The best way to appreciate the magnificent native beauty of our hill country surroundings and landscapes is to shed a little light on it. But not just any ordinary light: professionally designed landscape and architectural lighting that can create a unique artistic element for your property.
Horseshoe Bay is one of the many great examples of a community trying to work with the rugged surroundings so distinctive in Central Texas. Natural elements are found in every aspect of home building here, and highlighting many of those outdoor features is the job of award-winning landscape lighting designer Paul Gosselin Sr., president of NIGHTSCENES CORPORATION Landscape Lighting Professionals. "Boulders, cactus, palm trees, and native color are wonderful specimens to highlight when we take on a lighting project out here. Interesting building and architectural features are also items we like to focus on," Gosselin points out. Low-voltage lighting has been the foundation for most of the NIGHTSCENES designs and has been a very attractive and safe alternative to the glare of expensive, environmentally disruptive installations required for line voltage lighting systems. Although the affects of a little light can be dramatic enough to change the mood or ambience of an outdoor space, the value of the security and safety that can be added to any property should not be overlooked.
With the current economic environment weighing heavily on the minds of everyone, clients are asking more questions about energy efficiency. Fortunately, the lighting industry has its finger on the pulse of the economy and the green movement, making improved products available for those forward-thinking property owners who can see the long term benefits. Now, Kingsland-based NIGHTSCENES can do even more to add illumination to our hill country landscapes and use less energy. The introduction of new and greatly improved LED products allow lighting of large trees and other significant landscape and architectural features using 80% less energy! No longer are lighting designers hampered by the incongruent blue- and orange-tinged light associated with LED lighting of the past. (We've all seen those faded LED solar fixtures emitting the eerie blip of light lined up to mark a walkway or driveway, right?) The professional quality LED products that are now available from some manufacturers have the equivalent color output as their low voltage halogen counterparts. It is now possible to design an entire residential or commercial project with LED lighting, producing the same warm and inviting affect unknown in line-voltage or previously developed LED lighting. When compared to 120-volt (line-voltage) energy expenses, the savings with LED are even greater for the consumer—and the environment. "In the long run, it's just a winning situation for the energy conscious, as well as those wanting to save money while adding to the security and beauty of their home," Gosselin says. "Being able to offer LED lighting of this quality in this economy is a great thing—not just for our clients, but also for the planet," Gosselin concludes.
While the selection of ornamental fixtures primarily used as path and deck lighting in LED is not quite as vast as the low-voltage collections just yet, the more frequently used "workhorse" fixtures are evenly matched for wall washing, feature spots, and down lighting to create marvelous moon light effects. New decorative fixtures are being developed constantly, and mixing the two lighting mediums—low voltage and LED—never creates a problem for the design. The cost of each LED fixture can run about 25% more than a comparable low-voltage fixture, but this will add an increase of less than 20% to the overall expense of the completed project installation, depending on the number of fixtures used to achieve the right lighting effects. After that, the savings can be seen on the electric bill each month, returning the initial investment over time. Gosselin stresses that each property is different, and professional designs are created specifically to meet the unique needs and desires of the homeowner or commercial property owner.
NIGHTSCENES CORPORATION is at the leading edge of outdoor lighting design and stays on top of the ever-changing progress that is being made in the industry. By participating in educational development classes nationwide and maintaining close contacts with all of the major fixture and light-bulb manufacturers in the world, NIGHTSCENES Landscape Lighting Professionals secures its place as a leader in the exterior lighting industry.