright lighting, good illumination, and the risk of being seen and recognised. Illuminated driveways, garages and homes are a big deterrent to thieves and opportunists and they also give you piece of mind.

Lighting options

If your driveway is short and relatively open, then you may require nothing more than a single light located on the front wall of the garage above the doors. If this is of the spotlight variety it will provide adequate illumination for several yards (or metres). For many properties this is more than adequate.

If however your drive is longer, or if you want to make a feature of your driveway, then there are other options. The most obvious is to line one or both sides of the drive with ground lights.

Ground lights are simply lights located at ground level and they have the dual purpose of providing light and marking out the perimeters of the driveway.

Most ground lights are designed to be recessed into the driveway’s edges, or any area of garden to the side of the driveway. Lights of this type are normally hardwired to a mains electricity supply and, when fitted correctly, they will not be damaged by having a car tyre pass over them occasionally. Light of this design have numerous names from ground lights, outdoor lights, drive over lights and walk over light, but they are all basically the same thing.

Developments in lighting technology also mean that LED lights and coloured lights can be used in driveway situations and most of the fitting use low energy lights which reduce energy costs.

Supply and cost

Ground lights are normally supplied in packs of anything from two to a dozen separate lamp units. They should come with insulated silicone rubber cabling and a terminal box. Access to the replaceable bulb or LED is normally by the use of a special key that removes the top plate.

Ground lights vary considerably in terms of cost and you will make savings if you buy one of the packs rather than individual units. The more expensive ground lights often have larger top plates, however this is not a feature that needs to be emphasized. These top plates come in various shapes from round and square to hexagonal and most are in a metal or brushed metal finish.

Solar powered lights can cut energy cost and some ground lighting can be connected to solar collectors. Pedestal style lights can also be used to illuminate a driveway and many of these include their own integral solar collector. The downside to this form of lighting is that it is not securely fixed and therefore it can be susceptible to theft.

Lighting and illumination information for garage interiors can be found here - garage lighting.