What Is the AOLP CLVLT Certification?
The Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals (AOLP) offers the Certified Low Voltage Lighting Technician (CLVLT) program, a national certification for technicians who design, install and service 12-volt outdoor lighting systems. Sterling Lighting hosted the CLVLT exam at our 2022 Danville Summit at Averett University in Danville, Virginia, the first East Coast sitting in more than two years.
What is the CLVLT?
AOLP created the CLVLT as a national standard for low voltage lighting technicians. Most states have no clear standard for low voltage outdoor lighting, and the licensing tests many contractors take have little to do with the work they actually perform. In AOLP's words, this lack of standards "has a profound impact on the safety and quality of services that we provide." The CLVLT fills that gap with a test built around 12-volt landscape lighting.
Who should take it?
The exam is meant for experienced landscape lighting technicians. AOLP recommends several years in the low voltage lighting industry before you apply.
What does the exam cover?
The CLVLT measures a technician's knowledge and hands-on skill with 12-volt systems. It has two parts: a written exam and seven half-hour labs. Expect the fundamentals covered in our posts on calculating voltage drop and VA and transformer sizing.
How do you prepare?
There's no formal training class before the test. After you register, AOLP sends self-study materials, and the labs are completed hands-on on exam day. Technicians who pass are listed as Certified Low Voltage Lighting Technicians.
How do you register?
AOLP handles applications, exam dates, locations, fees and registration directly. To apply or register, visit AOLP's official CLVLT certification page, which lists upcoming exam sessions and registration links. For upcoming Sterling training events, visit the Danville Summit page.
Are you a lighting professional? Sign up for Sterling's contractor perks to get pro pricing and support on your next project.
About the author: Patrick Harders, LC, is co-founder and CEO of Sterling Lighting and founder and principal lighting designer of Dayloom. He has more than 25 years of experience designing and installing outdoor lighting, and he's one of only five landscape lighting designers in North America with Lighting Certified (LC) accreditation. His projects have won multiple international lighting awards, including landscape lighting winners in 2018 and 2021, and he leads design of Sterling's luminaires.
