Energy Saving Tips Using Low Voltage & LED Lighting

On going news and concern in California. and even several surrounding states, is electricity - or lack of it. Whether the shortage is a ploy by the electric companies or a reality, the end result is the same: possible rolling blackouts and/or higher prices.

Homeowners should not look at this as a roadblock to professionally lighting their homes with low voltage lighting. Here's why: Watts are watts. This means a watt in line voltage is still the same watt in low voltage; its still costs the same. But, the key is that low voltage lamps are two to three times brighter per watt than incandescent line voltage lamps. The reason being that low voltage lamp filaments are wound tighter, so burn hotter and brighter. Therefore, 1000 watts of line voltage output would be similar in illumination to as little as 500 or even 300 watts in low voltage light output! This results in a substantial savings.

This information is not new. It has always been an element of low voltage lighting and probably why the 12-volt market has grown so quickly and continues to expand. Low voltage lighting is energy efficient and that has become an important issue. As of June 2011, rates in our local California area are approximately 19 cents per kilowatt-hour. That is to say that you can have 1000 watts per hour for 19 cents.

Using this information as an example, a homeowner would only pay a low $12.16 per month for a 640 watt transformer with a full 16 lights!

For more savings, Custom Outdoor Lighting uses timers on the transformers to more accurately regulate the time that the transformer is running. Another savings method we utilize is to separate lighting systems. This is a technique that breaks up lighting areas into groups, on separate transformers, allowing our customers to run only the areas they need on. As well, we highly recommend the usage of more modern bulbs such as Light Emitting Diodes (LED's) in your indoor or outdoor lighting needs which last 5 times longer than fluorescent's and 12 times longer than standard outdoor halogen bulbs and require 80% less energy to operate. Thus turning into even more cost savings - and reducing environmental impact - by reducing bulb replacement and electricity usage.

Knowledge and professionalism is what Custom Outdoor Lighting has to offer. We encourage you to give us a call at 1.818.262.9577 and we will gladly discuss how low voltage lighting can beautify your home.