Author: Jennifer Castillo

Benefits of Getting a Photometric Design

Posted on by Jennifer Castillo

Photometric designs benefit commercial properties that are considering new or replacement lighting fixtures. Those benefits include:

  • Better lighting precision and accuracy
  • Better energy efficiency
  • Compliance with local lighting ordinances
  • Improved lighting system aesthetics
  • Superior lighting optimization

A photometric analysis and plan will ensure the new lighting solution surpasses all requirements and expectations.

What is a Photometric Analysis and Plan?

Photometrics refer to the science and math involved in measuring illumination intensity and how it is perceived by the human eye. A photometric analysis is designed to use photometric tools to simulate a variety of potential lighting system designs.

This is done with industry-specific software that models the project space. From here, lighting designers can position fixtures in the space and choose exactly which lamps or luminaries to use as illumination sources. Lighting distribution patterns, lamp intensity and energy usage data are all taken directly from the manufacturer, so photometric analysis software provides an accurate model that lighting professionals can rely on.

Once the lighting designer has put together an optimal lighting solution, the supply team will source the necessary lighting fixtures, and the installation team will place them. Along the way, the system’s photometric analysis will serve as the guiding plan.

Five Benefits of Getting a Photometric Design

If you are working with a reputable lighting company, they will recommend performing a photometric analysis for any large-scale commercial projects that have well-defined lighting goals and challenges. Tight budgetary concerns or rigid lighting ordinances are two examples.

Here is how a photometric plan can optimize your lighting solution:

  • Better lighting precision, accuracy and visibility – Photometric analysis software can measure how much illumination will strike each square foot of the property once the lighting system is installed, down to the lumen. With this level of insight, lighting installers can guarantee sufficient lighting coverage in all areas where visibility is a concern. When combined with LED lights, which provide superior directionality, photometric designs can achieve unmatched levels of lighting performance and uniformity. Visibility is a critical safety factor in large commercial or outdoor spaces, so photometric plans are recommended for parking lots, warehouses, parks and similar spaces.
  • Better energy efficiency – Photometric designs make it easy for lighting designers to alter the big-picture aspects of a new lighting solution. This includes the types and placement of all fixtures, so the designer has access to valuable power usage data. Lighting professionals use this information to achieve necessary visibility levels with the minimum amount of power required. If your facilities must improve energy efficiency for compliance or cost savings reasons, a photometric design will provide optimal results.
  • Compliance with local lighting ordinances – Facility owners are challenged with increasingly stringent energy efficiency standards, and a photometric design can help with this.

    In many cities, commercial property owners are also required to obey light trespass and light pollution ordinances. With these ordinances, the illumination must stay on the property. Photometric design and analysis support this goal by modeling how much light passes beyond the property’s perimeter. If too much light is trespassing onto neighboring properties, the lighting designer can take measures to mitigate it.

  • Improved lighting system aesthetics – A photometric design maximizes lighting precision, so illumination goes only where you want it to. With greater control over how illumination is distributed, it is easier for lighting experts to reduce glare and keep the illumination within comfortable levels. It may not seem like much aesthetically, but better distributed light supports better productivity, as workers are less likely to experience eye strain, headaches and other side effects of light that is too harsh.
  • Superior whole-system optimization – Photometric analysis ensures all aspects of your new lighting solution are considered. This includes how various parts of the system will interact with each other. For example, your lighting solution may include lighting controls to improve energy efficiency or safety further. During a photometric plan, the design team can model how lighting controls will affect the system’s performance and energy usage, depending on where the fixtures are installed and how they will be controlled.

    A photometric plan can also help facilities better link their various lighting systems to ensure they are operating at peak efficiency and efficacy. One example is ensuring your security lighting and general lighting achieve their intended goals, using different lighting controls and without affecting the system’s overall performance.

An Experienced Lighting Company Can Perform a Photometric Analysis

Photometric design and planning will allow you to see the new lighting solution before it is installed. It removes guesswork from the process and ensures optimal visibility, accuracy, aesthetics and energy efficiency.

To achieve these performance-boosting results, it is important that your organization pattern with a reputable commercial lighting expert. An experienced lighting team will have access to photometric design tools, as well as the knowledge needed to interpret the software’s analysis.

Whether your organization is installing a new lighting system for a warehouse, department store, parking lot, park, sports venue or another large-scale project, photometric design will ensure the best results for your project.

Types of Landscape Lighting Transformers

Posted on by Jennifer Castillo

Although there are many types of landscape lighting transformers, they all have a few things in common, including that they are all designed to safely step-down voltage from line supply into a safer, low voltage form. Landscape lighting transformers are also built to be wear and weather resistant, as they must be able to handle the elements without creating a safety hazard.

Where the transformers differ is the technology that drives them, whether electronic or magnetic, and their capacity.

Landscape lighting transformers are often overlooked as a critical system component, but every outdoor lighting system needs one to ensure safe and reliable operation.

What Does a Transformer Do for a Landscape Lighting System? 

A landscape lighting transformer serves the same purpose that any low voltage transformer does for a lighting system – it takes the high voltage current from the main power supply and stepping it down into a safer, low voltage form – typically between 12 and 15 volts. In addition to improving safety protecting installers from dangerous electrical discharges, this low voltage current is necessary for most landscape lights, which are designed for low voltage supply.

What is the Difference Between an Electric and Magnetic Transformer?

The many types of landscape lighting transformers can be grouped into two categories: electronic transformers and magnetic transformers. Here is a quick look at each:

  • Electronic transformers – Electronic transformers step down line voltage to low voltage by first increasing the current’s frequency before passing through a miniature coil that generates the magnetic field needed to induce a lower voltage current in a second coil – the low voltage power that is fed to the landscape lighting fixtures.Electronic transformers are more compact than magnetic transformers, given their micro coil design. They are also less expensive, but electronic transformers occasionally have compatibility issues with LED landscape lighting. They also generate more heat, which must be controlled, and they must be positioned closer to the lights due to potential voltage losses.
  • Magnetic transformers – Magnetic transformers also step down line voltage using a pair of coils. The primary coil’s electrical current creates a magnetic field that induces a current in the second coil. This second coil has a lower number of windings (about 1/10 of the primary coil), which results in a proportionally smaller voltage, from 150 volts to 12-15 volts.There are two types of magnetic transformers: stacked core transformers and toroidal transformers.

    Stacked core transformers are built with a set of copper winding-wrapped sheets that together act as the transformer’s core. This type of magnetic transformer is less expensive to manufacture but is less efficient than a toroidal magnetic transformer.

    Toroidal magnetic transformers are built with a donut-shaped core around which the copper windings are wrapped. This is a more efficient transformer design but is more expensive to produce.

When installing a landscape lighting system, part of the transformer selection process will come down to picking between an electronic and magnetic transformer design.

What to Look for in a Landscape Lighting Transformer

When selecting a landscape lighting transformer, the following considerations are important:

  • Voltage output – Low voltage lighting transformers output a tight range of voltages, but it is still essential for installers to verify that their lighting fixtures are compatible with the transformer’s voltage specifications.
  • Power capacity – Landscape lighting transformers have capacities measured in voltage. Make sure that your transformer has the capacity for your landscape lights.
  • Housing and design – Landscape lighting transformers are available in a variety of designs and sizes. When selecting yours, the goal is to choose one that blends in with your property for aesthetic reasons and to prevent people from tampering with it.

In addition to the above considerations, the following features are recommended for landscape lighting applications:

  • A fully dimmable design – Landscape lighting systems must be controllable since they are used outdoors. If your transformer is compatible with dimmers, it can precisely control the amount of illumination your lights are generating.
  • A secondary connection block – A secondary connection block simplifies installation by providing a simple wiring interface for installers to work with.
  • Secondary protection – If the landscape lighting transformer is designed with secondary protection, it will not pose a safety hazard if the primary protection mechanism fails. This added protection is highly recommended for outdoor lighting applications.
  • A stainless steel build – A stainless steel housing provides excellent impact protection and shielding from inclement weather. Stainless steel is also corrosion-resistant, which is a must for exterior lighting applications.

A Lighting Expert Can Help Select the Ideal Transformer for any Landscape Lighting System

Landscape lighting systems require a reliable, compatible transformer to safely convert line voltage to low voltage that outdoor fixtures rely on. The challenge is identifying the right transformer for your project. In this regard, a trusted lighting expert can provide insight into the right choice for your property.