There have been some big and innovative changes in the landscape lighting system in recent years. Most residential and commercial properties have substituted their outdoor halogen lighting for LED lighting. Many people are upgrading to LED lighting because it offers less maintenance cost, better durability, and longer bulb life.

So there are so many positive benefits of using LED lights for your landscape lighting system, but there are also some things that you have to be cautious about. The most important factor to consider is the quality of your LED lighting fixture. If it is not high quality, then you won’t reap all the benefit of the LED light’s longer bulb life span. Cheaper lighting fixtures are not a good choice because it will not help you save money in the end. Usually, these cheap fixtures will cost you more because of its poor quality. Here are some of the other things to know about when buying and installing new landscape lighting systems.

• Moisture – lighting fixtures should have top quality housing to protect it from moisture. Once moisture gets inside the lighting fixture, it can cause premature failure. Most cheap lighting fixtures are made up of plastic or thin aluminum that will only last for a short time. These cheap materials will corrode or crack when exposed to the elements for months or years and let moisture in the lamp. Always choose good quality lighting fixtures that have copper or brass housing to fully protect the bulbs from moisture.
• Fixed Lighting – this means that the bulb is fixed and it cannot be replaced. So when the bulb fails, you have to replace the entire fixture, which is not ideal when you want to save money. You cannot put any bulb in it that may be more appropriate than the one currently used. Most lighting professionals would never buy this type of lighting fixture.
• Outdoor Use Bulbs – the bulbs that are being used in your lighting fixture should be rated for outside use. Many cheap lighting fixtures use bulbs that are for indoor use, that’s why they are cheap. These indoor bulbs will have a high failure rate because they won’t be able to resist moisture. Cheap bulbs also mean that they are poorly constructed and they will most likely fail when exposed outdoors for a long period of time. If you want to save yourself the hassle of replacing bulbs all the time, make sure your lighting installer is using high-quality outdoor bulbs for your landscape lighting system.

A professional outdoor landscape designer or certified lighting installer knows the importance of using top quality products and installation techniques. You may be saving a few dollars right now when you choose cheaper products, but it will most likely cost you more in the long run.