You spend your weekends keeping your home beautiful, inside and out. Mowing the lawn, weed-eating, leaf blowing, and trimming your trees and hedges is a lot of work, and that work should be appreciated! Landscape lighting is a great way to show off your home in all its glory, deter criminals, and help friends and family find their way to your place after the sun goes down. But is it environmentally friendly? Furthermore, how much extra cost will it pile on top of my electricity bill?
Is Landscape Lighting Environmentally Friendly?
Many typical, modern landscape lighting systems utilize LED bulbs, which are about 15% more efficient than the old halogen or incandescent bulbs. This means that you can run more LED bulbs off less electricity: a win-win! LED bulbs also last longer than traditional bulbs, reducing maintenance costs. Furthermore, solar-powered garden lights are now an option for more environmentally-focused landscapers.
How Much Does it Cost Per Month to Run LED Landscape Lights?
Electricity usage is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). In 2018, the national average cost per kWh was 12.89 cents. If you’re running your landscape lighting from dusk until midnight in the state of Connecticut, that’s about 5 hours per day. Of course, that doesn’t take into account daylight savings time, or weather activating darkness sensors, but we’ll just assume the worst-case scenario for the sake of safeguarding your budget.
20 lights is a typical, moderately sized landscape lighting setup. Running 20, 8-watt LEDs for 5 hours per day takes under 18 kilowatts of electricity per month, costing you under $5 per month. That’s even if you include replacements, overages, and more! Halogens or incandescent bulbs typically run for considerably more, around $20-$25 per month.
Outdoor-specific bulbs typically use more energy than their indoor counterparts, but even at twice the wattage, you’ll still be spending much less with LED bulbs than halogens or other alternatives.
We hope you’ve found this guide helpful and informative, and if you have any questions about Pinewood Landscaping’s lighting systems or commitment to sustainable landscape solutions, give us a call today at (860) 613-9944!
Pinewood Landscaping is a full-service commercial and residential landscape company operating throughout New England for more than 20 years. We built our reputation on being able to deliver high-quality, fast, reliable and affordable results in all areas related to landscaping, from design to long-term maintenance. Over the years, we have expanded and invested in our team, equipment and procedures are proud to have become one of the best-rated companies in New England.