Homeowners and design savvy builders have come to appreciate the artistic value bestowed by the abundance of lighting fixture styles that can be incorporated to create uniform design schemes throughout homes and businesses. Recessed lighting has been around since the 1950s, but has recently been gaining popularity as an alternative to traditional light fixtures due its versatility. Recessed lighting is a significant component of the lighting design in many residential and commercial buildings, offering a visually pleasing while functional source of light that can be used in a variety of applications.
What is recessed lighting? Recessed light fixtures illuminate from just above the ceiling surface, rather than protruding down in full view. This flexible style of home lighting gives designers the opportunity to incorporate specific levels of lighting to achieve the desired ambiance while directing focus to the intended highlights of a room. Recessed lighting can be implemented as the sole light source for rooms and hallways, or can produce a broad spectrum ambience throughout an area that serves as a “backdrop” to other, more targeted sources of light.
Many decorative lighting arrangements, such as wall sconces and chandeliers, are artistically striking but often do not produce practical, functional lighting to meet the needs of a household or business. Recessed lighting can be used in combination with such lighting fixtures to provide a sheath of light throughout the room while highlighting intricate details of a decorative chandelier or sconce. Recessed lighting can also be used to illuminate an eye-catching design element of a room, such as wall art, an accent wall, a china cabinet or other piece of furniture.
Using the appropriate bulbs in a recessed lighting fixture is as important as the fixture itself. The size and voltage of a bulb will affect the amount and intensity of light that it produces. Recessed fixtures in a fairly small bathroom would not need to be the same diameter as fixtures designed to illuminate a larger room. On the other hand, a bathroom would likely necessitate a brighter (higher voltage) bulb to produce the desired level of visibility than a hallway whose primary purpose is to provide ambient, dim lighting to impart a softer effect.
Whether recessed lighting will be used in a bedroom for reading or in a kitchen to supply optimal illumination for cooking, the intended purpose of a room is a significant consideration in determining the type of lighting that should be implemented.
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Monday, April 25, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
How to Compare Light Bulbs
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and light emitting diodes (LEDs) have become increasingly common lighting options, replacing traditional incandescent bulbs in many homes. CFLs use mercury to emit light rather than the tungsten filament used in incandescent bulbs. LEDs use semi-conductors and have no moving parts, making them very reliable. When comparing bulbs, look at the light output, energy usage, lifespan, color and cost. Here are some instructions:
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- 1Compare the light output of the light bulbs, usually measured in lumens. You can estimate the number of lumens your bulb needs by estimating the number of lumens your room needs based on the size of the room, the use of the room and how many bulbs will light the room.
- 2Compare the energy usage, usually measured in watts. Before CFLs and LEDs, watts were a fairly good indicator of how bright a light would be because all bulbs were about equally efficient. Because CFLs and LEDs are much more efficient, however, it is no longer an effective comparison of light output. Instead chose a bulb that uses the least amount of energy to produce the amount of light you need.
- 3Compare the lifespan of the bulbs, which is measured in hours. LEDs have the longest lifespan followed by CFLs. According to the Department of Energy, CFLs last about 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs and LEDs last about 25 times as long.
- 4Compare the color of the lights. LED bulbs are not as proficient as CFLs or incandescent bulbs are at producing a warm white light.
- 5Compare the cost of the light bulbs. Even though CFLs may be more expensive to buy, the U.S. Department of Energy claims that they can save money over incandescent bulbs because they use less energy.
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