Gregory Harris, assistant Editor

The two path lights located adjacent to the steps are seven watts each. These two lights, combined with the tread lights provide a safe walking environment without being too bright on the eyes.
Photos: Tahoe Lighting

The tagline in commercials for a famous company said ?EUR??,,????'??we don?EUR??,,????'???t make (random product), we make it better.?EUR??,,????'??

The same can be said for paver lighting.

Paver projects cannot be considered failures if they do not have paver lights, but those driveways and walkways that incorporate paver lighting often look cooler.

The dimension of this light is 5 7/8" x 5 7/8" and is installed at a depth of 2-1/4?EUR??,,????'??. When installing these lights on traveled surfaces, special care is necessary to keep the light even with the pavement.

Paver lights have several functions in the landscape. First, they provide a unique ambience to the overall landscape with their soft glow. They also provide light to nearby features such as plants. Second, paver lighting makes for a safer environment for a residence?EUR??,,????'???s inhabitants and their visitors when walking from the front door of the house to the driveway and vice versa. Paver lights can also add to the security of a property, as intruders will be less likely to walk around yards if there are lights everywhere.

Paver lighting is strong enough to sustain pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Wiring that connects the power unit to the luminaries should be listed SPT-3, underground low energy circuit cable. When installing the cable, plenty of slack should be left to allow for ease in connecting the fixture.

This type of lighting is durable as it is able to withstand a variety of climates and in many cases, strong enough to hold up under vehicle traffic. In addition, paver lighting is safe, operating on most 12-volt system that can be applied to residential and commercial applications in new or existing interlock installations.

Paver lighting for commercial use is usually manufactured to suit the particular site where the lighting will be implemented. So if it is a high traffic area, the paver lights are manufactured with extra thick lenses and stronger ribbing. These lights are typically produced in higher quantities, and each contains special holding tabs, this makes for a greater holding mechanism.

The correct transformer for paver lighting systems is chosen by multiplying the number of lights by the wattage of the lamp being used. In this case, there are 11 lights, each using 7-watt bulbs ?EUR??,,????'??+ ideal for low-voltage systems. An 88-watt transformer would be sufficient in this case.

Paver lighting is also widely used for residential applications. Paver lights can be applied to the driveway, on patios, balconies, fountains, stairways, walkways and even around the pool area.

These lights are not solely for installation on flat surfaces such as driveways and walkways. Paver lighting can also be found on risers of stairs, offering an additional level of safety during nighttime hours.

This lighting feature is considered a relatively inexpensive way to add value to a property. Channeling David Letterman, the folks at Concrete Ideas have come out with a Top 10 list of driveway design ideas.

Here is what the Concrete Ideas people had to say about lighting for driveways: ?EUR??,,????'??Lighting to set the ambiance. The warm glow of exterior lighting on a hot summers night or perhaps a radiant glow from snowflakes falling. Landscape lighting creates an impressive effect that can alter the look and feel of an entire property. Lighting can be placed at the entrance to the driveway to help guide people in or along the edges to created a lighted path. With the advent of low voltage and rechargeable lighting its easier than ever to install exterior lighting systems.?EUR??,,????'??

ABOVE & BELOW: Recommended spacing for these these step lights is 36 inches to 72 inches. These lights are designed for the cables to be placed in the crevices of the bottom layer of rock, with the top layer (in the case, the step) resting on top of the cables.

In addition to the 12-volt systems, paver lighting is available in solar applications.

Solar paver lights power light at night through energy that has been conducted during the day. These lights use their internal solar cells to store the electricity from the suns rays during the day. Then when the sun goes down, they turn on automatically, using their stored energy.

Frog Lights creates a product that goes from .5 to 2.2 watts on the low side. With a 15 to 20 year life average they use an LED solid state unit that doesn?EUR??,,????'???t have a bulb with a filament that can burn out. Evening Star Lighting has a round design, small footprint paver only 2 and 1.5 inches in diameter.

Highlights of solar-powered paver lights include:

• Solar paver lights last about 10 years
• No wiring is needed for the lights to work
• No electrical outlet is required
• They are completely powered by the sun
• They are environmentally friendly
• Solar lights are very economical, no electrical costs involved
• They charge up in 1-8 hours
• They are durable, as they can be driven and walked over
• They are waterproof, scratch resistant and UV protected

The choice of 12-volt vs. solar is typically left to the client, but landscape contractors appear to be poised to include paver lighting installations in their projects as the popularity of these lighting features increase.