Dusk to Dawn Streetlight Power for Outdoor Decorative Lights

Dusk to Dawn Streetlight Power for Outdoor Decorative Lights

Outdoor decorative/ holiday lights have the ability to convert regular spaces into warm, safe and inviting landscapes; consistently serving as sources of beauty and inspiration within communities during the festive season. It is true that most, if not all cities and municipalities, appreciate the necessity of decorative lighting in enhancing the nighttime environment.

Outdoor Decorative Lights

Products mentioned in this article:

5730-10-2 (120V AC Dusk to Dawn streetlight Photocell Power Tap Adapter with 10 ft. 2 Prong Female Cord)

3 Pin Dusk to Dawn Power Tap

To fully appreciate the impact of outdoor decorative lights while conserving energy, it's essential that they operate only at night as streetlights would. This not only lowers power consumption but also ensures that the lights are most appreciated when they can truly shine. Herein comes the modern solution for not only municipalities, but also individuals to power their lights from a light pole.

For individuals wishing to have their decorative lights powered from a streetlight, kindly check local regulations and codes as not all areas permit use of streetlights for powering other equipment. Permits may need to be given.

Most streetlights come with an ANSI C136.10 standard compliant receptacle at the top of the luminaire. In design, this is usually left for the installation of a compatible photocontrol device to turn the luminaire on and off as appropriate. These commonly come as either 3 pin or 7 pin devices, with the difference between the two explained here.

The photocontrol device can switch on/off either one or multiple luminaires. Streetlight power taps install between the luminaire and the photocontrol device, providing uninterrupted power to your lights from dusk to dawn.

Dusk to Dawn Application

Typically, its a very easy device to install (we can lightly call it plug and play just for emphasis). However, caution has to be taken during installation due to the presence of mains AC current and elevated work heights. The presence of a licensed electrician might therefore be necessary.

There are different types of streetlights available to meet the different use-case scenarios. Some common variants are:
  1.  convert the 120V AC input to PoE (IEEE 802.3af/ 802.3at) output, terminated using an RJ45 connector;
  2.  convert 120/ 240 VAC to 12/ 24/ 48 VDC output;
  3.  step down any AC voltage up to 480 VAC to standard 120 VAC output;
  4.  provide a constant AC output same as the AC input;

These taps are also available with different termination options, the most common being a wire end termination. A two pin female receptacle or a mini- link connector can be added on request.

Find more content on streetlight power taps here.

Feel free to consult our power solutions specialists for your next project, we are always ready to help.