Landscape lighting is the highest-impact dollar in landscaping and the one most people skip. A $6,000 lighting system changes how a house looks every night of the year, which is more hours of visible benefit than a $30,000 patio delivers. It is also the easiest place to buy badly, because the cheap fixtures look identical to the good ones on day one and are in a landfill by year four.
Quick price summary by system size
| System size | Fixtures | Typical scope | Installed cost (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 6 – 8 | Front path plus two uplights | $2,400 – $4,800 |
| Standard | 12 – 18 | Front facade, path, a few trees | $4,800 – $9,800 |
| Full property | 25 – 40 | Front and rear, trees, patio, steps | $9,800 – $26,000 |
| Estate | 40 + | Multi-zone, multi-transformer | $26,000 + |
| Per fixture, installed, average | 1 | Fixture, lamp, wire, connector, labour | $270 – $560 |
| DIY big-box kit | 6 – 10 | Plastic fixtures, thin wire | $400 – $1,300 |
The component costs behind those numbers
| Component | 2026 cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cast brass fixture | $150 – $420 each | Lifetime finish, the right answer here |
| Cast aluminium fixture | $80 – $220 each | Good, but corrodes eventually near salt |
| Composite or plastic fixture | $25 – $80 each | 3 to 6 years in Ontario winters |
| Integrated LED vs replaceable lamp | +$0 to $60 | Replaceable lamp is worth paying for |
| Transformer, 300W multi-tap | $380 – $950 | Stainless, with photocell and timer |
| Smart or Wi-Fi controller | $260 – $720 | App zones, scenes, astronomic timing |
| Direct burial cable, per foot | $1.60 – $3.80 | 12/2 or 10/2, installed |
| Trenching or edging in cable, per foot | $2.50 – $6.00 | More through established beds and roots |
| Boring under a walkway or driveway | $250 – $750 | Per crossing |
| New GFCI exterior outlet for the transformer | $350 – $900 | Licensed electrician, ESA permit |
| Lighting design plan, standalone | $400 – $1,500 | Often credited against the install |
Where the money should go
If the budget is tight, the order of priority is: fixture quality first, transformer quality second, fixture count last. Ten good brass fixtures beat twenty plastic ones, because in four years you still have ten good fixtures rather than twenty failures.
Why brass, specifically
Ontario puts outdoor fixtures through freeze-thaw, road salt spray, lawn chemicals and string trimmers. Cast brass does not rust, it develops a patina rather than corroding, and the good manufacturers back it with a lifetime warranty on the housing. Aluminium is a reasonable mid-tier choice inland. Plastic and thin stamped metal fail at the lens gasket, water gets in, and the fixture is done.
Why the transformer matters more than people expect
A stainless multi-tap transformer lets the installer compensate for voltage drop over long cable runs by tapping a fixture group at 13V or 14V instead of 12V. A cheap single-tap transformer cannot, so the fixtures at the end of a long run sit dim and yellow while the near ones run hot. Size it at roughly 70 to 80% of capacity so there is headroom to add fixtures later.
Running cost, which is genuinely negligible
A 16-fixture LED system at around 5W per fixture draws about 80W. Running 6 hours a night, 365 nights a year, that is roughly 175 kWh. At Ontario residential rates that is somewhere around $25 to $40 a year, all in.
Halogen is the comparison that makes this stark. The same system in 20W halogen would draw 320W and cost four times as much to run, while burning through lamps every 2 to 3 years. If you have an older halogen system, retrofitting to LED lamps costs $18 to $45 per fixture and pays back in about two to three years.
Permits and electrical rules
Low-voltage lighting on the fixture side, running at 12V to 15V off a transformer, does not require a permit and is legal for a homeowner to install. That is the whole appeal of the low-voltage approach.
What does require a licensed electrician and an ESA permit is the line-voltage side: adding the exterior GFCI outlet the transformer plugs into, or hard-wiring a transformer to a circuit. Budget $350 to $900 for that if you do not already have a suitable exterior outlet. Do not let anyone talk you into a transformer fed by an extension cord through a window.
Line-voltage fixtures, meaning 120V post lights and wall packs, are a different category entirely and always need an electrician and a permit.
DIY versus professional
DIY is genuinely viable here, more than in almost any other landscaping trade, because the low-voltage side is safe and the work is not physically demanding. A good DIY system using quality brass fixtures bought individually runs about $130 to $280 per fixture in parts.
What you are buying from a professional is the design and the voltage engineering. The difference between a lighting system that looks expensive and one that looks like a runway is entirely in fixture placement, beam angle, colour temperature consistency and glare control. Specifically:
- Colour temperature. Stay at 2700K for a warm residential look and keep every fixture identical. Mixed colour temperatures are the single most obvious sign of an amateur job.
- Hide the source. You should see the light, not the fixture. Glare from a badly aimed uplight ruins the effect and annoys the neighbours.
- Fewer, better placed. Lighting every tree flattens the yard. Light three things well and let the rest fall into shadow.
- Voltage drop. Calculate it, or the far end of the run looks yellow and dim.
Timing and lifespan
Installation is possible any time the ground is not frozen, which in this region means roughly April through late November. Late autumn is a good time to book: crews are winding down, and you get the benefit through the dark months when you will actually notice it.
Expected life: quality brass housings 20 years and up, integrated LED modules 8 to 15 years, transformers 10 to 15 years, and direct burial cable effectively indefinitely if it was the right gauge. Annual maintenance is minor, mostly re-aiming fixtures that frost heave has nudged and clearing plant growth off lenses, and runs $150 to $400 a year if you have someone do it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does landscape lighting cost per fixture?
$270 to $560 installed in 2026, covering the fixture, lamp, cable, connectors and labour. Brass fixtures sit at the top of that range, aluminium in the middle.
Is landscape lighting expensive to run?
No. A 16-fixture LED system costs roughly $25 to $40 a year in hydro running six hours a night. An equivalent halogen system costs about four times that and needs lamp replacements.
Do I need a permit for landscape lighting in Ontario?
Not for the low-voltage side, which is 12V to 15V off a transformer. You do need a licensed electrician and an ESA permit to add the exterior GFCI outlet the transformer plugs into, or for any 120V fixtures.
Are brass fixtures worth the extra cost?
In this climate, yes. Brass does not corrode through freeze-thaw and salt exposure and usually carries a lifetime housing warranty. Plastic fixtures typically last 3 to 6 Ontario winters.
Can I install landscape lighting myself?
Yes, the low-voltage side is safe and legal for a homeowner. Parts run $130 to $280 per fixture. What you give up is design: colour temperature consistency, glare control and voltage-drop calculation are what separate a professional result from a runway.
What colour temperature should outdoor lighting be?
2700K for a warm residential look, and keep every fixture on the property the same. Mixing 2700K and 4000K fixtures is the most visible mistake in a DIY system.
How long does an LED landscape lighting system last?
Brass housings 20 years and up, LED modules 8 to 15 years, transformers 10 to 15 years. Choosing fixtures with replaceable lamps rather than sealed integrated LEDs makes the system far cheaper to maintain at year ten.