08.31
OUTDOOR LIGHTING: INEXPENSIVE SECOND LANDSCAPING
When they are properly lit, landscapes tend to look completely different at night than they do during the sunlight hours. I don’t remember ever installing a lighting system where the client wasn’t pleasantly surprised the first time the timer kicked the system on. One way to look at it is a really inexpensive way to get a second landscape.
Most of the lighting we install is done in low voltage. We often adapt fixtures such as lampposts and pilaster lights to be on the low voltage system as well as the smaller fixtures that throw light up into the trees and onto walls. This is done by simply changing the bulbs used in the fixtures and wiring them into the system. The low voltage systems are 12 volts so it is only necessary to get a bulb that is rated at 12 volts instead of the usual 120 volts. The wattage is a different thing and this will also be printed on the box that contains the light bulb.

Outdoor Patio Lighting
When you get a bulb to use in the house, you can get a 25 watt bulb if you want a dim light or a 75 watt bulb if you want a bright light. In a 12 volt system, a 20 watt bulb is pretty bright – bright enough to light up a small tree, hence the savings in electricity.
Typically, you get two or three times the amount of light for the same number of watts you would use on a high voltage system such as the lighting inside a house. Since the electric company charges by the watt, this makes the low voltage system a lot less expensive to use. It is also faster to install since it uses direct burial type wire that doesn’t need to be in conduit. This feature also makes it more flexible since it is easy to move the location of any given fixture. In terms of construction, faster translates to less expensive for the homeowner. With high voltage, one would typically have to bury conduit at least a foot deep everywhere it goes through the yard, usually get an electrical permit from the city and have it inspected twice and if another light needs to be added later, or if a light needs to be moved, it is a major hassle.
Bruce Larsen Larsen Landscaping Have it done right the first time




