A Primer On Safe And Economical Outdoor Lighting
Go to: Previous Article Next Article
If you live in a house, as opposed to an apartment, you will need to install outdoor lighting. Now the biggest problem is to make sure that it is safe enough for people and animals. If you use overhead wiring, you run the risk of the wiring breaking in a high wind and falling to the ground. If you place the wiring underground, you run the risk that the insulation may get damaged by normal gardening activities, and the electricity may leak out. Your pet animals or your children can easily get a nasty shock if they come in contact with the exposed conductor. There is a chance that electrocution may take place. The basic reason is that the normal outdoor lighting system runs on high voltage electricity. You can eliminate any risk of shock or electrocution by installing a low voltage outdoor lighting system.
Electrical voltage above a 60 - 70 volt threshold is sensible to humans. Above 100 volts it becomes dangerous. At just 12 volts, low voltage electricity is safe because it cannot cause electrocution. So outdoor lighting systems using low voltage electricity are absolutely safe.
The low voltage required by your low voltage outdoor lighting system is obtained by transforming the high voltage (120 volts) electricity to low voltage (12 volts) by means of a transformer. The low voltage outdoor lighting system uses LV lamps. Nowadays LED lamps are very popular because they operate off LV and their current demand is extremely low. The high intensity LEDs that are available now are able to match the brilliance of their high voltage counterparts.
The installation of a modern outdoor lighting system is quite simple, mainly because lethal voltages are not involved. If you are conversant with electricity and electrical circuits, you can manage the installation yourself in an easy one-day job. You don't need any kind of special equipment or tools to install the low voltage system - no insulated gloves and no delicate measuring equipment. Be warned, however, that short circuits can still cause fires, so be very careful to use fuses or the modern miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) of appropriate rating at strategic junctures. You can afford to use high quality cable and MCBs because the overall saving you make by implementing this system is much more than the cable cost.
So just how much money can you save with LED lamps? Well consider that they typically use about a quarter of the electricity of standard lamps. That's a 75% savings every month on your outdoor lighting bill. Figure that out over the course of a year or even ten years, and the numbers become significant. Then when you add in the fact that these bulbs will last at least 10 times longer, the savings get even better. And as an added benefit you won't be forced to change the bulbs nearly as often. As we all know, outdoor lights always seem to go out when we would least like them to, like when the temperatures are sub-freezing.
The electrical load of LEDs is so light that you need not bury the cabling underground. Just use overhead wiring for the outdoor lighting system. This means that it is easy for you to reposition the lights whenever you feel that that is required. Having the same lighting arrangement month in and month out becomes boring. So changing the arrangement every few months helps to keep the novelty going over the years. This is an attraction in itself. You are now free to highlight the house and grounds differently over the months.
Changing your outdoor lighting system to a low voltage outdoor lighting system using LED lamps will be a power and money saving idea. You'll be contributing to environmental conservation as well by reducing the demand on large power generating stations. The main benefit of a low voltage outdoor lighting system is that you are now completely free from the risk of electrocution accidents. You can watch your children play out there and not have the teeniest fear about them getting a fatal shock. What could be better than that?
About the Author
Lighting the exterior of your home can make it look welcoming and beautiful, but it can also make it safer too. Walkway lighting is especially important for this reason. To find out more about low voltage, LED and solar outdoor lighting go to www.Contemporary-Lighting-Accents.com.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
Word Count: 688
Reduce Your Debts Without Bankruptcy. See How Much You Can Save. Free Debt Analysis
