Lighting is a small load with an outsized effect on morale and function underground — and it is one of the easiest places to save power. Running lights on DC straight from your battery bank skips the inverter entirely, avoiding conversion losses and letting you keep the lights on when everything else is off.
Why DC lighting wins
Every time you convert DC battery power to AC through an inverter, you lose energy — and the inverter itself draws power just being on. Wiring lights directly to 12V DC eliminates both losses. LEDs sip so little that a modest battery can run shelter lighting for a very long time, which is exactly what you want during a long event.
What to look for
- Voltage match. Confirm fixtures match your bank (12V or 24V).
- Efficiency and color. High lumens-per-watt for efficiency; warm white for comfort in a living space.
- Dimming. Being able to dim saves power and helps preserve night vision and sleep cycles.
- Wiring and controls. Simple switches and, where useful, motion sensors for closets and entries.
The options
- LED strips — 12V LED Strip Lighting is cheap, flexible, and easy to run along walls and ceilings for even, low-draw ambient light.
- 12V bulbs and fixtures — 12V LED Bulbs drops into standard-style fixtures for task lighting without an inverter.
Keep a portable backup
Hardwired lighting is great until a circuit fails. Keep rechargeable lanterns and headlamps as a portable backup layer (see the communications and gear approach to redundancy) so a wiring fault never leaves you in the dark.
The payoff
Switching your lighting to efficient DC is one of the highest-impact, lowest-cost moves in your whole power system. It stretches every watt-hour in your bank and keeps the most morale-critical system — being able to see — running the longest.