When peeking into the yard when it is dark causes everything to disappear, you know you need to improve the landscape lighting. With the right light, your landscape can have the right features highlighted and truly improve the beauty of your home’s exterior and greenery. With advanced landscape lighting technology, there are many diverse selections, setups, and styles. The lighting can make your landscaping a sight to behold. Today, we at Burley Electrical Services would like to share a few details to help you better decide what options are best for your landscape. With each having their own benefits and drawbacks, there are two main types of landscape lighting; Line-voltage landscape lighting and low-voltage landscape lighting.
Line Voltage Landscape Lighting
Like standard outlets in your home, the line voltage landscape lighting uses 120-volts of electricity. To improve nighttime visibility, and for security this option is used most often in commercial applications.
Advantages: Dimmers are less expensive, however, the line-voltage lighting fixtures cost less than low-voltage landscape fixtures and bulbs.
Disadvantages: Operating costs are higher for this style of landscape lighting, unless line-voltage lines are installed in particularly low-use areas. With wires trenched 18” beneath the ground, line-voltage lighting must also be professionally installed.
How Does Low Voltage Lighting Work?
Stepping it down to a mere 12-volts with the help of a transformer, the low-voltage landscape lighting takes 120-volts of electricity.
Advantages: Operating in wet/moist environment is safe as the low-voltage of this landscape lighting medium is safer. To prevent tripping, mower snafus, and for aesthetic purposes, the lines only require minimal submersion beneath the soil. Even more so when a dimmer is employed, in frequent-use scenarios, operating costs are significantly lower than line-voltage lighting. With better shock/vibration resistance the low-voltage bulb lasts and with a longer standard run-time (6,000 hours on MR16 bulbs). Natural tones, the light is warm, clean, and sharp. Providing more focus, and greater optical control, the smaller filaments necessary for low-voltage operation. For a particular lighting scheme, this can reduce the number of fixtures necessary.
Disadvantages: Low-voltage lighting cannot brighten as much as the line-voltage landscape lighting. Wires are left susceptible to damage from garden tools and pests with the shallow burial. Due to the need for a transformer, bulbs and dimmers are also slightly more expensive.
Line VS Low Voltage Lights
Low voltage landscape lighting can be used in the same spaces, and for the same purposes, as line-voltage lighting, but it is safer for wet outdoor environments and less expensive. This option also offers a wider range of styles, including track and rail lighting, pendant lighting, recessed lighting, display lighting and suspended cable lighting options in addition to being available in a number of bulbs, beams and lenses.
Lighting Consultations, Fixture Installations & More in Imperial Point, Pompano Beach, Plantation, Deerfield Beach, Boca Raton, Davie, Lighthouse Point, Parkland, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
When it comes to your landscape lighting upgrades, Burley Electrical Services is readily available. Our specialists can help you highlight some showroom plants or unique characteristics in the architectural design. Additionally, our certified experts can ensure quality installation and provide any maintenance or repair services down the line. For your landscape lighting solutions, Burley Electrical Service, Inc is happy to assist you. Call us today!
