LED House Numbers - 6 factors to help you buy the right one for you.
Shared by one of our happy customers - Brushed Silver backlit 15cm House Numbers - Installed on the house front gate pillar.
1) Firstly, why an LED House Number is a good investment.
The house number identifies a property and is therefore the first impression that anyone will have of a place of residence. As such, it surprises me that many homes across Australia give little thought to the aesthetics of their house number, or even let them become so run down, that they’re almost illegible.
Painting your home costs around $10,000. People paint their house to improve the look and feel, yet curiously, many choose not to spend between $100 and $400 on a visually appealing house number, which will provide a far greater proportional return on investment.
Our customers tell us that they admire their LED house number every day and wonder why they didn’t get one sooner.
2) What colour is the wall or pillar you are putting them on?
Contrast is important, it will make your house number pop in the day and night. A white number on a white wall may light up and look great at night, but during the day it will be almost invisible to the eye, meaning that people will struggle to find your house, in the hours that they are searching for it the most. Similarly, a dark number on a dark wall will be tricky to see, both in the day and at night, despite the LED light.
3) What material are the House Numbers made of?
Cheaper house numbers are simply not built to last. They may look fine at first, but continued exposure to the elements will result in rust, UV damage and other corrosions. There’s little point in buying a lower cost option, only to pay double or triple the cost, to replace and refit it later on. As we always say at LightLetter – buy well, buy once.
More than 85% of Australians live within 50 km of the sea. This means that outdoor fixings are exposed to salt in the air, which makes them highly susceptible to rust. Our brushed metal House Numbers are made of stainless steel, which has excellent corrosion resistance, due to its natural protective film (created from chromium), as well as its non-porous structure. Our front-lit House Numbers have a plastic housing, which is very weather-resistant and completely rustproof.
Aluminium is another excellent material for outdoor use, whether it’s house numbers or furniture. It will not rust, however being less strong and more porous, it does corrode in other ways, that stainless steel does not, which gives stainless steel the upper-hand for this type of usage.
4) Solar technology is not quite there yet, but LED has low energy consumption
My solar powered outdoor string bulb light after only 6 months
Solar of course seems like the best solution for outdoor illumination products, it’s environmentally friendly and doesn’t require any electrical wiring.
However, have you ever bought solar string lights for your garden. In my experience they look fine for a short while but the illumination quickly becomes so dull, that there’s almost no point. A small connected solar panel simply wouldn’t give enough light to do the house numbers justice, and definitely wouldn’t stand up against time.
LED consumes around 80% less electricity than halogen and 70% less electricity than Neon, making them a cost effective and environmentally friendly solution for illuminated house numbers.
Programming in a timer so that they are only on at night, or using a dusk to dawn sensor, so that the light only turns on when it is dark, are great ways to make your LED house numbers even more efficient.
5) LED has a long shelf life
You don’t want to have to replace your house numbers every year. LED lights have greater longevity and resistance to the elements, than alternative forms of lighting, such as halogen and neon.
6) What will they look like in 1, 2, 5 years time?
We’ve discussed rust but weatherproofing is also very important. Continued UV exposure will make a low quality product look old and tired, whilst not being fully waterproof will ruin the LEDs.
Additionally, painted numbers with a 100% matte black finish, will tend to show dust far more than alternative colouring options, such as white and brushed stainless steel.
In summary, your house numbers should make a shining statement for years to come, so best to keep the above factors in mind when making your purchase. As always, you get what you pay for, so saving a few dollars now will likely result in a much higher long term cost.
