How to Start An Outdoor Lighting Project: Figure out Your Customer’s Needs First

As an electrician, sometimes you may encounter a customer who just wants to jump in to an outdoor lighting project with specific products in mind.

While it’s probably exciting to see your customers eager to start a project with you, the legacy of your work will reflect on your business. This is an opportunity for you to help your customers contemplate what they hope to accomplish with the outdoor lighting project before they dive in.

The objectives behind the project can influence which lamps and controls are best for the application. This process—just asking a few simple questions—can benefit both you and the end user with the overall experience and final results.

Remember, your customers don’t care about products. They care about the end result: Outdoor lighting the way they need it. So how can you make sure the products you install are right for your customers’ specific needs?

Help Them Understand the Purpose of the Outdoor Lighting Project

Saving Energy to Reduce Costs

If the goal is to simply upgrade the current situation to save energy and reduce costs, you could guide your customers toward energy-efficient lamps like Energy Star-certified LEDs.

LEDs are becoming commonplace for outdoor lighting applications because of their exceptional distribution qualities. Currently, LED lamps and fixtures can direct their light better than other lighting options on the market today.

Low Maintenance

In addition, due to LED’s long life expectancy, minimum maintenance is required. This allows the lamps to be enjoyed headache free for years to come.

Safety

If safety is important, the type of lamp may be less crucial than installing the correct sensors, which will keep lights on during the night hours or turn the lights on if there’s movement in an area.

The placement of light will also be key in order to ensure even illumination, reducing the possibilities of someone lurking in the shadows.

Understand Your Customer’s Goals

Discussing your customers’ goals with them before moving on to recommending specific products is essential for gaining their trust and creating the best overall design. By understanding the purpose of the project, you’ll be better able to explain to your customers which options will work best for them.

If necessary, you could even calculate their LED lighting retrofit ROI to help them make a decision.

Consider the Aesthetics and Comfort of the Outdoor Lighting Environment

Once you discuss safety, energy efficiency and low maintenance of LED outdoor lighting, you and your customer can determine the look and feel for the area.

Aesthetics can be very important in some spaces, particularly if your customer will have many people in it and wants to be able to show it off to its best advantage. Residential customers may be interested in creating a space that’s romantic, welcoming or fun.

That “feel” will impact the lamps you suggest for the space based on color temperature.

Additionally, you should ask about the lighting that will be most comfortable to the average person. Your customers may not realize certain types or arrangements of light will be too bright or too dim.

You can ensure the final lighting system plan not only serves the customer’s purpose and is aesthetically pleasing, but will be an agreeable amount of light for the activities they’re planning for the space.

Check Lighting Codes Before Selecting the Lamps and Sensors

It’s crucial for you to double-check all applicable lighting codes before promising specific products will work in the outdoor space.

Outdoor lighting projects will be subject to additional rules compared to indoor projects because of the exposure to the elements. These requirements may kick certain products out of the running or require additional equipment.

Takeaways

• Your customers care about the end result, not the products you put into their outdoor lighting project. Make sure you understand what they want from their environment before you make product recommendations.
• Your customers’ goals could include saving energy, reducing costs, minimizing maintenance and increasing the safety of an outdoor area. Use that information to verify which products would be best suited for a specific application.