LED is short for “Light-Emitting Diode”. LEDs produce light, but unlike their counterparts they do not produce a lot of heat. They last much longer than “Incandescent” or “Compact Fluorescent” light bulbs. They also use approximately 80% less electrical consumption to produce the same amount of light output as an Incandescent bulb, making them far more efficient and cost effective. LEDs have also become the leading choice in the “Green Industry.”

No, LED landscape lighting is a LOT cheaper to operate than previous (Incandescent or Halogen) lighting systems, because LED lights use approximately 80% less electrical consumption than an Incandescent light bulb. For example, a “20 Watt Incandescent” light bulb can be replaced by a 4 to 5 watt LED bulb with a similar light output.

To put things into perspective for you… 10 LED landscape fixtures consume about the same electricity as 1 60-watt Incandescent light bulb!

Most North American homes utilize 120 volts to operate many of the electrical components within the home such as lights, power outlets and small appliances. When you hear the term “Low Voltage Lighting” it is referring to Landscape Lighting that is powered by 12 volts instead of 120 volts. This is the same voltage that your car or truck utilizes in order to power its lights and accessories.

When installing a Low Voltage Landscape Lighting System, we install a transformer which reduces the house voltage from 120 volts to 12 volts. The landscape transformer plugs into an existing (GFI) outlet, in a similar fashion to an appliance. The landscape wire is then connected to the transformer which distributes 12 Volt power to the Landscape Lighting fixtures. Most Landscape Lighting fixtures are designed to operate in a range of 9–15 Volts. As a result of the lower voltage, far less energy is consumed to power the Landscape Lights. It is also much safer, and in most jurisdictions it does not require a “certified” electrician to install the system.

There are several obvious advantages LEDs have over traditional incandescent light bulbs, they are as follows

• Low power consumption – energy saving
• Long lasting
• Brightness
• Small size and weight
• Flexible (LED Strip)

Yes, Low Voltage lights are as bright as Incandescent lights. Fact is… it’s not the voltage that determines the brightness of the fixture, so you have to be careful when you compare LEDs to other types of bulbs. Watts (a unit measure of power) was the “old” way to refer to a bulbs lighting capabilities, but we now refer to “Lumens”. Fact is… an LED bulb consumes a fraction of the Watts to produce the same amount of light (lumens) compared to an Incandescent light bulb. As a result, it is far more energy efficient.

• Transformer
• Landscape (low voltage) wire
• Light fixtures

Most of the transformers we install are of “stainless steel” construction and are typically mounted outside the home. We elect to use this type of transformer because it is resistant to inclement weather such as rain and snow and will last for many years, and in most cases decades to come. We install transformers close to an existing exterior (GFI) power outlet. If there are insufficient or poorly located power outlets we have certified electricians that will install additional outlets. When we design a Landscape Lighting System we carefully take into consideration a number of key factors;

• Number and type of fixtures being installed
• Electrical loading calculations
• Distance (runs) from transformers to fixtures
• Voltage drops across the circuits