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- Bollard Lighting
Bollard Lighting
Bollard lighting is used to illuminate pathways and landscapes for pedestrian use and safety. The word bollard originated from a marina term that refers to the post used to hold ropes that secure a boat to a dock making an obvious similarity to the design.
You may consider bollard lights as a type of outdoor LED lighting. These outdoor lights are mostly round or square post-style fixtures in 2-4 feet high. The light that they project is horizontally or downward to provide walkway lighting.
It sounds functional, isn’t it? But bollard lighting is becoming increasingly popular for styling outdoor space and can now be found in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Bollards can be used to light your outdoor spaces in a variety of ways. You can find them in a range of styles and sizes, but knowing how to properly specify and use bollards is essential for creating a successful lighting design.
Continue reading to learn more about lighting your pathways with bollards and to know more about mounting height, spacing, and light direction can affect the design of your project.
Before moving on, we’d like to highlight how bollard lighting is one of the ways to bring an area to life because it can:
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Enhance natural features
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Light walkways
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Accentuate architectural features
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Brighten driveways
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Border property lines
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Create a layout for your landscape design
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Create ambience
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Improve security
Great thing about bollard lighting is it uses LEDs. You'll enjoy the benefits of a long-lasting, environmentally friendly product and many aesthetic options. You can select bollard lights that match the style of your space, whether you prefer modern, traditional, or commercial design. They're built for the outdoors, so they'll be durable against the elements.
Bollard lights are typically shorter in height than streetlights or other types of outdoor lighting fixtures.
You mostly see these lights designed to be low to the ground and are typically installed along pathways, driveways, or other pedestrian areas to provide a sense of security and illumination.
Some bollard lights may be as short as 2 or 3 feet, while others may be taller, reaching up to 6 or 7 feet in height. The exact height of a bollard light will depend on the specific design and purpose of the light. It is best to carefully consider the height of bollard lights when installing them, as they need to be tall enough to provide sufficient illumination but not so tall as to obstruct the view or create a tripping hazard.
Here are some details you might need to create a perfect DIY lighting project for your outdoor space:
Know your mounting height
For pedestrian safety, pedestrian walkways typically require a minimum illuminance of 0.1fc. The minimum light level indicates how far apart the fixtures will be placed.
The lowest illuminance level should never be lower than the minimum illuminance level between fixtures.
Fixtures with a high mounting height produce less light directly in front of the fixture and can spread more light out to the sides. This means that the spacing between fixtures will be wider.
The opposite is true for fixtures with a lower mounting height. They appear brighter directly in front of the fixture and darken quickly to the sides. And you will have more fixtures needed in close proximity to one another to meet the minimum light level.
Let’s try to compare small bollard lights, medium bollard lights, and large bollard lights. See below:
Small Bollard Lights
The small bollards have a low mounting height of only 8 inches. That's because they are close to the ground and they create a distinct bright area in the direct vicinity of the luminaire. You need to space your bollard lights 8 feet apart to maintain minimum light levels.
Medium Bollard Lights
The medium-sized bollard has a 1.5-foot mounting height. The minimum distance between lights required to maintain the minimum illuminance level is 15 feet, and the distribution is more uniform than with small bollards.
Large Bollard Lights
Large bollards have a mounting height of 3ft. The light from the fixtures blends together uniformly, creating a pleasing effect. To achieve a minimum light level, the bollard lights are spaced 30 feet apart.
Curious about the bollard lighting cost?
Bollard lighting cost will depend on the size and application of your project. You can check the following:
Unit cost:
The cost of a single bollard light can range from $80-300+ depending on the material. Bulk purchases of bollard lights are typically discounted. For example, ten bollard lights can be purchased at a discount so it is recommended to them in bulk order.
Browse our selection of bollard lights and their prices. You can always contact us for help with bulk pricing.
Installation cost:
You might also want to consider the cost of installation for your lighting. The hourly rates for contractors typically range between $80 and $120, depending on your location and the reputation, skill, and experience of the professional.
Running/maintenance costs:
A typical bollard light runs at about 50W to 150W, depending on brightness and efficiency. A 70W bollard light would cost approximately $63 per lamp per year in electric charges.
If you intend for your bollard lights to be used in a commercial setting, you will have to take into account the potential damage and interference. This will cost you about $550 over 3 years for labour and material to maintain a single exterior bollard fixture. In that case, you can also get bollards that are solar lights too and won’t have any power consumption charges at all.
Decide where to locate your power source
You'll have to decide where to locate your power source, and this will affect the placement of your bollards. For you to determine the correct source, you will have to know how much power the bollard lights require.
A technician will be able to help you with this, but they'll need either access to the main supply lines or access to a generator that can be connected to an indoor or outdoor plug.
Thinking of marking property line using Bollards Lights?
Before you use bollards to mark property lines, it's important to familiarize yourself with government property boundary regulations. This will educate you of your obligations to your neighbours as well as any legal constraints that may apply.
If this bollard lighting can be seen by your neighbours, it is only right to discuss with them if they have any concerns. One important thing we want you to remember is about conducting a survey before you begin to mark the boundaries.
Ready to illuminate your pathways with bollard lighting? Zest Lighting is here to support your outdoor lighting needs. We offer a wide selection of designer lighting fixtures for sale online as well as professional support. Contact us today.