Outdoor Lighting: More on Low-Voltage Lighting

More on Low-Voltage Lighting

July 6, 2019

In our last blog post, we dived into low-voltage lighting and discovered many advantages, such as safety and mobility. In today’s blog post, we’ll go over the disadvantages of low-voltage lighting and how you can choose if low-voltage lighting is for you.

The Lighting Corner in Grandville and Grand Haven offers the best lighting solutions to meet your residential and commercial lighting needs, from bedroom lighting to restaurant lighting. Our lighting specialists work tirelessly to make your home bright and your business beautiful. Contact us today to get started!

THE DISADVANTAGES OF LOW-VOLTAGE LIGHTING

You need a transformer. Besides having to deal with one more box in your yard or near your home, transformers can be buzzy and sometimes loud. You’d almost rather have a bee near you than a transformer at times. Line voltage usually does not hum. You also have to have your low-voltage lighting near the transformer.
It can be less bright. Because low-voltage lighting has to be run through a transformer in order to make the standard line voltage of 120v to either 12v or 24v, the potential for lost energy is present. Hence, by the time the energy reaches your lighting fixtures, you may not have full power, making your lighting less bright.
Limited on lighting options. Once again, due to the fact that low-voltage lighting has to go through a transformer in order to be converted, the transformer can easily become overwhelmed with demand. Thus, you may be limited in your fixture choices due to the fact you have to limit your wattage as well.
Commercial businesses might have a harder time passing inspection. Low-voltage lighting is a whole other animal. To get low-voltage lighting, the electrical components are much more complicated than your traditional line voltages.
Maintenance can be challenging. Some electricians are not all that familiar with low-voltage lighting since line voltage is the majority of the lighting they work with. Hence, if you need electrical maintenance or an electrical solution, it may be more expensive since more time and labor is required to fix the problem(s). Furthermore, if the problem is with the transformer, that’s quite a different skill level involved, which could warrant even more charges your way.

HOW TO CHOOSE EITHER LINE VOLTAGE OR LOW-VOLTAGE LIGHTING

Line voltage is definitely more versatile than low-voltage lighting. You can install line voltage for any use, from landscape lighting to kitchen lighting. Low-voltage lighting is useful when you cannot install a full standard-voltage wire system. And low-voltage lighting is also increasingly being installed as landscape lighting, due to the lower voltage and the safety concern.

THE LIGHTING CORNER ADVANTAGE IN GRAND HAVEN AND GRANDVILLE

The Lighting Corner is passionate about bringing you the best lighting for all of your life’s needs in order to create memories that will last a lifetime. Whether you spend your summer outdoors by the pool or you love hosting family for holidays, lighting is critical to being able to perform everything you want to do. We offer low-voltage lighting products and fixtures. Visit our lighting showroom, or call our lighting specialists with The Lighting Corner today!