Outdoor lighting installationacross Stevenage and Hertfordshire

Cable run outdoors, especially underground, is typically SWA (steel wire armoured) cable, chosen for its mechanical protection and suitability for burial. Where cable is run above ground or clipped to a wall, it needs to be rated for outdoor exposure to UV and weather.

Fittings are chosen by IP rating for their location: higher ratings near ground level or where they're exposed to direct rain, lower ratings under cover. Junction boxes and connectors used outdoors need to be weatherproof-rated, not standard indoor units.

Low-voltage garden lighting uses a transformer to step mains voltage down, which needs siting somewhere dry and ventilated, in a suitable enclosure if it's outside.

Buried cable is laid at an appropriate depth with route-marker tape above it, so anyone digging later has a warning before they reach the cable. Where cable crosses a driveway or path, it's usually run through ducting for extra protection.

Every outdoor circuit is RCD-protected, which cuts the power quickly if a fault develops: essential outdoors where damp ground increases the risk from any fault. Fittings are mounted and sealed so cable entry points don't become a route for water ingress over time.

Switching and control varies by job: manual switches, photocell-triggered dusk-to-dawn lighting, PIR security sensors, or timers, wired to suit how the lighting will actually be used.

A single security light added to an existing circuit is usually a short job, often quoted from photos. A full garden lighting scheme, spotlights, path lighting, feature lighting on planting, needs a site visit to plan cable routes and fitting positions properly.

Driveway and gate lighting often needs cable run a longer distance from the house, which is where SWA cable and correct burial depth matter most. Festoon or string lighting for patios and decking needs circuit capacity checked before fittings are added, particularly for longer runs.

Homeowners adding security lighting after a break-in or near-miss, wanting PIR-triggered lights covering driveways and side access points. Garden renovations where new planting, decking or patios call for lighting designed in from the start rather than bolted on afterwards.

Older properties with outdoor lighting installed years ago, where fittings have corroded or cable has degraded and the whole circuit needs assessing rather than just replacing the visible fitting.

Domestic outdoor lighting is mostly security and garden lighting: driveways, patios, feature lighting, usually on a single circuit from the consumer unit. The focus is on weatherproofing and getting the right fitting for a relatively small area.

Commercial outdoor lighting, car parks, entrances, external signage, tends to involve longer cable runs, higher-capacity circuits, and sometimes separate distribution boards for outdoor areas. Linehan's team scales up for these larger external lighting projects as needed.