All About Low Voltage Outdoor Lighting

When shopping for outdoor light fixtures, there’s a lot to remember. You need to choose light fixtures that are UL damp or wet-listed, you need to match these fixtures to the style of your home and most importantly, you’ve got to find fixtures that are in your price range. Then you hear about things like line voltage and low voltage and you’re probably ready to throw in the towel. Here’s the low-down on what low voltage outdoor lighting is and why it may work for you and your home.

The standard for electricity running into your home is 120 volts. 120 volts is extremely dangerous and can seriously injure or kill someone under the right circumstances. Types of light fixtures that run on traditional 120 line voltage include chandeliers, most ceiling fixtures and even table lamps.

On the other hand, low voltage fixtures only use 12 volts of electricity, which is a huge drop and can be a life saver, literally. Certain light fixtures are made to be low voltage including recessed light fixtures.

Low voltage light fixtures are surprisingly easy to understand. Simply put, light fixtures that are deemed ‘low voltage’ come with a transmitter (which may also be referred to as a transformer) that changes the voltage from 120 to 12. Certain interior light fixtures are already low voltage, including certain chandeliers, desk lamps, task lights and recessed light fixtures. Of course, there are also several outdoor light fixtures that are low voltage or can be made as low voltage including hanging lanterns, outdoor lanterns, the occasional lamp post and other outdoor lighting fixtures.

The biggest disadvantage to low voltage outdoor light fixtures is that they cost more upfront in comparison to traditional line voltage outdoor light fixtures. However, low voltage light fixtures use less electricity and thus, cost less to run, which helps make up for the increased cost of the light fixture itself.

Aside from upfront costs and reduced electricity usage, these light fixtures also use smaller light bulbs and thus there are a number of more compact light fixtures which can be used for specific features on the home’s exterior. For example, if there’s a tight squeeze between the base of a shrub and the facade of the home, there is typically a low voltage light fixture that will fit into the space, helping to create the desired illumination.

Currently, many manufacturers offer a number of outdoor light fixtures including pathway lights, accent lights, spread lights and more. So the number of choices is growing and will easily be equal to the number of line voltage outdoor light fixtures available.

In short, low voltage light fixtures cost more upfront, but use less electricity over the long run. Plus, there are a number of outdoor fixtures available including pathway lights and accent lights, making it easy to create an outdoor lighting scheme using low voltage fixtures.