The outside of your house or business may require certain upgrades to lighten up the place. If the outside of your home or business is too dark, of course, your solution will be to replace dead outdoor light bulbs and perhaps get new lights installed. If you just need a little light, you may be wondering if you can get away with using indoor LED lights outside.
It’s possible to use indoor LED lights outside. However, indoor lights are not as rugged as outdoor bulbs and can break down from temperature and humidity changes. If you do use indoor lights outdoors, install them in a protected area or outdoor fixture for maximum longevity.
Using your older or leftover indoor LED lights is one great, low-cost solution to adding outdoor lighting. However, you have to be careful where and how you install the lights. If you want to understand the possibilities of using your indoor lights outdoors and what exactly you can get away with here, this is the article for you.
Why LEDs are a Great Option for Outdoor Lighting
LED lights are a great option for lighting outdoor areas for many reasons as they are very practical, low cost, and you can even put them on a timer which we talked about more in a separate guide. Did you know that the majority of lights manufactured today are now LED? LED-based lights are displacing metal-halide, incandescent, and mercury vapor lights due the following advantages:
- Easier to mass-manufacturer – LEDs are smaller and more robust than their filament counterparts and manufacturing of them can be automated in large batches more easily. This lowers the overall cost to the consumer.
- Lower Total Cost – LEDs take significantly less energy to operate. They produce negligible heat and last a much longer time than traditional lights. Meaning you will need to replace them less frequently.
- Highly Efficiency – They are highly efficient, and convert the majority of the electricity they draw into the light. This also lowers your energy costs since they use less energy, and makes it less likely that there will be fire risks from hot incandescent bulbs.
- Bright and consistent light – LED lights will not dim or fade over time and they produce a large amount of bright light for theircomparatively small size.
As you can see, LED lights are easier to manufacture, are more robust, last longer than traditional lights, and have a much lower total cost of ownership. They last years longer than traditional bulbs, keeping you off the step ladder and saving you the time of replacing bulbs. They also do not produce a lot of heat, and they pack in a lot of light into a small area.
Common Types of Outdoor LED Lights
There are some great options for LED lights on the market. Depending on your specific requirements, you should be able to find the type of LED light you are looking for with ease. Here are some examples of how LED lights are used in outdoor lighting arrangements, and some good make/models for you to investigate:
- LED string lights – Designed to hang across a deck, patio, or other outdoor areas, string lights can provide beautiful and useful lighting to your outdoor space. The Lampat Globe String Lights (on Amazon) offer a warm white color and are rated for indoor and outdoor use. String lights can be easily strung and connected together for longer length requirements. If you prefer to add some color to your string lights, check out these great outdoor multi-color patio lights (on Amazon). They can be connected together as well and utilize protective, shatterproof bulbs.
- LED curtain string lights – Perfect for any type of celebration, curtain lights provide a sparkly flow that will lighten the mood. The Twinkle Star Window Curtain Light (on Amazon) has eight lighting modes like slow fade, twinkle, and steady on. These are great decorations for a photography backdrop too.
- LED floodlights – If you need to blast a large amount of light onto an area, floodlights are the product for you. Compared to a traditional halogen floodlight, LED floodlights use up to 80% less energy. The Ustellar 80W LED Floodlights (on Amazon), for example, can easily light up your entire backyard. Since these require low power, you can even power them with a battery pack. If you want to play a game of football at midnight, use these lights.
Regardless of what variation of LED lights you use, they are all very bright and do not use a lot of power. Since LED lights use so little power, they can be used with a battery pack, solar panels, or a combination to receive power. This means you can save on installation costs and time by not having to run outdoor electrical wires over long distances. LED lights are typically easier to install as well and compared to halogen lights and other bulbs with filaments, they are more robust.
Why Outdoor Rated Lights are Important
Outdoor-rated LED lights are important to use when operating lights in outdoor settings. They are designed with more robust hardware that can withstand the changes in temperature, humidity, and sunlight exposure. Being waterproof is not the only thing that matters: outside lights will frequently be exposed to extremely hot and extremely cold temperatures.
Outdoor temperature cycling physically wears down the lights through expansion and contractions related to temperature changes. Humidity and temperature also play a part in diminishing any type of seal. To use the best type of lighting for outdoors, you should use outdoor-rated lights like Mr. Beams Motion Sensing LED Security light (on Amazon) or these color LED floodlights (on Amazon).
The color LED floodlights can be controlled through Bluetooth by an app on your smartphone and can shine 16 million colors! At 15W and 1200 lumens each, you will be wondering where your shadow disappeared to. While you can sometimes use indoor LED lights outside, it is best to stick with outdoor-rated LED lights when you can.
When You Can Get Away With Indoor LED Lights Outside
You should be cautious about using indoor LED lights outside since they could be damaged or breakdown faster without proper care. Indoor LED lights are typically not weatherproof so you will want to install them in areas that are protected from the environment. Here are some areas that make the most sense to install indoor LED lights outside:
- LED bulbs in outdoor light fixtures – the outdoor light fixture protects the bulbs from water and direct sunlight, but the unit will still temperature cycle with the ambient air temperature and this will wear it down quicker.
- Any lights under an awning- the awning will prevent direct rainfall onto the lights, preventing water damage, but, like the last bullet, this won’t protect the light from temperature cycling and the wear that comes with that.
- Lights installed in a porch or inside a gazebo- the roof will prevent direct rainfall onto the lights too. Still exposed to temperature shifts.
Again, indoor LED lights are not designed to be weatherproof so if you are installing outdoors take extra precautions. If you do manage to install your indoor LED lights in a location clear of rainfall, they may still be susceptible to breaking down faster than outdoor LED lights because of temperature and humidity changes.
Outdoor-rated LED lights are designed with better, stronger materials to withstand the harsh temperature and humidity changes that are prevalent outdoors. They also are made from materials that can withstand prolonged direct exposure to the sun. This means that outdoor LED lights will last much longer than an indoor LED light installed in an outdoor setting.
If you are in a bind and need outdoor lights just temporarily for an event, you can consider using indoor LED lights outdoors. After you’re done with the event, you can remove the lights and bring them back inside.