Outdoor Lighting Tips That Make Your Property Look Amazing At Night

Years ago outdoor landscape lighting largely consisted of putting some high voltage flood lights on back of houses or mounted high on trees and posts. Todays outdoor lighting products offer a wide range of features designed to create any look or feel the customer desires. A qualified outdoor lighting specialist is highly recommended to help make sure you property will look amazing at night.

Here are a couple of tips that we got from Greg Tanzer, owner of Greg Tanzer Sprinklers in Bergen County New Jersey. He has over 30 years experience in outdoor lighting design and installation in the Bergen County New Jersey area.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when determining what areas of their property they want to light is, using too few lights and spreading them too far apart. It is far more appealing to concentrate your lights in a particular area such as a deck, patio, or landscaping. If you use a 24 volt outdoor landscape lighting system, it is very easy for the installer to add more light fixtures. Another benefit of 24 volt outdoor lighting is that the wiring can be placed under the mulch in a landscaping bed making it very cost effective to add more outdoor lighting fixtures in the future.

There is a large selection of 24 volt outdoor lighting fixture designs to choose from. Their shape not only effects the way they look, but also effects way the fixture disperses light. These differences in fixture design play a huge roll in the way your property will look at night. An experienced outdoor lighting designer and installer will be able to make suggestions that will be critical in achieving the look and feel you desire.

Any good outdoor lighting designer and installer should offer their customer a annual maintenance contract. These usually include several service visits each season to inspect the wiring and fixtures, repair any damage, and replace any burnt out bulbs. These contracts are on a year to year basis and should include a discount on any replacement light bulbs. You can estimate that you will have at least 2 bulbs burn out each season, and more if you use your lights all year long.

All outdoor landscape lighting installations in Bergen County New Jersey require a licensed electrician to connect the low voltage transformer that powers the outdoor lights, and install any GFI outlets if needed. All reputable outdoor lighting designers in New Jersey have a licensed electrician that they work with to make these connections. After those connections are made, the outdoor lighting designer takes over the installation of your fixtures, wiring, positioning, automation, etc...

In Bergen County New Jersey it is required that you get a permit to install an outdoor lighting system. Your outdoor lighting designer should use their electrician to secure the permit from your local municipality before beginning the installation.

So we know that 24 volt outdoor lighting is the way to go, and we know that we are going to get the best result if we use an experienced outdoor lighting designer. Now we want to know, "what does this all cost?". Well according to Greg Tanzer, in Bergen County New Jersey you can expect to pay roughly $2,500.00 for a 24 volt outdoor lighting system with about 10 light fixtures and installation. The required transformer alone costs the installer $600.00. The good news is that you can add up to forty lights on the system making it very cost effective to add more lights later on. Adding light fixtures usually costs $150.00 - $200.00 each including installation. Always ask your installer about the warranty on the light fixtures. Some warranty the fixture for a year, others offer lifetime warrantees.

A great way to learn more about outdoor landscape lighting is to visit http://www.njoutdoorlightingtips.com and download their free guide called "The Seven Biggest Mistakes People Make When Choosing Outdoor Lighting For Their Property". It's got some real great advice that you should be aware of. You also get instant downloadable coupons worth over $150.00 on outdoor lighting installation and service in the Bergen County New Jersey area.