Choosing The Correct Low Voltage Lighting Equipment

If you are thinking of implementing low voltage lighting equipment into your home or garden, you first need to be aware of the possibilities that low voltage lighting can offer.

No longer are you limited to simply illuminating an area, but rather you will now be designing an area using light. So the type of lighting you use will be of great importance.

Generally speaking, lighting can be grouped into three distinct categories.

Low Voltage General Lighting

General lighting serves to provide a given area with an acceptable amount of light, in which you are able to carry out everyday tasks.

An example of general lighting could include light coming in through a window during the day, or a light bulb hanging from the centre of a room.

Until the advent of low voltage lighting, most domestic lighting was almost entirely focused on general lighting.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs are currently the best low voltage indoor lighting solution for providing general light.

Low Voltage Task Lighting

Task lighting provides directional light that can be used for tasks which require a greater intensity of light, than that provided by general lighting.

Such examples of task lighting could include a desk lamp used for reading, or a shaving light attached above a bathroom mirror.

Currently tungsten-halogen bulbs provide the best low voltage indoor lighting solution for task lighting.

Although LED lights can also be used for this purpose, they are still relatively expensive which prevents them from being the preferred choice.

Low Voltage Specific Lighting

Specific lighting is used to highlight certain features or objects within a given area. It was first used in museums to highlight displays and pictures, and also in retail establishments.

However since the advent of low voltage lighting, specific lighting is becoming increasingly popular in the domestic market. This is especially true for outdoor lighting, where it can be used to accentuate garden designs at night.

Currently tungsten-halogen bulbs provide the best low voltage indoor and outdoor lighting solution for specific lighting.