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How Much Energy Does Landscape Lighting Use?

We live in a time when being environmentally friendly is important. Saving energy is an important part of any household budget and one of the major ways that a family can save energy is to have more energy efficient lighting. The cost of lighting has been something that has kept many families away from installing landscape lighting on their property but that does not have to be so. Improvements in energy efficient lighting systems have shrunk the cost and will continue to lower the cost of operation.

Old to the new, how do LEDs improve the standard?

The most obvious improvement has been a change in bulbs, from the old incandescent to compact fluorescent bulbs to more modern LED bulbs. Not only do LED bulbs produce brighter light but they can cost less around $8 annually to operate from dusk to dawn. Add in the fact that these bulbs last longer than incandescent bulbs and they will pay for themselves in savings several times over the course of their lifetime. Using the proper bulb outdoors can have the same effect on savings that changing these bulbs indoors can do. For some lights or systems a timer can also provide significant savings as it can shut lights off at certain times or operate as a motion-only light.

Illuminated home garden patio plants and evening lights near small fountain

Electrical fed or Solar Powered?

There are other ways that a landscape lighting system can be more energy efficient which will lead to major savings when it comes to the power bill. The equipment that is installed as well as the efficiency of that equipment can lead to significant savings. What type of wire is run? What type of transformer is used? What kind of lamps are installed and what wattage do they use? Knowing this (and for homeowners asking about this) can lead to major savings on your electrical consumption so make sure that your installer is making your outdoor landscape lighting as energy efficient as possible and goes over potential savings as well.

Another option to consider is solar power. Yes, solar power can be used for some outdoor landscape lighting. Not only are they attractive and require little to no maintenance but they are becoming more and more common meaning the price tag will continue to drop. Most have timers to shut off so that energy is not wasted and energy-efficient bulbs make them even more efficient. Are they right for you? They could be.

Want to talk about it? Give us a call!

At Resort Lighting we make sure that our customers know all of their options and work hard so that their landscape lighting system is as energy efficient as possible. The cost of one of these systems do not end when it is installed but will be present on any electrical bill thereafter and we do not want anyone to regret having one installed because it is too expensive to operate. We also recognize that being environmentally friendly is becoming more and more popular as we only have one planet to live on. You can have a quality outdoor landscape lighting system and be energy efficient at the same time!

 

Resources:

http://www.cast-lighting.com/landscape-articles/energy-conservation-in-low-voltage-landscape-lighting-installation
https://www.mge.com/saving-energy/home/lighting/lighting-costs.htm
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/save-electricity-and-fuel/lighting-choices-save-you-money/outdoor-solar-lighting
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/articles/big-savings-outdoor-lighting
https://www.energydepot.com/RPUres/library/outdoorlight.asp

 

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