Outdoor lighting does three things at once: it improves the safety of walkways and entry points, deters intruders by eliminating dark zones around your property, and adds curb appeal that makes your home look its best after sundown. For Aiken homeowners who enjoy spending evenings on the patio or want their landscaping to look as good at night as it does during the day, a well-designed outdoor lighting system is one of the highest-value upgrades available.
But outdoor lighting is not a plug-and-play project. Every fixture is exposed to rain, humidity, insects, and South Carolina heat. Connections that are not properly weatherproofed will corrode. Wiring that is not buried to the correct depth will be damaged by lawn equipment or erosion. Circuits without GFCI protection create a serious shock hazard. Unity Power & Light provides professional outdoor and landscape lighting installation throughout Aiken, SC and surrounding areas, ensuring every connection is weatherproof, every circuit is code-compliant, and every fixture is positioned for maximum effect.
What We Install
From a single motion-sensor floodlight to a complete landscape lighting package, we handle the design, wiring, and installation of all outdoor lighting types.
Security & Motion-Sensor Floodlights
LED floodlights with integrated motion sensors that activate when movement is detected. We position these to cover driveways, side yards, back doors, and garage areas -- anywhere an intruder might approach your home undetected.
Pathway & Walkway Lights
Low-profile fixtures that line sidewalks, garden paths, and the route from your driveway to your front door. Pathway lights prevent trips and falls while creating a welcoming, finished appearance for guests arriving after dark.
Deck & Patio Lighting
Recessed deck lights, post cap lights, railing-mounted fixtures, and overhead string light installations. We wire these into dedicated circuits so you can control your outdoor living area lighting independently from the rest of your exterior.
Accent & Uplighting for Landscaping
Directional fixtures that highlight trees, architectural features, garden beds, and water features. Uplighting creates dramatic shadow effects on textured walls and tree canopies, transforming the look of your property after sunset.
Post Lights & Column Lights
Freestanding post-mounted fixtures for driveways, mailbox areas, and property entrances. Column-mounted lanterns for brick or stone pillars at the end of your driveway. We run underground wiring from your panel to the fixture location.
Outdoor Outlet Installation
Weather-rated outdoor outlets with in-use covers and GFCI protection. Useful for holiday lighting, power tools, electric grills, and any other outdoor electrical needs. We install these on exterior walls, porch ceilings, and post-mounted locations.
Security Lighting for Your Aiken Home
A dark property is an easy target. Studies consistently show that exterior lighting is one of the most effective deterrents against break-ins and property crime. The goal of a security lighting plan is simple: eliminate every dark zone where someone could approach your home without being seen.
We install motion-activated LED floodlights that turn on instantly when movement is detected within their sensor range. These fixtures draw very little power when idle and provide bright, wide-coverage illumination when triggered. Most residential security floods produce between 1,500 and 5,000 lumens, which is enough to light up an entire side yard or driveway area.
For areas that need constant illumination -- front porches, back patios, garage entrances -- we install dusk-to-dawn photocell lights that turn on automatically at sunset and off at sunrise. These fixtures eliminate the need to remember to flip a switch and ensure your home is never dark when it should be lit. We position every security fixture strategically to cover entry points, blind spots beside garages, side gates, and the perimeter of your backyard.
Low-Voltage vs. Line-Voltage Outdoor Lighting
Low-Voltage (12V) Landscape Lighting
Low-voltage systems use a transformer to step standard 120V household current down to 12 volts. This makes them ideal for landscape accent lighting -- pathway lights, uplights, garden bed fixtures, and similar decorative applications. The lower voltage is safer for buried wiring in areas where digging is common, and the fixtures themselves run cooler. A single transformer can power multiple fixtures on one run, making these systems efficient and expandable. We size and install the transformer correctly so your fixtures receive consistent voltage from the first light to the last, avoiding the dimming effect that plagues poorly designed low-voltage runs.
Line-Voltage (120V) Outdoor Lighting
Line-voltage is the standard household current that comes from your electrical panel. It is required for security floodlights, wall-mounted sconces, post lights, and any fixture that needs to deliver high lumen output. Line-voltage outdoor circuits must be protected by a GFCI breaker or GFCI outlet, and all wiring buried underground must be UF-rated (underground feeder) cable installed at the depth required by code -- typically 12 to 18 inches depending on conduit use. We handle the full installation from panel to fixture, including trenching, conduit, and all connections.
Not sure which type you need? In many cases, the answer is both. A typical Aiken home benefits from line-voltage security floods at the corners and entries, combined with low-voltage accent lighting along walkways and in garden beds. We help you determine the right mix during our design consultation.
Our Installation Process
Design Consultation and Layout Planning
We visit your property to assess the areas you want lit, discuss your goals (security, ambiance, both), and create a lighting layout. We identify fixture locations, wiring routes, transformer placement for low-voltage systems, and any trenching that will be needed for underground runs.
Fixture Selection Guidance
We help you choose fixtures that match your home's style and meet the performance requirements of each location. This includes lumen output, beam angle, color temperature, finish material, and wet or damp ratings. We recommend LED fixtures exclusively for their energy efficiency, long lifespan, and low maintenance.
Wiring and Conduit Installation
We run all wiring -- whether low-voltage landscape cable or line-voltage UF cable in conduit -- along the planned routes. Underground runs are trenched to code-required depth. All connections are made with weatherproof wire nuts and sealed junction boxes rated for outdoor use.
Fixture Mounting and Connection
Each fixture is mounted securely to its intended surface -- ground stake, wall bracket, post, railing, or recessed housing. We aim and adjust directional fixtures to achieve the desired lighting effect and confirm that beam angles overlap where continuous coverage is needed.
Timer, Photocell, and Smart Control Setup
We program timers, install photocell sensors, or configure smart home controls based on your preferences. Options include dusk-to-dawn automation, motion-triggered activation, scheduled on/off times, and app-based control through Wi-Fi-enabled switches or smart home hubs.
Weatherproofing and Code Compliance
Outdoor electrical work must withstand everything South Carolina weather throws at it -- heavy rain, high humidity, summer heat, and the occasional ice storm. Every component we install is selected and rated for outdoor exposure.
Outdoor Lighting Cost and Energy Savings
Unity Power & Light provides flat-rate pricing for outdoor lighting projects. You will know the full cost before any work begins.
Factors that affect pricing include the number of fixtures, total wiring distance, whether trenching is required, the type of control system (timer, photocell, smart switch), and the fixtures you select.
LED Energy Savings
We install LED outdoor lighting exclusively. LED landscape lights use roughly one-tenth the energy of traditional halogen landscape bulbs while lasting 25,000 to 50,000 hours compared to 2,000 to 5,000 hours for halogen. A typical 7-watt LED pathway light produces the same output as a 50-watt halogen fixture. Over the lifespan of the system, the energy savings alone often exceed the cost of the fixtures. LED fixtures also generate far less heat, reducing the risk of burns on deck-mounted and ground-level fixtures that children or pets might contact.
For more information on the benefits of upgrading to LED throughout your home, read our blog post: Benefits of LED Lighting Upgrades in Aiken, SC.
Light Up Your Outdoor Space
Serving Aiken, SC and surrounding communities including North Augusta, Graniteville, New Ellenton, Jackson, and Clearwater. Get your flat-rate quote today.