LED vs Halogen Outdoor Lighting
LED wins on every measure that matters outdoors. It uses a fraction of the energy, lasts 20 to 30 times longer, runs cool enough to sit safely in planting, and modern warm-white LEDs render foliage and brickwork beautifully. There is no remaining case for installing halogen in a garden.
| LED | Halogen | |
|---|---|---|
| Power for similar output | 3–7W | 20–50W |
| Rated life | 25,000–50,000 hours | 2,000–4,000 hours |
| Heat output | Low — safe in planting | High — scorches foliage |
| Colour stability | Consistent over life | Fine, but lamps fail often |
| Cost over 10 years | Low | High — energy plus constant relamping |
The real cost is not the electricity
The energy saving is welcome, but the bigger saving is labour. A halogen lamp in a buried ground light on a coastal plot will fail every year or two, and each failure means lifting the fitting, breaking the seal and re-sealing it. Multiply that by fifteen fittings and the maintenance cost dwarfs the running cost. LED changes the maintenance interval from annual to essentially never.
Getting LED quality right
- Colour temperature. 2700K for planting and warm brick. 3000K where you want a slightly crisper feel on stone or render. Avoid anything above 4000K in a garden.
- CRI. Look for CRI 90 or above. Low-CRI LED makes green planting look grey and dead — this is what people mean when they say LED 'looks cheap'.
- Consistency. Fittings from the same batch and range keep the same tone. Mixing brands across one border is very visible after dark.
- Dimmability. Being able to pull a feature light back to 60% is what stops a scheme looking harsh.
Sealed unit or replaceable lamp?
Integrated LED fittings are better sealed, which matters enormously in salt air, but the whole fitting is replaced at end of life. Fittings with a replaceable MR16 LED lamp are easier to service but have one more seal to fail. On exposed coastal plots we lean towards sealed, high-quality integrated units.
Upgrading an old halogen scheme?
A design visit includes assessing what can be reused and what needs replacing, with a fixed itemised quote and no obligation.
Book a Design Visit
Hastings Garden Lighting Co.
