When you’re adding lighting to your landscaping, you have a couple of options for the type you’ll use. Can you mix LED and halogen landscape lights? Professionals offering installations of landscape lighting in Austin, TX, are here to explain your options for halogen and LED landscape lighting.
How LED Landscape Lighting Works
LEDs are available to use in any area of your landscaping design. They come as flood lights, step lights, hardscape illumination, path lights, and overhead string lights. Manufacturers can produce them in almost any format or bulb shape to accommodate your property’s aesthetic.
If you use a landscape LED lighting system that connects to your home’s wireless network, you can control the lighting color, intensity, and power through a smartphone app.
Because LED technology doesn’t generate much heat, you don’t have to worry about damaging heat-sensitive plants in the garden. LEDs are safe to use outdoors in any climate or weather.
They also consist of non-toxic materials. Many of the components are recyclable at the end of their lifespans, making LEDs an environmentally friendly choice.
When Halogen Lights Are Appropriate in Landscaping
Halogen lights run power through a tungsten filament inside a glass bulb, causing it to glow and produce light. The halogen light differs from a traditional incandescent bulb because it contains a halogen gas that allows the tungsten to last longer and burn brighter.
Halogens cost far less up front than LEDs, but they have a shorter lifespan. They generate more heat than incandescents, which could jeopardize some plants.
Why LEDs and Halogen Bulbs Aren’t Always Compatible
So, can you mix LED and halogen landscape lights? It’s possible, but it’s a challenging process. Each of these types of lighting technology uses a different voltage, which can make the layout and wiring process tricky. Without the right voltage and transformers to handle the different types of lighting, you might notice flickering, dimming, and other quality issues.
Although both halogens and LEDs can use low-voltage systems, you might need different transformers when mixing the two. LEDs need transformers made to manage the reduced wattage that LED lights require, while halogens can run from most transformer designs. If you mix the two, your system may need separate transformers for each type of lighting, increasing the overall cost.
Because halogens generate more heat than LEDs, you can’t necessarily use the same fixtures with both types of lights. Additionally, LEDs and halogens provide different qualities of light, and some people don’t like the way they mix. You might not want to use both of them in the same garden area for aesthetic purposes.
Comparing Halogen and LED Landscape Lights
Two of the biggest advantages of using LED lighting are the variety of color temperature settings you can use and the energy efficiency they provide. Your operational costs are lower with LEDs because they last far longer than halogens and don’t use as much electricity. They require very little maintenance.
The biggest advantage of halogens is that they provide a warm type of glowing light that LEDs struggle to mimic. If you’d like traditional warmth in the look of your landscaping lighting, halogen delivers it.
When you live in an area with potential severe weather, LED lights will remain durable. LEDs don’t use filaments and glass bulbs like halogens, meaning they’re less likely to fail in harsh weather, such as severe wind or hailstorms.
Professional Landscape Lighting Installation Is Important
You might be asking yourself, “Can you mix LED and halogen landscape lights?” Although you can, setting up these two types of lighting systems in your landscaping areas usually requires the help of professionals who can set up the systems to run safely without causing electrical issues.
Experts will ask you about the look you’d like to achieve with the lighting system. This allows them to create one that uses one type of lighting or both, adjusting the wiring and transformers to deliver the best results.
Trust Austin Outdoor Lighting Design for a New Lighting Installation
At Austin Outdoor Lighting Design, our experts can explain how to use LED and halogen fixtures. If you’re wondering, “Can you mix LED and halogen landscape lights?” our team can explain all your options and the pros and cons of using both.
Enhancing landscape lighting can be a challenge for homeowners to do on their own. Let us worry about light bulb compatibility and voltage requirements, giving you safe, beautiful lighting options. For a free quote for any of our outdoor lighting services, call us today at (512) 601-4844.