Low Voltage Landscape Lighting

Over the years, low voltage landscape lighting it has come to enjoy a position of prominence in many aspects of outdoor lighting. It is unsurpassed in its decorative enhancement of certain landscape forms. It also delivers a much higher cost-savings potential because it is cheaper to operate than high voltage equipment. Low voltage lighting is also safer for homes with children and pets because there is not enough of a charge in the wire to deliver serious injuries or fatal shocks.

Low voltage landscape lights represent an energy-efficient, affordable way of illuminating the landscape. Many require only 12 volts to operate- a marginal increase in power cost at best. They are ideal luminaires for many landscaping features whose aesthetic is magnified by continuous illumination. 12 volt fixtures are also less expensive to install than high voltage incandescents because they do not need conduit to house their wiring. There is a downside to this, however. Low voltage wiring, because it is buried with no protective coating, is easily cut with a shovel if someone working in the lawn accidentally digs too deep. This is why it is better to have a professional install low voltage landscape lights to minimize the chances of this occurring.

Low voltage landscape lighting is commonly used to light public gathering areas that are characterized by relaxation and conversation. Outdoor fireplaces are often lit by low voltage lighting, both around the structure of the fireplace itself, and around the patio seating area. Arbors with trellises and outdoor kitchens are also very good places to install these lights because the wires and fixtures can be hidden in the structures themselves. This makes the structures themselves look luminous, as if they were magically lit from within their own substance.

Although typically much less intense than high voltage lighting, there are many applications where low voltage lighting is not only sufficient, but actually preferable from a decorative viewpoint. Many landscape features only require a touch of light to bring out their color and unique proportions. Garden paths appear warm and inviting throughout the night. Fountains become multicolored as underwater light refracts vibrantly through water droplets. Urns and garden sculptures take on new dimensions in the interplay of light and shadow created by unique angles of incidence.

Among outdoor lighting professionals, low voltage landscape lighting is typically considered to be the best way to feature smaller landscaping items. Elements like address markers, planters, columns, decorative walls, and even small rocks will all take on new dimensions and variations of color when lit up with the right luminance levels at precisely calculated angles of incidence. Ideally, these fixtures should either be concealed, or they should be decorative in nature so as not to detract from the aesthetic of the subject matter. Although inexpensive and safe to install, we recommend that you let landscaping professionals install them so as to minimize the possibility of wiring being cut at a later date.