Outdoor lighting continues to grow in popularity. People want to make their homes safe, secure, warm and welcoming. Part of outdoor lighting’s appeal is that it is easily adapted and updated for future needs and aesthetics. If you find your tastes changing, the fixtures can be changed. If you purchased the home with an existing system, but you’d like some changes made, no problem! If you find you need more lights because of growth in the landscaping, a new addition to your home or to the yard, or simply because you want to highlight something else that you’ve grown to love, it can easily be done.
Awesome! I’ll just get someone to wire in new fixtures!
Unfortunately, it is not as easy as simply wiring in new fixtures. That’s a good way to kill your transformer and ruin your lamps. First, your installer needs to find out what the current load is on the transformer, what its maximum capacity actually is, and how much draw the new fixtures will have. If it can’t all fit, modifications must be made. The easiest and most typical change is to convert to LED bulbs. They use much less electricity than halogens, which will free up load space on the transformer. But unfortunately, you will have to investigate the rest of the fixtures on that line: are they getting too much or too little voltage as a result of the change? If so, they will burn out more quickly. Halogen lamps are finicky that way. It is recommended that if you upgrade one lamp to LED, you change them all.
If you’ve already got some room on the transformer, it’s easier to add the fixtures. And we always recommend adding LED bulbs, as they are superior to halogen in many ways. Is it time to upgrade your system to LED?
If there is no room on the transformer and no way to create more, we can simply install another transformer. We can try to find one that is larger than what you have, or install one in addition to the existing one. It may be wiser to install a second one if your new lights will be in a location that is far from the existing system, or on the other side of a significant obstacle like driveway or patio. It is something your outdoor lighting designer can advise you on.
Don’t be afraid to add lights to your outdoor lighting system! That’s part of the appeal and value it adds to your home—it’s adaptable. Call us, and we’ll make it happen.
Located in Summerfield, NC Southern Lights- Architectural and Landscape Lighting serves properties and property management companies throughout the state of NC including Greensboro, High Point, Jamestown, Burlington, Reidsville, Oak Ridge, Brown Summit, Winston-Salem, Clemmons, Raleigh, Charlotte, Kannapolis, Salisbury, Gastonia, Matthews, etc.
Southern Lights has installed hundreds of outdoor landscape lighting systems and carries more certifications than anyone in the state. We specialize in lighting designs and service everything we install as well as lighting systems installed by others. With attention to detail and a solid knowledge of design, Southern Lights is the leading outdoor landscape lighting firm in the state of NC and beyond. See why our clients choose us. Contact us today by web (online form) or phone 336-451-4969.
