Landscape Lighting Transformers
A transformer is the power source for a low-voltage landscape lighting system, stepping down standard household electricity to the voltage outdoor fixtures are built to run on safely. Multi-tap models let you fine-tune output for different run lengths and fixture counts, which helps offset voltage drop across a larger layout. Shop professional-grade transformers with stainless steel housings, sized correctly using our Transformer Sizing Center Tool to match your fixture count and total wire run.
Landscape Lighting Transformers
Standard household electricity runs at a voltage far higher than outdoor landscape fixtures are built to handle safely — a transformer exists specifically to step that voltage down to a low-voltage range before it ever reaches a fixture, which is what makes it safe to run lighting wire through soil, mulch, and areas where people and pets are present.
Most landscape lighting transformers are multi-tap, meaning they offer several output voltage settings rather than a single fixed one. This matters because voltage drop increases with distance and fixture count, so a run with many fixtures or a long wire path needs a higher tap setting to deliver adequate voltage to the fixtures farthest from the transformer, while a shorter run with fewer fixtures needs less. Selecting the wrong tap either under-delivers voltage to distant fixtures — leaving them visibly dimmer — or over-delivers to a short run, which can shorten bulb life over time.
Sizing a transformer correctly starts with adding up the total wattage of every fixture it will power, then building in headroom for future additions rather than sizing exactly to current needs. A transformer running at or near its maximum capacity has no room for a homeowner or contractor to add fixtures later without also upgrading the transformer, which is a common and avoidable expense. Greenlist's Transformer Sizing Center Tool is built specifically to help match a transformer to your total fixture load and wire run rather than guessing.
Because a transformer typically sits outdoors, often mounted to an exterior wall or post, housing material affects how long it lasts in the elements. Stainless steel resists corrosion far better than standard painted metal enclosures, which matters given that a transformer is expected to run continuously for years without needing replacement.
Every transformer connects to Lighting Wire running out to each Lighting Fixtures, whether that's Path Lights, Accent & Up Lights, or any other fixture type in the layout. The Learn HUB has guides for calculating total fixture load and choosing the right transformer size and tap setting for a new or expanding system.
