LED Lamps In The Landscape

Americans are hearing more and more about LED lamps, and are becoming very excited about their benefits, I think. I now have people calling our company and actually requesting LED lighting since NightScenes is well known as the outdoor LED lighting specialist in central Texas.

We’re sure that other outdoor lighting companies in other parts of the world may have different experiences with certain LED products but this is what we have discovered in our part of the world, central Texas.

We have been installing LED outdoor lighting almost exclusively for over five years now, and have seen the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to LED options. We’ve had great success with some products, and we’ve also had a few major failures where we’ve had to go back and replace several hundred LED lamps at no charge to our clients. The silver linings in these failure clouds, however, are the lessons learned about what to look for in a quality product.

Over the years, we have found that the best option for LED outdoor lighting is integrated fixtures when installing a new system from scratch. We have also discovered which LED integrated fixtures are most effective, and which ones to stay far away from.

It has taken a while for manufacturing companies to develop high quality LED lamps that can handle the harsh outdoor environment. There has been much progress recently making it possible to upgrade the thousands of existing outdoor lighting systems out there where the fixtures and infrastructure are still in great shape. These systems can now be easily converted to LED, in most cases with simple lamp replacements.

So, why spend so much money to convert a perfectly good halogen system to LED? There are several reasons, but the biggest reason is the constant cost of maintenance. It appears that halogen lamps are just not lasting as long as they once did. At one time, halogen lamps would last about 5000 hours, as long as they receive the proper voltage. We are finding now that even the very best lamps do not last anywhere near this long anymore. Generally, we feel pretty lucky to get 3000 hours out of a “quality” halogen lamp these days. This means that if a halogen landscape lighting system is operating from dusk to midnight every night, these lamps will only last about a year to year and a half. Consequently, we have to replace all of the lamps in a system every year to avoid multiple calls to the home as the lamps give out a few at a time over a shorter period of time. This is expensive in the cost of materials and labor; additionally, of course, there is the cost of energy use itself which is considerably greater in the halogen products.

Now let’s compare the LED lighting. Some LED lamps available are really BAD, and some are very GOOD; it is extremely important to know which is which. We have learned the hard way what to look for in a high quality product. Each lamp is manufactured with several electronic parts coming from many other manufacturers, and it’s these parts that make all the difference in the world when developing a quality finished product. The truly great LED lamp manufacturers use very high quality parts to create a lamp that will perform as advertised in the harsh outdoor environment. These products are not cheap to purchase, however; but are actually less expensive over time than the bargain priced merchandise because the good stuff will last as long as they say they will.

Industry professionals now have access to LED lamps that should last for 40,000 hours; even at that point, the lamp will still be producing 70% of the original output. This is the point where the lamp is considered no longer serviceable by professional lighting contractors. The result is a lamp that would not have to be replaced for up to 20 years, depending on how long it operates each night. This is where the big savings will come into play. The homeowner will not have to pay us (or anyone else) to come out and replace lamps every year. You also won’t be buying new lamps annually. No one will be spending hours on end trying to remove burned on hard water and calcium deposits from the light fixture lens since these LED lamps burn much cooler than halogen (which burn very HOT). This savings adds up to hundreds of dollars a year on some systems. There’s also an LED bonus: the operating energy cost savings of about 75% compared to halogen energy consumption. Although significant, the primary savings is still in maintenance and lamp replacement.

But this does not mean that these LED systems are completely maintenance free. It means that regular maintenance is easier and there should be no materials needed; therefore, will cost a lot less. As plants continue to grow, fixtures may need to be moved or adjusted, or the plants may need to be trimmed. Fixture lenses will still need to be cleaned; but as I said earlier, it’s much easier with LED fixtures since nothing bakes onto the lenses. Our experience is that maintenance labor time on an LED system is about 70% less.

One more thing to touch on is actual cost. Quality is not cheap, so please don’t fall for cheap LED products. You are simply not going to find good and cheap in the same package. You can get good or you can get cheap, and cheap usually costs a lot more in the long run. A quality LED product is going to cost more up front, but will pay for itself far better than the cheap product that you end up replacing far sooner and more often than you expected. Cheap rarely makes for a happy homeowner down the road.

Look to a reputable outdoor lighting company who installs high quality, well-reviewed products. These products should have long and easy warranties that do not require a lot of paperwork, or require the contractor or home owner to jump through hoops to get replacements. We always stress the importance of diligence in research before making such an important investment in your home.

We are here to help you when you need us.  info@night-scenes.com