History

• LED light technology is a direct result of British experiments into electroluminescence in the 1950s. The first modern LED light appeared in the early 1960s, but it wasn't until the early 1990s that ultra-bright LED lights first went on sale. In the UK, LED garden lights gained popularity from 2002, when they first went on sale at hardware stores and garden centres.
  
  

Function

• LED lighting uses light-emitting diodes instead of a discharge lamp or filament. Electronic LED lamps can be fitted instead of standard outdoor halogen, halide or fluorescent lamps in any garden or exterior setting. LED lighting is a popular way to illuminate wood decking areas, patios and garden pathways. The small lamp size of LED lights makes them versatile and suitable for small, angled light fittings.
  
  

Features

• LED lamps come in a wide range of sizes to fit most existing halogen spotlights, uplights, steplights and spread lights. You can also buy standalone LED light arrays in sealed units. Low-energy LED lamps also use less power than standard garden lamps, reducing household energy consumption and lowering power bills. LED lights usually last longer than traditional garden lamps and so require less maintenance.
  
  

Types

• LED lights come in a wide range of types and colours. Choose between single LED lamps or cluster lamps if you wish to illuminate a larger area of garden. LED lights come in a range of primary colours, and blue is a popular choice for water features, according to LightingForGardens.com. Traditional white LED lights can give a crisp and striking look for trees, shrubs and other garden features.
  
  

Power

• The power consumption of LED garden lights depends on the type of fitting and the size of the lamp. Lamps range from 0.5w to 5w in power consumption. Gardens fitted with LED lighting require a transformer unit to power the lights. In the United Kingdom, both 10w and 25w transformer units are available. Choose the correct transformer size by adding up the total wattage of the number of installed LED lamps.