A little light on the subject

The sky is the limit for outdoor lighting applications. Today’s lighting technologies allow for some spectacular lighting affects. Whether you want to accentuate your home’s architectural features, highlight a focal point, profile hardscapes, emphasize depth, or simply light a path for safety, there is a fixture for both durability and style available. The development of low wattage and LED technology allows you to put just the amount of light, just where you want it.

In the past, I have often considered outdoor lighting a pollutant and a waste of energy. That viewpoint has been curbed with the innovation of low voltage lighting. Low voltage illumination is subtle and very cost effective.

How it works: There is a bit of electrical knowledge necessary to properly install. Low voltage lighting is attached to a transformer that takes your house voltage of 120 volts down to a safer and more economical 12 volts. With the low voltage, there is virtually no electrical hazard. The wires are buried for appearance only with no minimum depth required. Conduit is not necessary.

The benefits: LED technology uses much less energy. You can benefit from a 70-80% savings over incandescent lighting, as well as extended bulb life. A single bulb can last up to 10-12 years! However, LED bulbs are more costly, somewhere in the range of 3-4 times the cost of a standard incandescent bulb. Timers, photocells, and remote controlled fixtures are readily available. This makes for a very user friendly system.

Outdoor lighting is truly the mark of a a professionally designed landscape. A professional’s expertise will help choose and locate proper fixtures, determine positioning, and select the right bulb strength. Aside from the obvious safety measures lighting provides, outdoor landscape lighting adds a layer of dimension to your landscape. It’s inviting. It’s fun! If we can be of help, give us a call. (440) 313-2162