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Make Sure to Use Outdoor Light bulbs for Exterior Fixtures

At some point, you’ll have to replace your outdoor light bulbs. Regular light bulbs only last for so long, but you know that LED ones last even longer. Read on to see why you should get high-quality outdoor light bulbs and see some of the best ones on the market.

Outdoor Light bulbs

Top Picks

Best Quality: Philips LED Dusk-To-Dawn Outdoor A19 Light Bulb

This lightbulb is an A19 light bulb that will last you 22000 hours without so much a flicker.

Best Overall: Kasa Smart LB120 Dimmable LED WiFi Smart Light Bulb

This lightbulb has technology features that you can control from your phone and will last years to come.

Best Price: Sunco Lighting 6 Pack BR30 LED Bulb

This LED light bulb is budget friendly and emits a nice color when you need it the most.

Outdoor Bulbs vs Indoor Bulbs

The major difference between outdoor and indoor bulbs is the moisture factor. Indoor bulbs are not weather resistant and can’t take any kind of moisture. Outdoor lights are made out of non-corrosive material and the material is usually 10x better than the indoor ones because there’s always a chance it’ll get wet. You also don’t want to bring outdoor lights inside unless the manufacturer says it can be indoors as well. So that’s the huge difference between the two.

Related: Light Up Your Patio & Save Money with Solar Powered String Lights

For outdoor patios, garages, outdoors in general, an outdoor light is the way to go.

For indoor spaces, maybe garages, sheds, indoor lights are the way to go. But if you live in a harsher climate, then you probably don’t want to use indoor lighting in your garage or shed as the material won’t be able to withstand the temperatures.

Different type of lights

Cool

This type you typically see in the bathrooms, outdoors or your kitchen. It’s extremely bright (4100K) so it’s also good for security as well.

Soft

This type of light you see in a living room, dining room or even an enclosed patio outside. It emits 2700K so it gives off that warm, relaxing feel to the area.

Daylight

You typically see these types of lights in the workspace as it provides bright, natural lighting at 5000-6500K. It’s brighter than most, meant to mimic what daylight is.

Things to consider before buying

Brightness

Decide how bright an outdoor light you would like would make a huge difference in your selected bulb. A lumen of 750 lumens equal to a 60-watt Bulb calculates the luminosity of the LED bulb. If you choose to get mood light, pick a softer, fewer lumens light bulb. But a great fit is a higher-powered lamp if you’re trying to illuminate the night after the sun goes down.

Features

Some outdoor bulbs are perfect for safety purposes, thanks to built-in motion sensors that allow light to move through an object. Others light up the night with 360-degree light, making it possible to see dark corners or the side of your courtyard. Models are also programmable to automatically enable at dawn, or you can turn on and off from your mobile by using an application.

Weather Resistance

Of course, it’s important to figure out what kind of weather they’ll be standing up to. A lot of outdoor bulbs do claim to be weatherproof when they’re really not. The floodlight style ones can handle the weather conditions better as they’re coated with materials to help protect them, while the regular bulbs will have to be underneath some cover.

Type of Color

It depends if you want a soft white or a full-on bright light (cool/daylight) for your lightbulb. The brighter lights are good if you are trying to illuminate your walkways, yard etc. But if you want a cozier feeling, the soft white would be best in a patio setting.

LED

These days everyone wants to save money on electricity. The old-fashioned bulbs do not last as long and use 3x more electricity. LED lights do cost a bit more, but you will be saving on electricity and light bulbs (as they last at least 10 years) for years to come.

Top 9 Outdoor Light Bulbs

Philips LED Dusk-To-Dawn Outdoor A19 Light Bulb

Outdoor Light bulbs

This outdoor lightbulb by Philips is one you’ll definitely want for your home. It’s LED and its dusk to dawn A19 bulbs so make sure you install there only in E26 medium screw bases, as that’s what they’re compatible with. The dusk to dawn feature has a built-in light sensor, so it will literally go off when it’s dawn, and of course turn on when it’s dusk, as long as you have the power switch on of course. Because they are LED, they last 10x longer than regular light bulbs and each bulb is expected to last at least 22,000 hours. If it doesn’t last that long, Philips have a 10-year warranty, so you won’t be spending money on these bulbs often, which makes it even more appealing. These lightbulbs give off a soft white color so you can see what you’re outside with 2700 Kelvins. Overall, these lightbulbs are definitely worth considering.

25W Daylight LED Corn Light Bulb for Indoor Outdoor Large Area

Outdoor Light bulbs

Here we have an outdoor light bulb by SkyGenius that lights up your outdoor area very brightly. This model is 25W, however, there are two other wattage options that you can choose from if you so choose so. It is bright white, with 6500k and it is a LED light bulb, so that means you will save lots of money having this lightbulb outside. It will fit into an E26 socket, so remember to keep that in mind. The lightbulb is larger than the usual bulbs, so you may need a special socket for this one, otherwise, it’s a great light bulb you will want for your outdoor area.

Sunco Lighting 6 Pack BR30 LED Bulb

Outdoor Light bulbs

The Sunco LED bulbs is one you should consider because this one comes in a 6 pack for $19.99, which is extremely good value for money. You can also choose from different colors, kelvins if you should want something different from this version. This version is 3000K, with warm white, with 25 W (or 65W for regular light) That means it’ll be easy on your eyes. What’s extra cool about this lightbulb, that’s it’s dimmable and it can fit in 5 or 6” recessed cans. These lightbulbs have a E26 base, so make sure it can fit in the socket. Another cool thing about these lightbulbs, that they have a 25,000-hour lifespan, so basically, they’ll last years to come (Thanks, LED) and saving you money in the long run. It’s a great deal to get lightbulbs that light up the backyard (or front).

Kasa Smart LB120 Dimmable LED WiFi Smart Light Bulb

Outdoor Light bulbs

This is the only smart bulb in this roundup, but we promise it’s one you’ll want to get. You get a three-pack for literally less than $100 which is extremely good value for money considering its a smart light bulb. Each bulb is 60-watt equivalent. So, you can literally choose what feature you want on each bulb, such as energy monitoring, multi-color settings, and tunable white. You can do all that via an app on your phone or you can even use your voice for Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. On the same app, you can set schedules, timers and countdowns so that you don’t have to worry about when to turn the bulbs on and off likely ever again. Please note that you will need at least a 2.4 ghz Wifi connection in order for the lights/app to sync to each other. Like most standard light bulbs, it can fit in a E26 socket as it has a E26 base.

Outdoor Dusk to Dawn Light Bulbs

Outdoor Light bulbs

The Torkase light bulb is another one that you should consider. While it’s 12W, it has a 100W equivalent due to being LED. It also can put out 1000 lumens and it also has a photocell sensor so that means it can sense when it’s time to turn on (dusk) and when it’s time to turn off (dawn). Just like other standard light bulbs, these ones can fit in a E26 socket. These lightbulbs are safe to use in an enclosed fixture so if you have one of those fancy ones, you can use this lightbulb. But you should not attempt putting this lightbulb in a recessed can, as it just won’t work, so keep that in mind.

TCP 5 Watt LED Yellow Bug Light Bulbs

Outdoor Light bulbs

One of the most noticeable things that you’ll notice with these TCP lightbulbs is the yellow light that it emits, which is pretty cool. It’s lifespan is 23 years because it’s LED and they last much longer than the regular light bulb, so you’ll be saving money on both electricity bills and lightbulbs. Like other standard light bulbs, this has a E26 base, so it can fit into any E26 screw base(which is the norm) so there’s no need to worry if it’s going to fit or not. Overall, it’s a cool light bulb that will add flair to your front/back yards.

Boxlood Outdoor Motion Sensor Light Bulbs

Outdoor Light bulbs

The Boxlood outdoor light bulbs is another great LED lightbulb on our list. You get 2 light bulbs for $19.99 in a cool white color, so that means that the light will be bright. These lightbulbs give off 12W (100W equivalent) since they’re LED, and 1000 lumens. You can have these lightbulbs either inside or outside, with outside the lowest temp it can handle 14 degrees Fahrenheit. We should note that it has a photocell sensor, which means it turns on at dusk, turns off at dawn. You can put these lightbulbs either in your back or front yards, so they can illuminate walkways better. These lightbulbs are good for security reasons as well, because it can sense movements thanks to the heatwave from our bodies, animals or anything else that emits heat, so that means if someone is walking up to your house, it will automatically turn on and stay on until the movement is gone.

Sengled Motion Sensor Light Bulbs Dusk to Dawn Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor Light bulbs

The Sengled light bulbs come in a 2 pack, but you also have the option of just buying a single pack or a 4 pack as well. You get natural daylight as far as color, with 5000K. It is 14.5W, but it’s 90W equivalent so you’ll get an extremely bright light. It also emits 1300 lumens so it’s definitely very bright. It also has an outdoor sensor so that means if anything with heat comes near it, it will turn on and stay on for 90 seconds until the movement goes away (it could be a person or animal or etc.) which makes it great for security. What’s great you can use this for indoors and outdoors, so anywhere that you need a lightbulb you can use this.

Dusk to Dawn Light Bulb Sensor Smart LED Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor Light bulbs

Finally, for the last lightbulbs in this roundup, the Vgog Fly lightbulbs is another dusk to dawn bulb, which is always great to have. It’s great to have so that you don’t have to remember to turn lights on and off. It also has a sensor to where if you’re moving around it, it will turn on. It has 7W, 600 lumens so that means it’s like a warm white when it’s on. These lightbulbs are LED and will last many years. You can get this in a 3 pack, or you have the option to buy it in 2, 1 pack whichever fits your lighting needs at your home.

FAQ

Do you need special light bulbs for outside?

You shouldn’t be using indoor light bulbs for outside due to the corrosive materials and a chance of getting electrocuted if it gets wet. So, look for one that is meant for outdoors.

What type of lightbulb is best for outside?

The best type is ones that are made from non-corrosive material and are weather resistant. It also helps if it’s LED too.

Are LED light bulbs suitable for outdoor use?

Yes, in fact we recommend getting LED ones for your outdoor lighting!

What is a PAR38 bulb?

Parabolic aluminized reflector (PAR) 38 bulbs basically control the light accurately. If it’s LED, they produce at least 4 times the amount of light intensity than the standard A19 light bulbs, so you’ll often see these bulbs used in recessed and even track lighting. This bulb is 4.75” for specs so it should fit in any E26 screw base.

The Bottom Line

Choosing an outdoor light bulb is almost fun because you can choose the style, color, and features on it. You should consider what kind of lightbulb you need for your house/apartment and go from there. If you have enjoyed reading this guide, please let us know in the comments!