Save money and energy by updating to LED landscape lighting!

Landscaping, patios and decks are a great way to enhance your home’s beauty and add to your livable space, but what happens when the sun goes down?  As the lights fades past the horizon and the moon comes into view, your landscape lighting starts its nightly shift, but when was the last time you gave your landscape lighting any attention?  Families are always on the go, and landscape lighting is most likely not on the daily docket of where to aim your focus.  If you could carve out a little time to sit down with your landscape designer to discuss updating your lighting system, you will definitely see that it is worth your while.

Landscape lighting serves several purposes.  Lighting enhances the features you love the most about your home, it creates nighttime drama against your landscape, it keeps your footsteps lit and your home guarded and secure.  With all of these aspects to take into consideration, it is important to keep in the forefront of technology to keep your family and home safe, while keeping some green in your wallet.  Older landscape lighting systems were installed with halogen bulbs, which were perfect for homeowners at the time, but lighting has evolved and the creation of low voltage, LED landscape lighting systems started to shine their light.

Lifespan

Ok, ok…it is true that LED lighting is more of a financial investment then the older halogen systems, but that is only a partial truth and don’t let it deter you from making the switch!  Although LED lighting costs more initially, you will actually end up saving money in the lifetime of the system.  On average, an LED light has a useful life of 25,000 – 50,000 hours!  Now compare that to a halogen bulb, with an on average lifespan of only 2,500 hours.  Doing the math, you could end up changing your halogen bulbs up to 20 times before you would need to make an LED change-out.  This cuts down on maintenance by not having to constantly be outside replacing burn outs.  If you have lighting up high that highlights the peaks in your home, you can save yourself a lot of frustration trying to reach and replace them all the time!

Energy

Not only will the lifespan of the LED bulbs save you money in the long-run, but the energy conservation will aid in saving money as well.  Low voltage LED lighting uses a fraction of energy as its predecessors.  The most energy efficient bulbs on the market can actually save 6-7 times more energy and cut energy use by more than 80%!  You can now replace a 35 watt halogen bulbs with a 4 or 5 watt LED and still get the same beautiful, clean and desirable light.  So while your property shines bright, the charges on your electric bill start to dim!

Safety

Did you know that 90% of halogen energy is given off as heat?  Well, it’s true, and it’s scary.  Used commercially or in residential circumstances, if leaves or flammable materials come in contact with these hot bulbs, the risk of fire drastically increases.  Since LED lighting is more energy efficient, they radiate less heat, making the fixtures the safest choice for your landscape. You may not be able to control mother nature, especially when the leaves start to drop in autumn, but you can be proactive to make your property a safer place by updating your lighting!

Landscape lighting turns your home into a jewel that shines after dark.  With your home being your pride and joy, and your biggest investment, it is clear to see that saving money in the long-run and reducing energy consumption is the way to go.  MasterPLAN Landscape Design recognizes the importance of safe, low-maintenance, energy efficient and long-term materials when it comes to creating backyard transformations.  Keeping style, budget and function in mind, we want you to love your outdoor living spaces, especially at nighttime!  Reach out to MasterPLAN to start a conversation; when you are ready, we are ready!