If you live in a house, as opposed to an apartment, you will need to install outdoor lighting. Now the biggest problem is to make sure that it is safe enough for people and animals. If you use overhead wiring, you run the risk of the wiring breaking in a high wind and falling to the ground. If you place the wiring underground, you run the risk that the insulation may get damaged by normal gardening activities, and the electricity may leak out. Your pet animals or your children can easily get a nasty shock if they come in contact with the exposed conductor. There is a chance that electrocution may take place. The basic reason is that the normal outdoor lighting system runs on high voltage electricity. You can eliminate any risk of shock or electrocution by installing a low voltage outdoor lighting system.
The concept behind the modern outdoor lighting system is straightforward and simple. You replace the traditional lighting system which utilizes high voltage circuitry operating at 120 volts with a modern lighting system operating at a low 12 volts. Some systems use 24 volts. Whichever voltage is chosen, these low voltages pose no threat at all to life or limb or property.
The low voltage outdoor lighting system is powered through a step-down transformer which steps down the 120 volt mains supply to a safe 12 volt supply. Some outdoor lighting systems are designed to use DC electricity. In case of mains outage, as in a storm, such an outdoor lighting system can be operated off storage batteries, like the ones used in automobiles. So your house is protected even in such emergencies. Most of these modern outdoor lighting systems do not use the traditional incandescent lamps. Instead they use LED lighting which is exceptionally economical to run. The high output LEDs that are available today are more than a match for the incandescent and halogen tubes in terms of brightness. Needless to say you can use these lighting units wherever you used the traditional ones. So you have safety, you have economy and you don't lose out on the brightness! Isn't that great?
The installation of a modern outdoor lighting system is quite simple, mainly because lethal voltages are not involved. If you are conversant with electricity and electrical circuits, you can manage the installation yourself in an easy one-day job. You don't need any kind of special equipment or tools to install the low voltage system - no insulated gloves and no delicate measuring equipment. Be warned, however, that short circuits can still cause fires, so be very careful to use fuses or the modern miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) of appropriate rating at strategic junctures. You can afford to use high quality cable and MCBs because the overall saving you make by implementing this system is much more than the cable cost.
So just how much money can you save with LED lamps? Well consider that they typically use about a quarter of the electricity of standard lamps. That's a 75% savings every month on your outdoor lighting bill. Figure that out over the course of a year or even ten years, and the numbers become significant. Then when you add in the fact that these bulbs will last at least 10 times longer, the savings get even better. And as an added benefit you won't be forced to change the bulbs nearly as often. As we all know, outdoor lights always seem to go out when we would least like them to, like when the temperatures are sub-freezing.
The wiring for low voltage outdoor lighting need not be buried underground. Because the load of LED lamps is so low, the wiring is commensurately light. This means that you can change the wiring around quite easily whenever you feel the need for a change (of outdoor lighting, that is). This is a very handy feature when your house has many special features. Highlighting them all at once is garish, and that defeats the very definition of highlighting! So one month you can highlight the gable roofing, the next month the side elevation, and the colonial columns the following month. The same applies to the landscaping or wooded area around the house.
This primer on low voltage outdoor lighting should encourage you to change over to a modern efficient lighting system for your outdoor lighting needs. You'll save pots of money in electricity bills, take my word for it! More importantly, you'll be 100% free of electrical shock hazard. Your householder's insurance cover will benefit too, from the changeover. This means that the value of your house will go up while you are actually saving money. Now aren't you glad you read this primer? - 30228
The concept behind the modern outdoor lighting system is straightforward and simple. You replace the traditional lighting system which utilizes high voltage circuitry operating at 120 volts with a modern lighting system operating at a low 12 volts. Some systems use 24 volts. Whichever voltage is chosen, these low voltages pose no threat at all to life or limb or property.
The low voltage outdoor lighting system is powered through a step-down transformer which steps down the 120 volt mains supply to a safe 12 volt supply. Some outdoor lighting systems are designed to use DC electricity. In case of mains outage, as in a storm, such an outdoor lighting system can be operated off storage batteries, like the ones used in automobiles. So your house is protected even in such emergencies. Most of these modern outdoor lighting systems do not use the traditional incandescent lamps. Instead they use LED lighting which is exceptionally economical to run. The high output LEDs that are available today are more than a match for the incandescent and halogen tubes in terms of brightness. Needless to say you can use these lighting units wherever you used the traditional ones. So you have safety, you have economy and you don't lose out on the brightness! Isn't that great?
The installation of a modern outdoor lighting system is quite simple, mainly because lethal voltages are not involved. If you are conversant with electricity and electrical circuits, you can manage the installation yourself in an easy one-day job. You don't need any kind of special equipment or tools to install the low voltage system - no insulated gloves and no delicate measuring equipment. Be warned, however, that short circuits can still cause fires, so be very careful to use fuses or the modern miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) of appropriate rating at strategic junctures. You can afford to use high quality cable and MCBs because the overall saving you make by implementing this system is much more than the cable cost.
So just how much money can you save with LED lamps? Well consider that they typically use about a quarter of the electricity of standard lamps. That's a 75% savings every month on your outdoor lighting bill. Figure that out over the course of a year or even ten years, and the numbers become significant. Then when you add in the fact that these bulbs will last at least 10 times longer, the savings get even better. And as an added benefit you won't be forced to change the bulbs nearly as often. As we all know, outdoor lights always seem to go out when we would least like them to, like when the temperatures are sub-freezing.
The wiring for low voltage outdoor lighting need not be buried underground. Because the load of LED lamps is so low, the wiring is commensurately light. This means that you can change the wiring around quite easily whenever you feel the need for a change (of outdoor lighting, that is). This is a very handy feature when your house has many special features. Highlighting them all at once is garish, and that defeats the very definition of highlighting! So one month you can highlight the gable roofing, the next month the side elevation, and the colonial columns the following month. The same applies to the landscaping or wooded area around the house.
This primer on low voltage outdoor lighting should encourage you to change over to a modern efficient lighting system for your outdoor lighting needs. You'll save pots of money in electricity bills, take my word for it! More importantly, you'll be 100% free of electrical shock hazard. Your householder's insurance cover will benefit too, from the changeover. This means that the value of your house will go up while you are actually saving money. Now aren't you glad you read this primer? - 30228
About the Author:
Lighting the outside of your home can make it look inviting and beautiful, but it can also make it safer as well. Walkway lighting is especially important for this reason. To find out more about low voltage, LED and solar outdoor lighting visit www.Contemporary-Lighting-Accents.com.
