LED Landscape Lighting Pics

Here's a sampling of LED landscape lighting pics from a project we worked on this year.

This paver pool deck and patio feature both line voltage and low voltage landscape lights. Line voltage (120volt) post lights are mounted on the top of the two pillars while a combination of path lights, hardscape lights, and spot lights highlight other areas of the landscape.

Line voltage post lights on pillars with LEDs under seat wall coping and step coping.

The landscape lighting pic above shows the Kichler 3" hardscape light with single diode. These lights are great for under seat wall caps and step coping. They are easy to install but be sure to always use direct burial splices. Dryconn is a good choice or if you're using Kichler fixtures they will come with a clamp-type splice that is good for direct burial.

LED path lights from Kichler

This LED landscape lighting pic shows a popular design from Kichler. The client used these fixtures throughout the landscape and they blended nicely with the design theme which was a combination of natural and contemporary.

More path lights to accent retaining wall.

LED path lights in the foreground with line voltage post lights on pillars in background.

Single diode hardscape lights under step coping.

Path lights in foreground with spot lights on spruces in background.

The LED landscape path lights are used here to illuminate the patio and entry to the deck steps. In the background Kichler 8 watt spot lights are used to accent the spruces which creates a nice backdrop and perimeter for this outdoor living area. Thanks to Elemental Landscapes, Ltd. for use of these great LED landscape lighting pics.

What Does LED Landscape Lighting Cost?

Like with anything else there is going to be a big range in prices. What I want to do here is give a basic breakdown of all the costs involved with a fully installed LED landscape lighting project for a typical home. What does LED landscape lighting cost? Here are the some of the factors that help figure cost:

• The number of fixture
• Type of fixture: spot, path, hardscape
• Location of installation
• Brand and quality of fixture
• The LED wattage
• Transformer used
• The cable and connectors

Beginning with number of fixtures: the more fixtures the greater the cost, obviously. Usually a system package will consist of 7 fixtures or more. Once you get over 12 there may be volume discounts. The style of fixture is a primary factor. We price most spotlights at approx. $300 per fixture installed, path lights at around the same price, hardscape lights (for seatwalls, etc.) at about $175 installed and peak lights at $350. That's where installation location comes into play. A light up on your eave is going to cost more because of the difficulty and additional wire required, but they look great. The brand and quality of fixture is a major factor. We use only Kichler LED landscape light fixtures because of their great warranty. The fixtures are fully potted LEDs, not the LED retrofit bulbs some other manufacturers use.

Wattage of the fixture is a factor when asking what does LED landscape lighting cost. The higher the wattage the more expense because more diodes are needed as the wattage goes up. Click to view fixture pricing for Kichler LEDs on Amazon.com.
The transformer is a final factor when it comes to pricing a LED landscape lighting system. A stainless steel cabinet is standard in a quality transformer and I usually start with a 300 watt transformer and size from there. Cable size also changes price. I only use 12 gauge and larger cable because that's what is required for the internal breaker to work. If the cable is too small the wire may short out and could potentially start a fire. But if the wire is the proper size any fault in the circuit will trip the internal breaker.

Also, be sure to use direct burial connectors with electrogel to prevent corrosion and shorting out of the wire. Here is a hypothetical cost for a typical system, completely installed if I was installing it: Install 7 LED spotlights for trees and home accents, install 2 eave lights on peaks, install 3 path lights of choice along walk and install 5 hardscape lights on landscape seatwall. Includes complete installation with 300 watt stainless steel transformer and 12 gauge low voltage cable with direct burial connectors.

7 spots @ $300 each= $2,100
2 peak lights @ $350 each= $700
3 path lights @ $300 each= $600
5 hardscape lights @ $150 each (volume discount)= $750
300 watt stainless steel transformer with digital timer= $300
Complete installation and warranty is included. Grand Total= $4,450 Obviously there are a number of factors, however this itemization should provide you an idea of how much high quality LED landscape lighting costs, installed, in the Chicagoland area. Good luck!



Here is a LED landscape lighting project Elemental Landscapes installed in Frankfort, IL.    

LED Landscape Lights: Beyond the Spotlight

Landscape Lighting has been around for a long time; line voltage (120 volt) landscape lighting has been around since Edison invented the incandescent bulb, with Low voltage landscape lighting coming later. Despite the age difference, low voltage is becoming more popular and LED low voltage landscape lighting in particular is gaining in popularity every day, especially since it's so easy to install. Spotlights have always been the go-to fixture for outdoors; you can accent architectural features, trees, bushes, retaining walls and so on.

But modern landscape lighting has evolved beyond the spotlight. New fixtures enter the market each year and two of my favorite are the LED hardscape light and the paver embedded LED. Hardscape lights are great for under the coping of a landscape wall or pillar:

I also like using hardscape lights under the counter top of outdoor kitchens and bars:

Another great new LED landscape light is the embedded paver LED. These look great in driveways, walkways or just for an accent in a patio. Once the paver is cored the LED is simply pounded in and wired and you've a got a great looking and long lasting light.

Hardscape lights and embedded LEDs are two new fixtures that will add a lot of night time radiance and interest to your outdoors. They're easy to install and in many cases are warrantied for 15 years.

The Benefits of LED Landscape Lighting: Installation

The benefits of LED landscape lighting are many, but one of the most important is the ease of installation. A true LED light fixture is driven by a microprocessor that automatically controls the voltage going to the LEDs. It's nearly impossible to run too much or to little voltage to the fixture and ruin it which would happen with a typical incandescent fixture. Since the chip in the fixture automatically corrects the voltage (right around 11 watts) installation is much easier. You don't need to worry about using the correct voltage tap on the transformer. Just connect all your runs to the 15 volt tap and you'll be in good shape!

This makes wiring low voltage LED landscape lighting systems much easier to the point that most homeowners can tackle installing a nice system in a weekend. Just be sure to use direct burial splices (filled with electro-gel) and be sure to use no smaller than 12 gauge cable. If you use 14 gauge or higher you risk shorting out the wire instead of tripping the breaker in the transformer....but more about that later. Installing LED landscape lighting has become much easier because of the amount of technology that goes into these fixtures. Since the microprocessor corrects the voltage you don't need to worry about all the complicated calculations a typical system requires. But remember, MR-16 retrofit bulbs don't count; they can still burn out! -Mike

What is the Difference between Line Voltage and Low Voltage?

Low Voltage vs. Line Voltage

     There are two primary types of landscape lighting systems: low voltage (12 volt DC) and line voltage (120 volt AC). The most common type used in residential applications is low voltage, but there are many commercial systems that also utilize low voltage.  Low voltage is as the name implies, characterized by an output of 12 volts, but many fixtures will operate in the 8-15 volt range (especially LED landscape lights). On the other side line voltage operates in the range of 110-120 volts. A low voltage system typically won't shock you if you happen to touch an energized wire and close an open circuit. This is one of the reasons low voltage is used in most applications, but there are many reasons for its popularity.

    Line voltage on the other hand is what the power company sends you that powers most of the light fixtures (and everything else) in your home. We've all been zapped at one point or another so we know what line voltage is capable of - be careful! The other major difference between the two is that low voltage is a direct current whereas line voltage is an alternating current. While this is not really that important it will help in understanding how the transformer works. Just as there are numerous choices in lights there are also many different transformers. Pictured below is a Vista stainless steel transformer with a digital timer. I have used this transformer in various wattages (300-600-900-1200) and it has proven to be a quality transformer.

Landscape Lighting Transformers

     In a line voltage landscape lighting system you do not need a transformer. However, in a low voltage system a transformer is required. The transformer that you plug into the outlet "transforms" the 120 volt AC from the receptacle into 12 volt DC which then goes on to power your lights. Transformers come in a myriad of wattage amounts, from 15 to 1200 watts and everything in between. Here is where LED landscape lights really shine (no pun intended, honest). Since LEDs draw only about 70% of the power of typical incandescent bulbs you are able to use a much smaller transformer for the same amount of lights. In fact, I recently updated an incandescent system to an LED system by changing all the fixtures over to LED (I changed the entire fixture, not just the bulbs). Before the switch, the system used three separate transformers for just over 60 spot lights. After the LED update, we were able to use only one transformer and even added another 25 hardscape lights!

Pictured here is a small wattage Malibu transformer. While their lights are not up to my standards this transformer is ideal for small systems or individual landscape light circuits.

I especially like this one because you can run into the local big box and pick one up fast.  In the next article I'll discuss transformers in more detail. We'll cover timers, circuits, variable voltage taps, and more.

Welcome to Landscape Lighting

Intro to Landscape Lighting

     Landscape lighting, like so many other home improvement technologies is rapidly going through changes - perhaps now more than ever. The last few years have brought us new technology that increasingly becomes more common, affordable, and environmentally friendly. Leading this technological change in the landscape lighting field is modern LED lights. Outdoor fixtures containing Light Emitting Diodes have become more prevalent in the market place and for good reason: they are reliable,  long lived, and use less energy, among other benefits we'll explore later. If you are looking to install a new landscape lighting system or update an old one, a professional LED lighting design is the way to go. But first, let me share a bit about myself.

About Me

     My name is Mike and I've been a landscape contractor since 1994; almost twenty years now. Since the early 90s I've literally installed 1000s of landscape lights - from the bad ones in the early days to the cutting edge brand name LEDs of today. I have also integrated line voltage (120 volt) fixtures into many of my designs. On pillars, pergolas, and many other places throughout the landscape light fixtures are becoming quite popular. The technology in this field is changing quickly and the information is often overwhelming. LED landscape lights come complete with their own lingo - much of which I am still learning - and that's why I've chosen to write these articles; by doing so I hope to teach myself and well as all of you about this exciting technology.....plus, I'm a homeowner and working on a lighting design of my own.

In the next article: Low Voltage Landscape Lighting vs. Line Voltage (120 volts)

A stunning combination of low voltage and line voltage landscape lighting.