"Secrets"..."Advanced"

[sitelights]

"Trade Secrets of Professional Landscape Lighting" (1998) ISBN 0-9670634-0-X and "Advanced Trade Secrets of Professional Landscape Lighting" (2000) ISBN 0-967063418 both by Nate Mullen of Unique Lighting. The 1998 book has been superceded by the 2000 book so if you are going to buy one get the 2000 edition. I will be touching on some aspects that differ from book to book so let it be clear that all of this review refers to the 2000 book except when I use (1998) at the end of a statement. The author's company Unique Lighting makes and sells the Unique "Multi-Matic" transformer series with secondary taps ranging from 12v to 22v and also 24v to 28v. It is impossible to review the books without reviewing the transformers so I state here that I have read both books thoroughly but I have never installed a Unique product although I have one of their transformers on my shop shelf. My installations are all UL 1838 compliant.

The value of these books will be apparent only to those designer/installers who intend to rely on the Unique "Multi-Matic" concept for dealing with voltage drop. If you are not going to buy the equipment there is little point in buying the book since the book is an extended info-mercial for Unique products. Potential readers should be aware that the "Multi-Matic" line is not listed for UL 1838. Instead they are described as "ETL listed UL standard for 506"; "ETL listed UL standard 1571" and "CSA listed for Canada". Also note that secondary protection by circuit breaker is optional. The concept of dealing with voltage drop by using secondary outputs as high as 22v so permeates the book that much of the technical content is of little use if you intend to stay within the limits of UL 1838.

The design content is based on a three level scheme relating to relative brightness which may be difficult to quantify without a footcandle meter. My meter, given to me by an Osram-Sylvania rep about 8 years ago, gets very little use. A review of the O-S model DS 2050 appears under "Product Reviews" on this forum. The four chapters on lighting, design and techniques transcend the emphasis on the "Multi-Matic" and provide solid information on design issues. The novice designer should be able to extract some useful tips from these chapters. Lighting techniques are covered in all landscape lighting books and it is important to know that what is espoused here is not the final word.

Those interested in starting a low voltage landscape lighting business would profit by a close reading of the economics contrived by the author to ensnare the unwary. Since it is understood that the point of the book is to capture a customer for Unique products one should apply a bit of healthy skepticism to the numbers supplied. In an example given in Chapter 10-4 the author presents a typical job cost and the profits derived by giving a material cost of $976.21 and a labor cost of $150.00 (10 hours) for a total of $1,126.21 which divided by the number of fixtures (18) yields a per fixture installed cost of $62.57 In Chapter 6-25 there is a product called the hub which saves $12.50 per fixture in installation costs. The installation cost savings are given as $11.50, $12.50 and $7.50 per fixture on the same page and following the author's lead I will use the most optimistic number. Using the author's own calculations the cost of a project using 18 well lights, an 840w transformer, 760' of 12/2 gauge cable and $25.00 in miscellaneous costs minus $12.50 per fixture by using the hub for a total per fixture installed price of $50.07 The hub cuts the labor cost in half so that his typical system can be installed for "$7.50 per fixture" but if the labor cost was $15.00 per fixture and you saved $12.50 each the installation cost would be $2.50 per unit. Who knows and who cares; this is all bullshit. A statement is made that if one could sell this theoretical system for $120.00 per fixture the net profit would be $60.00 per unit (actually since the unit cost was reduced to $50.07 by the hub the profit would be $70.00 per fixture). There is no mention of overhead costs. That $15.00 per hour labor cost surely does not include a benefits package but if it did the wage would be more like minimum than liveable. This beleagured installer is now placing "...double or triple the amount of fixtures you can install in a day." Where are the operating expenses? It is clear that actual profits for the designer/installer are far less than stated but Nate's take only increases as he charms the novice with his get-rich-quick patter. The bold typeface "MAKE $1,000.00 PER DAY NET IN YOUR POCKET" (1998) ..."IT'S NOT UNCOMMON IN TODAY'S ECONOMY TO MAKE $2,500 OR MORE PER DAY" has a distinct huckster ring to it that reminds me of W.C. Field's "Beefsteak Gold Mine" pitch in "The Bank Dick" however this is not classic film comedy but a serious business proposition. We have entered the realm of "MAKE $5,000.00 A MONTH BY ADDRESSING ENVELOPES AT HOME!!!". There are numerous (too numerous) inflated statements promising 50% gross profit margins that do not parse ("to examine in a minute way"). This brings to mind a phrase by Samuel ("Dictionary") Johnson who said that "Those who strive to be rich in one year are often hanged in six months.".

The irrepressible Mullen goes further when he decides to launch NILLA (National Institute of Landscape Lighting Associates) a certification program which claims to be "THE 1st CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR LIGHTING". Never mind that a much earlier and academic-based program from The Lighting Research Center at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY (see the posts under "Design") <http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/Landscape> provides product-neutral training by the nationally known landscape lighting designer Janet Lennox Moyer. NILLA charges $295.00 for the first person attending but understandably requires a few hundred dollars worth of Unique products (including the book) be purchased before attendance. What you get for this expenditure is training in how to use Unique's Multi-Matic system and certification as a NILLA contractor. With this certification and a quarter you can make a local phone call. Note that NILLA and a similar endeavor LVLIA (Low Voltage Lighting Institute of the Americas) both over-reach in their quest for gravitas by using the term "Institute" while LRC at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute actually attains it. Another odd similarity is that both NILLA and LVLIA have crude logos showing light emanating upward from the top of their "I" and/or "L" as if there wasn't a potent and growing "dark sky" movement.

The reviews of these books on amazon.com a year ago recently prompted a counter-review by another reader. I was accused of being in someone's pay and of not actually reading the books reviewed by a barely literate fan who was angry enough to write his "rebuttal" in all caps (a form of shouting on the web). This person thought the book(s) were the key to his success. I leave it to individual readers who, prompted perhaps by this review, decide to acquire and absorb the content of the book(s) to draw their own conclusions.

[sitelights]

Note the "snowman" near the entry and the wreath to the right of the front door. California.

[JC Lighting]

SiteLights,

What is the latest regarding Dark Sky (I was just in Bend Oregon investigating the possiblity of starting a lighting business there and was told they just passed an ordinance against up lighting). Also, is LVLIA gaining any significance in the industry?

Thanks,

Jim C.

[sitelights]

The Dark Sky (no, it is not a "Star Wars" character) movement has been gaining acceptance rapidly. I support the concept and applaud the efforts of those involved. Current information is available at: darksky.org including valuable links to state and municipal ordinances. An overview of existing regulations yields rules that, for example, signage must be downlighted rather than uplighted. Existing and pending legislation is primarily concerned with large scale, high wattage applications such as parking lots, street and highway illumination and light trespass onto adjacent properties.

Glare from a neighbor's floodlighting is often a problem in residential outdoor lighting; usually nuisance lighting is the unintended result of security lighting applications. Similar to a fence, lighting can provide security and (as a result of glare) privacy. I was told by a code enforcement officer many years ago that fence problems were by far the most common point of contention between neighbors. If Dark Sky has any impact on residential low voltage outdoor lighting it will be in the form of ordinances that codify (and thus describe) improper light trespass and provide recourse when negotiation fails.

LVLIA is another matter entirely; they appear to be dead in the water (not literally, that's a nautical term for afloat but not in motion) except for their annual excursions to high priced resorts where they...

Originally LVLIA's brochure and web site contained the following statement here quoted verbatim: "We are a Non Profit Institute comprised of Lighting Professionals and have no affiliation to any one manufacturer." They have since deleted this message from their publications. Coincidently this message disappeared after I sent the then president, William Peterson, an email listing 12 points for discussion at a meeting: location, date and time at his convenience. Point (10) "Why is there no disclosure concerning the funds that have been solicited and paid; how have these funds been allocated? Where is the money?". The "institute" as a true non-profit organization soliciting funds would have been required to open its books. The meeting never took place and that email (never answered) was my last communiction with the association. A copy of this email will be forwarded on request.

The LVLIA fee structure (on their web site) places the onus of funding on manufacturers and distributors; individual membership is only $150.00 annually. I have no idea what you get for your money as an individual member; apparently nothing except the opportunity to consort once a year with a handful of Left Coast lighting wizards.

One could speculate that if an entity founded as a non-profit organization (it is a .com not a .org) was actually funded by manufacturers it might be reluctant to say anything meaningful about the sorry state of this business. [see: "energy conservation"] If LVLIA had serious intentions they would drop their "old boy" network pretensions and found and fund a real non-profit organization to further the business...something like lowvolt.org perhaps.

Check the latest lighting catalogs for the LVLIA logo discreetly placed on the back cover (Hadco) or elsewhere. I am not aware of any other type of presence they have except for their moribund web site.

[rick]

I received a copy of Nates latest book three weeks ago and have been reviewing it when I can. I spent $49.95 on the soft bound version and feel it was definitely worth the money. The section on "Creating A Lighting Portrait" in particular helps you to start thinking like a lighting designer although, everything written can not be considered cast in stone. There are two major points that I do not agree with. The first and to me most important is Nate's Rule #2 in the Structure/Concept Chapter where he states that "it's the home that makes the biggest statement in the landscape". I have to disagree with Nate. I live in the Northeast where house siding consists mostly of horizontal clapboards. When illuminated from the foundation up, the clapboards almost always look terrible unless some plant material is shadowed on the siding. I had the opportunity at a seminar in Georgia to ask Janet Moyer how she would illuminate a house that had siding and her response was that "she seldom does because she has found few homes that deserve it and to her the landscape is the focus". I agree with Janet and feel this is particularly true in the Northeast. Nate's book is obviously for Lighting Designers on the west coast , southwest or southeast where smooth siding finishes such as stucco are used. Uplighting does work on some homes but I feel the Landscape is still the star of a lighting portrait.
The second technique that Nate uses effectively in his location (West) is to use many uplights bouncing off walls of the home to illuminate a path. Again, in the Northeast this means a lot of light on the ugly clapboard siding. Usually to much uplighting.
Despite some design differences and a few other points of contention I feel Nate has offered a helpful tool to the Landscape Lighting industry and even though it is a selling tool for Unique Lighting the feeling I got as I reviewed it is that it is well worth the $50.00. It's a tool to help you start in the business and learn the basic of Lighting Designs. If someone is interested in Landscape Lighting I would recommend studying Janet Moyers "Landscape Lighting Book", Lowvolts.org, and Nate's book. Look at all the information and you will evolve into your own distinct Lighting Designer.