When you think of outdoor lighting you think of floodlights to light up the house and its environs in the night for safety and security. You may also think of decorative lighting for the garden. Then there is highlighting to show off your landscaping or architectural beauty. In all these cases the outdoor lighting involves running wires carrying high voltage to the different light points. You may run the wires underground or overhead. However you run the wiring, you have to be very careful that there is no chance of electrocution. Underground wiring is prone to water infiltration and damage by normal activities like gardening or some sports (cricket, for instance). If the insulation of underground wiring is damaged, high voltage electricity can leak out. Overhead wiring can break in storms and fall to the ground. Fatal accidents can occur to human or animal victims. Electrical short circuits can cause fires to break out, injuring people and damaging property. If you are thinking of rewiring your current outdoor lighting system, or if you are planning to install one for the first time, you should opt for the low voltage solution.
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 required by your low voltage outdoor lighting system is obtained by transforming the high voltage (120 volts) electricity to low voltage (12 volts) by means of a transformer. The low voltage outdoor lighting system uses LV lamps. Nowadays LED lamps are very popular because they operate off LV and their current demand is extremely low. The high intensity LEDs that are available now are able to match the brilliance of their high voltage counterparts.
Installing an outdoor lighting system is very straightforward. You can hand the installation over to a contractor or you can do it yourself. The low voltage electricity running through the wires is safe to touch and handle barehanded. So you don't need to switch off the mains every time you handle the wires. Even official and legal formalities are easier to implement with low voltage outdoor lighting system. The fire hazard still remains but you can avoid that by using high quality fire resistant cabling and by installing MCBs at strategic points in the wiring system.
As mentioned before, modern outdoor lighting systems are extremely thrifty in operation. An LED lamp which gives a light output comparable to an existing lamp, uses just about one-fourth the electrical energy of the latter. That means your electricity bill on account of outdoor lighting is slashed down to a quarter of the normal, month after month, year after year! Oh yes, I forgot to mention that LED lamps outlast standard incandescent and even fluorescent lamps by a factor of 10 at a minimum. In fact, with LED lamps, it is a matter of 'fit and forget'! So you save yourself the trouble of replacing lamps ever so often, and usually at the most inconvenient times of all! Not replacing lamps means you don't have to maintain an emergency stock of lamps, 'just in case'. More savings.
The current load for LEDs is so low that you can use light wiring for the low voltage outdoor lighting system. You can use overhead wiring without fear of it causing grievous bodily harm to people or animals. With light overhead wiring it is easy to rearrange the lighting whenever required. This allows you to highlight different parts of the house and grounds for a change. So you can highlight the gazebo one month, and the Spanish columns the next.
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? - 23802
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 required by your low voltage outdoor lighting system is obtained by transforming the high voltage (120 volts) electricity to low voltage (12 volts) by means of a transformer. The low voltage outdoor lighting system uses LV lamps. Nowadays LED lamps are very popular because they operate off LV and their current demand is extremely low. The high intensity LEDs that are available now are able to match the brilliance of their high voltage counterparts.
Installing an outdoor lighting system is very straightforward. You can hand the installation over to a contractor or you can do it yourself. The low voltage electricity running through the wires is safe to touch and handle barehanded. So you don't need to switch off the mains every time you handle the wires. Even official and legal formalities are easier to implement with low voltage outdoor lighting system. The fire hazard still remains but you can avoid that by using high quality fire resistant cabling and by installing MCBs at strategic points in the wiring system.
As mentioned before, modern outdoor lighting systems are extremely thrifty in operation. An LED lamp which gives a light output comparable to an existing lamp, uses just about one-fourth the electrical energy of the latter. That means your electricity bill on account of outdoor lighting is slashed down to a quarter of the normal, month after month, year after year! Oh yes, I forgot to mention that LED lamps outlast standard incandescent and even fluorescent lamps by a factor of 10 at a minimum. In fact, with LED lamps, it is a matter of 'fit and forget'! So you save yourself the trouble of replacing lamps ever so often, and usually at the most inconvenient times of all! Not replacing lamps means you don't have to maintain an emergency stock of lamps, 'just in case'. More savings.
The current load for LEDs is so low that you can use light wiring for the low voltage outdoor lighting system. You can use overhead wiring without fear of it causing grievous bodily harm to people or animals. With light overhead wiring it is easy to rearrange the lighting whenever required. This allows you to highlight different parts of the house and grounds for a change. So you can highlight the gazebo one month, and the Spanish columns the next.
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? - 23802
About the Author:
Lighting the exterior of your home can make it look inviting and gorgeous, but it can also make it safer as well. Walkway lighting is very critical for this reason. To find out more about low voltage, LED and solar outdoor lighting visit www.Contemporary-Lighting-Accents.com.
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