With a well designed landscape, homeowners want to spend as much time as possible outside. Low voltage landscape lighting extends the enjoyment of your yard, allowing you to be outside long past sunset.

Well placed and quality landscape lights will provide plenty of benefits. From safety to decoration and atmosphere, lighting is a design feature that should be included in every yard.

Low voltage lights run on 12 volts instead of the standard 120 volts of your interior systems. They can be installed easily without an electrician and additional lights can be added or adjusted without dismantling or even shutting off the existing system.

Safety is an vital concern for everyone. Lighting makes a well exposed path for traffic and when installed along the sides of a pathway, can really direct people through the yard. Low voltage landscape lighting can illuminate a larger area such as a table or BBQ, giving you space to work and prepare.

The decorative value of landscape lighting is vast. Emphasize focal points or make completely different ones with a well placed light. Show off fascinating forms, expose hidden nooks and make a space within a space with lights. In the dark of the evening, an area that is surrounded by landscape lights becomes a room of its own, no matter what the surroundings. If you have trees or shrubs in unique shapes, show them off in the dusk with lighting.

Make an intimate atmosphere with low voltage landscape lighting. Set into an overhead beam above a table, lights can provide the perfect mood for romance. They can also generate a party atmosphere, helping you and your guests keep going long into the night. Low voltage lights are not overpowering, but when concentrated together they can provide decent illumination and help to make the perfect atmosphere.

Low voltage lights are widely available in home improvement stores. Kits come in a variety of sizes and can be easily added onto at any time. Look for something with a decent warranty and the shape that you want. Some are tall and thin, others have shaped caps and still others are small and wide. Kits should come with the transformer and adequate wire for your application.

Transformers with timers are handy. A photocell is also helpful, allowing the transformer to switch the lighting on when the darkness falls. Make sure the unit will hold all of the lights you need by checking the maximum wattage allowed on the transformer.

Higher quality landscape lights are available from specialty stores. Landscape contractors and lighting dealers will have access to products made to last longer than the department store models. Be prepared to pay a premium for these lights, but they often come with much more extensive warranties and heavy duty construction.

LED lights are a new addition to the low voltage landscape lighting industry. The lights run for a lot longer than traditional incandescent bulbs and are more energy efficient. They produce a different shade of light, but are just as attractive.

To improve your landscape in the front or backyard, invest in low voltage landscape lighting. Added safety, decoration and atmosphere will transform your outdoor living space.