A beautiful garden or landscape can bring much joy to you, your staff and your customers. But it can be costly to maintain.
Electricity and water account for a significant amount of extra costs on commercial properties. Luckily, between irrigation and lighting — the two aspects of a landscape most likely to ramp up your bills — there are many ways to save. In this blog post we cover how to save with lighting!
LED lights
When it comes to light bulbs, one of the biggest trends in the last decade has been the emergence of LED lighting. LED stands for light-emitting diode. These lights are an alternative to the more traditional incandescent, halogen and CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lights) bulbs.
Some folks are skeptical of the exact cost-benefit of LED bulbs. When they first appeared on the market, they were astronomically expensive — upwards of $100 per bulb for some of the bigger ones! But today, the cost of an LED bulb is cheaper than ever. In fact, at Landscape America, we only recommend LED landscape lighting.
Here’s why:
They last much longer — A properly installed LED light can last 50 times longer than an incandescent bulb and 8–10 times longer than a CFL bulb. An LED bulb can last over a decade before having to be replaced. Changing bulbs can get expensive over time, especially on larger commercial properties.
They use far less energy — The energy efficiency of an LED bulb is drastic when compared to other bulbs. We’re talking approximately 75% less power than halogen, and 80% less than incandescent.
They produce much less heat — An LED light produces 80% light for 20% of heat. This ratio is flipped for halogens, with 80% heat for 20% of light. Incandescent bulbs are even worse: 90% heat, 10% light! With older landscape lighting, there was a real risk of straw mulch and grass clippings lighting on fire from the heat output. With LED lights this is no longer the case!
Start saving by lowering your voltage & installing timers.
Another way to quickly and easily start saving money is by Installing a low-voltage transformer. This small device lowers your landscape lighting voltage from 120 volts to 12 volts. Once installed, it will decrease how much you’re paying for your electricity bills immediately. Plus, the lower voltage is much safer. It also makes installing new lights or expanding your lighting system easier to do.
Timers are another cheap yet effective way to lower your power bills. Every lighting system we install includes an automatic timer. You can use it to program when and where your landscape lighting turns on and off! This way, you can make sure that your lights are used only when you want them to be used.
The benefits of motion-sensing lights are twofold. You will not only save money — you’ll also increase the security of your property at the same time. (You can read our post on how landscape lighting can decrease crime and vandalism on your property here.)
Your property deserves to be viewed in the best light possible. This is why, at Landscape America, we offer comprehensive lighting systems for properties of all shapes and sizes. Our systems are designed to start saving you money the second you flip the switch to turn them on. Interested in retrofitting or installing an energy-efficient lighting system for your landscape? Give us a shout and we’ll be happy to chat about it.
