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Low Voltage Landscape Lighting vs Line Voltage

Line Voltage (120V) Landscape Lighting

Line voltage outdoor lighting is most often used in commercial, security, and public-use applications. Line voltage outdoor lighting is labor-intensive and requires an electrician for installation. 120V outdoor lighting cable must be buried 18" underground, placed in conduit, and have sealed junction boxes at connection points. 120V outdoor lighting is mainly used for lighting large areas, using fewer but brighter fixtures, or in residential applications where there is extensive up-lighting on a large canopy of big trees (although modern low voltage LED fixtures have enough power for this application now too). Line voltage outdoor lighting fixtures tend to be very big and output a lot of light. Historically, voltage drop on a long run of lights has been an argument for using line voltage. But with modern LED technology and multi-tap transformers, this is usually not an issue for low voltage systems unless the runs are extremely long (as may be the case on commercial properties, parking lots, etc.).

Line voltage outdoor lighting:

• Requires an electrician for installation
• Connections must be waterproof - shock hazard
• Cable must be buried 18" deep or inside conduit - requires trenching
• Line voltage fixtures are large. There are fewer fixture and lighting options
• More expensive
• Brighter fixtures--good for commercial, security and public use applications.

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