Our guide contains five of the best outdoor light bulbs for cold weather. If your outdoor lights always wear out during the cold, buy these brands instead.
Best Outdoor Light Bulb For Cold Weather
Ever notice how some light bulbs just wear out faster than others during the cold, winter days? That’s because certain bulbs are built to resist the cold weather while others aren’t.
And the worst part of it is that most people do not know this fact. That’s why they buy bulbs without considering their condition when the bitter cold kicks in.
That’s why we created this little guide for you. We have a list of the best outdoor light bulbs for cold weather. If you haven’t considered bulbs for cold weather yet, then this is the perfect time to start so you won’t worry about bulbs wearing out quickly.
Our Top Pick for the Best Outdoor Light Bulbs For Cold Weather
Now, our guide contains 5 of the best light bulbs for cold weather. However, we do have a favorite out of the 5. Through our own research, first-hand experience, and homework, we have determined the best outdoor cold weather light bulb out of our top choices. We can definitely say that our top choice gives the most worth for the money because it has the best features on board.
If you’re interested in this product, then continue to read below:
This is our top choice! If you can get past the many colors it has, you’ll be able to enjoy it a lot. It has great brightness, amazing durability, and a remote control to boot. It also comes with 6 lighting modes you can play around with.
Here is a summarized list of all the notable features:
8 RGB colors
IP65 material
6 lighting modes
Remote control
Shatterproof plastic bulbs
After knowing our favorite product, let’s talk about the other light bulbs for cold temperatures. We have four other choices just in case you don’t think that our favorite one is the one for you. You can take a look at the others as well so that you can have a better grasp of all products, check out the quick table that we made below.
And these, my friends, are the best cold weather LED light bulbs that you can buy in the market. Do notice that we do not use anything except LED lights? That’s because we do not recommend anything aside from LED bulbs. As compared to the usual halogens, LED lights do not burn out as fast.
Here are some of the reasons why:
Low Heat Emission
First of all, LEDs have low heat emission. One of the main reasons as to why halogens wear out quick during the cold is because of their very strong heat emission. When you put that strong heat emission in a cold environment, the bulb tends to bust right away. LEDs on the other hand, do not emit strong heat. That’s why they have really low burn out rates. They also have longer shelf lives due to this reason.
Stronger Performance
Do take note that lower heat emission does not mean lesser performance. In fact, LEDs have higher lumens than halogens even if they do not emit as much heat as their halogen counterparts. In general, LEDs are more efficient.
More Energy Savings
Due to a lower heat emission, you also get to save up on energy costs. LEDs generally don’t use as much energy as halogens do so you can leave your lights on for longer periods of time without having to think too much about the bills.
Durability
Lastly, LEDs are generally more durable. As we said, they have a slower burn rate compared to the halogens. Because of this, they are definitely suited for cold weather. Since cold weather brings out the general weakness in bulbs, LEDs can give a better advantage since they don’t really succumb to this weakness.
How To Choose The Best Outdoor Lighting For Low Temperatures
Those are some of the general advantages of LED bulbs and why you should consider using them during the winter seasons.
The next thing we’re going to do is show you exactly how we choose our products. At the start, we had a ton of products to choose from. But we used this buying guide to narrow down the choices to just five. We also used this buying guide to further narrow our choices to the one.
Just to give you an idea, this buying guide consists of factors that you will use in order to see which of these choices is the one for you. Here they are below:
Lifespan
The first thing is to look at the lifespan of the bulb. The cool thing about LED lights is that they can last for a huge number of total hours. For instance, the lifespan of a regular LED light is around 10,000 hours. This can already be used as your benchmark lifespan. If you can find something better such as 15,000 hours or 20,000 hours, buy that one instead. But we can say that the 10,000-hour total is the bare minimum that you should look for in a typical LED bulb.
Energy Efficiency
Another thing to look at is energy efficiency. When we talk about energy efficiency, we are referring to how much energy the LED light can save you as compared to a regular bulb. We would definitely say that you should go for a bulb that can save you 90% or more energy compared to a halogen bulb. Most of them can anyway so that’s your standard.
Power
Another thing to look at is power. You usually measure power in lumens or luminous flux. Obviously the higher the lumens, the more the power. Now, do take note that higher doesn’t necessarily mean better. You need to know how much brightness you actually need. For small lights, 110 to 200 lumens per small light is enough for outdoors.
But if that is too weak for you, then go for something with a higher set of lumens. High ones are around 800 lumens or so.
Material
The last thing that you need to consider is the material the bulb is made of. We can say that the material is the most important thing to consider if you’re looking for because you need a bulb that is weatherproof. During the winter season, expect snowstorms. If your bulbs are not equipped with the right material, then they’ll wear out quicker.
We recommend that you get IP65 rated material if you want something that is strong and doesn’t wear out quick. These are the ones that give total weather protection– pretty much from all kinds of weather conditions.
Best Outdoor Light Bulbs For Cold Weather Review
1. Addlon 2 Pack 48ft LED Outdoor String Lights
Addlon 2 Pack 48ft LED Outdoor String Lights. Via: Amazon.com
Let’s start out with the Addlon 2 pack 48 feet LED string lights. So what exactly makes this one unique compared to the others out there. We would definitely give props to this light bulb for its energy efficiency. As compared to other light bulbs, this one has a 90% energy efficiency rating over incandescent bulbs. They are also pretty bright.
So, if you happen to be looking for power, then this is the one that you can try getting. They are also commercial grade weatherproof so you can also expect total durability.
Pros
15 suspended sockets with 48 ft length
90% energy efficiency rating as compared to most halogen bulbs
Heavy-duty light cord which is thick but flexible
Made out of commercial grade and weatherproof material
Very bright and powerful
Cons
Not very warm light so it doesn’t really add to the outdoor vibe
2. Equipt Weather Resistant Portable LED Light
Equipt Weather Resistant Portable LED Light. Via: Amazon.com
We’d say that this is one of the best outdoor lighting for fall season because it is powerful yet flexible. First of all, it emits a total of 110 lumens which is on the weak side but is great for its compact size. It also acts as a motion sensing outdoor light which means that aside from lighting, it can also be used for security as well.
If you happen to be within 13 feet of the light, it turns on. Same for when any random person walks near it. It’ll just light up right away. Lastly, it has a 360-degree flexible rotational feature. Therefore, if you need it to face any direction you want it to.
Pros
360-degree rotational feature
13 feet motion sensing feature
Weather resistant design and material
Total of 110 lumen power
Has an auto 10 second shut off once you’re not around its vicinity
If you happen to be looking for length of cord, then this is the one for you. Compared to others, this one sports 50 feet cords which allow you more flexibility for installation. It is also the warmest out of all the choices with a 2700K light temperature. At the same time, the bulbs have fully sealed sockets, making them weatherproof. They are also made out of strong plastic so you don’t need to worry about them shattering even if they fall down on the floor.
Pros
E12 Edison screw base
50 ft long thick and durable cord
2700K warm bulb
25 sockets with 26 plastic bulbs
Waterproof fully sealed sockets
Cons
Not known for high brightness or power level
4. Amico 48FT LED Outdoor String Lights
Amico 48FT LED Outdoor String Lights. Via: Amazon.com
When it comes to design, we’d say that this is our favorite– especially if you are into decorating your patios. This one has perfect light temperature and a beautiful vintage design. It fits with pretty much any kind of patio with any type of design. You definitely won’t regret having it hanging in your yard. Sure, it won’t do much for lighting up your porch during the winter time, but it can definitely survive harsh weather. Once the winter season is over, you can use it again.
Pros
Perfect warm color temperature for patios
Beautiful vintage design
Weatherproof design
48-feet long cord
Bright light and pretty strong performance
Cons
The lights tangle up pretty easily
They have the tendency to shut off from time to time
5. MAXVolador 48FT LED Outdoor String Lights
MAXVolador 48FT LED Outdoor String Lights. Via: Amazon.com
And now we’ve made it to our favorite and final pick– the MAXVolador string lights. We gave you a quick overview about why we liked this the best a while ago, but now we’re going into the details. Out of all the LED bulbs for cold weather, this one has the most features that allow you control. For instance, this one comes with 8 different colors with 6 lighting modes. There are also various brightness levels and control modes to play around with. It’s also weatherproofed and shatterproof being made out of very strong IP65 material.
Pros
8 beautiful colors to choose from
6 lighting modes to play around with
Made out of IP65 material making it completely weatherproof
The plastic bulbs are shatterproof
Comes with a remote control so you can control the lights from a distance
This is our top choice! If you can get past the many colors it has, you’ll be able to enjoy it a lot. It has great brightness, amazing durability, and a remote control to boot. It also comes with 6 lighting modes you can play around with.
Here is a summarized list of all the notable features:
8 RGB colors
IP65 material
6 lighting modes
Remote control
Shatterproof plastic bulbs
Conclusion
Now that you know the best outdoor light bulbs for cold weather, you are now ready to buy your first outdoor lighting for winter season. All you need to do is pick the one that suits your needs the most. You may also just buy our top choice. After all, there is definitely a reason why we chose it in the first place.
Thus, if this guide has helped you, why don’t you share it with some of your friends who don’t know that not all bulbs can take the winter cold.
