Lighting is one of the best ways to add intrigue and drama to a room The right lighting is magic it can help make a room appear larger or taller It can highlight accent define and contribute to the ambiance of a room When it comes to selling your home the right kind of lighting can be very helpful in augmenting its attractiveness and appeal.You may ask yourself what sort of light bulbs should I use Firstly it is always recommended that you buy the highest wattage permitted then control it by installing a dimmer This is always a great feature as you can adjust the light according to the time of day or the mood you wish to set bathroom light fixtures,bathroom lighting,ceiling fans,ceiling lighting,crystal lamps,desk lamp,discount lamps,discount lighting,fitting,floor lamps,fluorescent bulbs,garden lighting,interior lighting,lamp shades,led bulb,led lamps,led light,low voltage lighting,neon lights Of course never insert a bulb that exceeds the maximum wattage that the fitting instructions suggest Below are some different types of lighting and their associated properties
Incandescents
Throws a light warm golden yellow light
Are ideal for creating warmth coziness and intimacy
The advantages to these lights are the nice light that they throw alongside the fact that they are inexpensive and easy to find Some disadvantages are that they can scorch delicate paper shades They also have a tendency to blow suddenly and compared with other lighting solutions incandescent bulbs tend to be energy hogs
Halogens
Throw a whiter more pure and bright light than the incandescent
These lights are ideal for up lighters
Some advantages to halogen lights are that they are indeed an energy efficient choice The design of the bulbs can be slim and compact The mainsvoltage types can be used in conventional fittings without a transformer but ask an electrician first The main disadvantage is that they are expensive to replace
Fluorescents
Typically associated with the harsh buzzing lights in factories offices and classrooms these light have much improved in recent years They are available in many new varieties that are ideal for
Mini strip lights in kitchens
Desk lamps display lights and under cabinets
To put it simply you should look for areas where you can use compact fluorescents for energy savings without hurting the aesthetic aspects of your home In places where you still need to have a dimming capability or greater lighting control you may want to incorporate halogen as a part of your total lighting strategy
LED
These lights are typically associated with Christmas lights Essentially they are just tiny light bulbs that fit easily into an electrical circuit But LEDs can also be used in certain interior and exterior lighting solutions
LEDs are cool bright lights and best used as an indirect light source Have them bounce off your warmer colored surfaces for a soothing homey effect
LEDs are ideal for under cupboards under valences around a bathroom vanity as night lights for driveway lighting and in different mood lighting solutions
In terms of becoming a light magician there are a couple tricks to keep in your bag To make a room appear taller use vertical beams from low hanging pendant lights Making a room appear larger can be achieved with the use of mirrors skillfully placed where they will serve to open up a room Accent lighting can also help create the illusion of space and set a unique mood in a room Be sure to add lighting with up lights recessed lighting smaller lamps and artwork spot lighting If you are wanting a large high room to feel more cozy consider setting up several table lamps to create smaller low pools of light
Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
The future is here And you can have it for three bucks The Compact Fluorescent bulb represents the single most feasible solution to many of
This little bad boy can help make major strides against global warming greenhousegas emissions rising energy costs and
Today CFLs emit natural warm light turn on very quickly and run silent They also fit in almost any fixture a normal bulb fits in And a 20 watt CFL can generate light equivalent to a 100 watt incandescent bulb
With energy savings of 70% or more and an average lifespan many times that of incandescent bulbs most CFLs will pay for themselves within 6 months of operation And after that they will continue to save money for you for up to 10 years of heavy operation Edison himself would be proud To put it into more perspective there are roughly 110 million homes in the United States If each household swapped out 2 100 watt incandescent bulbs for 20 watt CFLs the electricity saved could easily power Manhattan island In addition the swap would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking almost 3 million cars off the roads Examples of energysaving lamps table lamp floor lamp torchiere lamp
In a time where energy is at a premium and oil is over $100 a barrel it just makes sense to switch Less obvious than at the gas pump energy costs for the home have also continued to increase This is because most of our energy come from nonrenewable resources In fact 50% of all electricity in the U S come from coal power plants Cheap efficient and highly polluting So cutting down on energy in your house means cutting down greenhouse gasses as well Its like saving the world one Compact Fluorescent Bulb at a time
Outdoor Lighting
The actual design of an outdoor lighting system is determined by the site characteristics the landscape effect desired its function and the homeowners personal tastes
Most hardware stores and home improvement centers sell low voltage kits with a builtin transformer and a timer which lets you determine when the lighting is activated or deactivated
The transformers use 120volt current which is standard in nearly all households The transformer then converts the current to 12 volts resulting in a safe and economical power source
A GFCI receptacle will be required to install low lighting Most homes dont have these receptacles and it will be necessary to have a licensed qualified electrician to install one
Before starting to dig its absolutely necessary to contact your local utility companies gas and electric to make sure that you will not cut any existing underground cables or piping
The first planning requirement involves deciding which type of outdoor lighting you will install There are basically five from which to select
Uplights These lights provide ground level illumination with the lights pointed up The purpose of the uplight is to highlight points in the landscape such as trees and other architectural features Uplight fixtures include spot and flood lights as well as inground fixtures
Backlights Backlighting can create a very dramatic effect when done with taste Be sure not to use overpowering backlighting because it may result in a Halloween effect The basic idea of backlighting is to strategically place a lighting fixture behind an object such as a statue or even a small plant This object or plant should be fairly close to an outside wall The goal is to use this fixture such as a spot light or a floodlight or even an inground light to create a silhouette on the wall The fixture should be out of sight to provide some magic to the desired effect
Path lights One of the most common and dramatic uses of outdoor lighting is to create a guide on either side of a path or walkway or even a driveway Besides providing an appealing decorative look path lighting can be a safety feature keeping visitors from wandering off the lighted area Unlike most other outdoor lighting path lights should be placed above ground but fairly low and should be the kind that spreads the light with a gentle glowing effect Dont use too many path lights in a particular area to avoid an airline runway look The lights should be strategically placed with understatement being the operational consideration
Down lights Spotlights and floodlights can be used to illuminate an entryway such as a rear door or an entrance to a bordered garden area or even over a gazebo Unlike a path light a down light should not be seen so that a natural lighting effect is achieved Besides providing a decorative effect downlighting offers security for areas deterring most intruders
Specialty lights Creativity is the key to the use of specialty lighting The goal in using this lighting is to create a magical and inviting mood to an area If you have a rock garden or an area with water and perhaps even a waterfall strategically placed lighting can highlight these landscaping features and provide a very dramatic nighttime effect Remember specialty lighting is limited only by the homeowners creativity There are a variety of home and garden magazines on the market and some very innovative uses of specialty lighting can be found by perusing a few of these periodicals
Before beginning the installation phase be sure to match the areas to be illuminated with the style and types of lighting fixtures that you will use Dont be reluctant to visit neighbors who use outdoor lighting and ask what they selected in terms of lighting fixtures This may involve several trips to other neighborhoods but these trips will certainly be worth the effort Although you will be paying night time visits a polite and sincere introduction to the homeowner with a word of two of flattery will no doubt provide you with an invitation to look at the work that they have done and most will be more than willing to share their secrets with you
Most outdoor lighting is either four or seven watts Keep in mind that these lights are designed to highlight a fairly small area with the goal of providing understated intimacy If the area you plan to illuminate is fairly large you may want to purchase a few more lights than you expect will do the job You can always return the extras for a refund The lighting specialist at the store can help you select the right transformer and may suggest you buy one that can accommodate the additional wattage you may need if you decide to expand your outdoor lighting later on
Rather than just jump into grabbing that shovel and starting to work remember why they include instruction booklets with toys etc that need to be assembled What Im getting at is that you need a written plan from which to work While this may be a timeconsuming part of the project it will pay dividends as you begin the actual work Many homeowners who jumped right into installing outdoor lighting ended up having to do much of it over again as they found that their mental plans didnt yield the same benefits that a carefully laidout written plan did Another advantage to putting it in writing is that you may discover additional areas that could benefit from outdoor lighting as you move along The written plan will allow you to note this so that you can revisit the area to install the additional lighting
With all the preliminary work completed you will be ready to start the actual project Although there are a variety of approaches that can be used one of the most effective is to refer to your plan and lay the lighting fixtures at the area where they will be installed Some of the lighting fixtures such as path lights will include a detachable stake that you will use to anchor the fixture into the ground A common mistake some homeowners make is to attempt to drive these stakes into hard soil In todays market most lighting fixtures and accessories are made of plastic While the plastic stake may be made of highgrade material driving it into hard soil or a soilclay mixture may result in the stake breaking Its often difficult if not impossible to find a replacement stake and the homeowner may end up biting the bullet by having to purchase another complete lighting fixture To avoid this potential pitfall you can do one of two things First you can use a spade to loosen the soil and then pack it down firmly Its often not necessary to loosen the soil to the complete length of the stake Try loosening it about ¾ of the length of the stake Generally with a good start the stake will not be damaged when fully inserted Second you can water the area liberally the day before you begin the project If the soil is very dense use a pitchfork or similar tool to create irrigation holes You may find it necessary to repeat the watering process several times
With the soil prepared place the lighting fixtures where they will be installed At the GFCI fixture run the cable to each of the lights Dont run the cable so that its tight because you may decide to reposition your lighting fixtures at a later date Most lighting fixtures have instructions that indicate how they are to be attached to the cable This is usually a fairly simple process that doesnt even involve the use of any tools
After separating the end of the cable strip off about ½ inch of insulation and attach the wires to the proper terminals on the transformer You are now ready to see if the lighting circuit is working Turn on the pluggedin transformer and then look at each light to make sure its working Bury the cable as you install the light fixtures Four or five inches will do in terms of the depth the cable should be buried
Indoor Lighting
Nothing impresses us quite the way lighting does And if you are entertaining nothing could make your guests feel more welcome that the good lighting in you home Create a warm and inviting feeling for your prestigious guests and let them also enjoy some good food and conversation Designing with light has never been an easier task and it is always enjoyable
When is actually comes to villa lighting the potentials are limited only by your imagination A good lighting plan could help in making you villa more attractive by combining both style and function
Ambient LightingIt provides overall lighting and a comfortable level of brightness and allows you and your guests to see and move about safely
Task LightingTask lighting helps you perform a precise activity such as reading or playing games as well
Accent LightingIt creates an awesome mood and adds interest to a room by highlighting certain areas and objects such as paintings walls and collectibles
Decorative LightingIt become essentials for chandeliers and candles
Tips for Dining Rooms
Use more chandeliers or just one fixture to light the room Layer with light from a selection of sources to get the most flexibility required for creating special moods in the same room
Using dimmers and layering with light allows you to use the brilliant light you require while setting your table and then carry the light down when your guests arrive
For a stylish setting blend candlelight and lesser levels of electric light sources all over the room Dim every group of lights separately to make a variety of dining moods
Tips for Living Rooms
Use Layers of light wall washers down lights and accent lights on dimmers to make a medley of possible effectsfrom spacious to intimate
Place light sources at a variety of heights within the room ceiling table floor to add image interest and human scale Use translucent shades on table lamps to add to the ambient light level
Tips for Kitchens
Use White fluorescent bulbs to improve cool colors like gray and blue use White bulbs to enhance warm colors like yellow red and beige or to balance wood cabinets
Try fluorescent under cabinet fixtures at the border of your cabinets to illuminate your workspace and decrease shadows in food preparation areas Consider dense fluorescent downlights for universal lighting to help reduce heat and electric bills
Tips for Bedrooms
Break the room into several zones by lighting and switch them separately and then regulate accordingly for the mood you want to set
Provide light for reading by selecting swingarm or flexible bedside lamps
Use nightlights to give guests the facility to see in the dark if they require getting up during the night
Tips for Powder Rooms
Place strip lights to either side of the mirror other than above to improve visibility and reduce shadows for shaving and applying makeup
Select a couple of decorative wall scones to flank the mirror in a powder room
To make the room more inviting try to dim all incandescent and halogen sources and keep a candle burning
When amusing family and friends at home lighting for safety and security is forever a priority Keep these tips in mind as you believe how best to protect your homeand your guestsfrom accidents and crime
Utility bills can consume a very large portion of your paycheck Wouldnt it be nice if you could pay 2550% less on these bills Theres a number of ways you can Dont worry you wont find any low flow toilets on this list
Change your light bulbs Compact florescent bulbs use about 25% the electricity of standard incandescent bulbs and will last for years They do not work with dimmer switches but you can swap out the majority of your light bulbs and save a significant amount on lighting
Check your insulation Go in your attic Does your insulation cover all the 2x4s If not you dont have enough Having a well insulated house will save you a significant amount on your heating and cooling bills and is well worth the cost Its also the kind of project the average home owner can do by themselves
Add caulk and weather stripping Is your house drafty Look at your doors does light shine in Feel around the edge of your windows do you feel a cold or hot breeze You need to add caulk and weather stripping Itll save you money and help get rid of those annoying hot and cold spots in your house
Fix leaking faucets Im sure you have heard even a small drip in your sink can fill a swimming pool in a year It can also empty your bank account Fixing this problem is usually as simple as replacing a 50 cent washer
Use fans By having a slight breeze you can usually turn your AC up a degree or two and still be just as comfortable Its a whole lot cheaper to run the fan than to run the AC so use them
Turn the computer off That 300 watt power supply in your computer is still drawing power when you are not using it Turn your computer off when you are done with it If thats too much of a hassle adjust the screen saver settings to put your computer in sleep mode when its idle This is a low power mode that will allow you to quickly resume your work where you left off when you are ready to use the computer again
Switch to LED Christmas lights You wouldnt think you are Christmas lights draw that much power but when you get enough of those little lights it really adds up fast 25 watts per 50 bulb stand is standard and when you hook up 10 of those strands you are looking at 250 watts probably running 24 7 Christmas lights that use LED bulbs use 80%90% less electricity and still look just as bright Also turn your lights off when you go to bed
Get an LCD computer monitor Are you still using an old style CRT display for your computer Switch to LCD they consume as little as 25% of the power of a CRT monitor of the same size You were looking for a good excuse to switch anyways
Switch to tankless water heater It amazes me how few people even know about the existence of tankless water heaters These water heaters do not store hot water but rather heat it instantly whenever it is needed The consume a mindboggling amount of energy when in use but it ends up being much cheaper to consume a lot of power during the time you need hot water than a little keeping it hot 24 7
Change your filters So you change the filter on your AC Heating unit every spring and fall like you are suppose to Wrong Most filters are only rated for 30 days Filters are cheap so change them frequently The efficiency gained in heating cooling your house will make well worth it
Install a programmable thermostat These are fairly cheap and easy to install Why pay to cool your house while you are gone to work Do you really need it to be the same temperature while you sleep as when you are awake Programming it will allow you to make these energy savings adjustments automatically every day
Take short showers instead of baths Try this one day Pull the plug on your tub and take a shower like you normally do When you are all done look at the water level Its probably about a quarter of the way full This is how much water and energy heating that water you save by taking a shower instead of a bath If you can shorten your shower even better
Ditch the phone company Remember those We dont care were the phone company adds from Saturday Night Live in the 70s Not so anymore They now have competition from the cable company cell phone providers and internet phone companies Shop around and you can probably find a better deal If you use cell phones all the time you may even be able to shut off your home phone
Cancel extra TV channels Do you pay $50150 a month for 500 channels but end up just watching the networks Cancel the extra channels and save some cash If theres one show you just HAVE to have on one of these other stations considering paying to download that one show from iTunes or elsewhere instead
Have AC Maintenance If your AC is struggling to keep up in the summer it might be a good idea to have some routine maintenance done Low Freon levels can significantly impair the efficiency of your AC unit So can grass clippings and other debris
Clean that lent trap Be sure to empty the lent trap on your dryer after every load If you are doing so and your clothes are still damp theres probably lent that has built up in the exhaust hose and it may be time to replace or clean it
Have a free energy audit Many power companies provide energy audits free of charge They can help you find inefficiencies you may not be able to find on your own and will sometimes even provide you with free compact florescent bulbs Contact your power company to see if they offer this service
Get some shade Blocking out direct sunlight can significantly lower your cooling bills Plant some trees that will help shade your house and close the blinds on hot days
Water in the early morning If you water your grass on a regular basis do it in the early morning hours By doing so you reduce the amount of water that evaporates which means much more gets to the grass Its not recommended to water in the late evening because having damp grass overnight provides a good environment for parasites that can harm your grass
Change your shower heads You can switch to a low flow head without having to settle for a wimpy shower Newer shower heads available can generate just as high of pressure but use less water They do this by quickly pulsating between on and off to deliver rapid high pressure bursts These heads are only about $20 have multiple settings youll love and can save a lot of water
If you know much about LED lights then you know that they are typically built upon an ntype substrate On the surface of the device the electrode is attached to the ptype layer Often commercial LED lights also include some kind of substrate of sapphire A scientist in LED research must always remember that when the refractive index of materials is not properly paired with the index of the semiconductor there is a chance of increased heat and of course potential danger This is actually the exact opposite of one of the major benefits of LED lighting that being that they do not retain or give off heat despite the generation of light However any potential dangers can be remedied simply by assuring that the basic scientific functions are executed properly in the design of each LED unit.There have been many developments experiments and research done on the production and benefits of LED lighting The semiconductor device sends charges of incoherent narrow spectrum light LED lighting therefore emits a particular form of electroluminescence that can theoretically be easily utilized an alternative light source The semiconducting chip of an LED light is of course cased in solid plastic in the form of a lens a very effective and very strong Making LED lighting one of the safest kinds of bulb lighting.The development of LED began with the introduction of lighting devices and with gallium arsenide particularly for infrared and red lighting purposes Of course LED lighting had a great beginning already useful for things such as Christmas trees and theatrical lighting being that they can be used in several colors However the research and development of LED lighting has since grown and will continue to grow.
More advanced and especially more complex LEDs are those being created in ultraviolet blue and even white shades For example an ultraviolet GaN LED Blue type of LED uses a wide band gap semiconductor in GaN as well as InGaN indium gallium nitrate The concept was there however it was not until 1993 that high brightness of blue LED lighting was possible thanks to the work of a man named Shuji Nakamura from the Nicha Corporation
White LED lights can be created in more than one way For example As I mentioned most LED white lights are based on InGaN and GaN structural designs These lights are said to be capable of emitting bluish light wavelengths between 450 nm and 470 nm blue from the GaN.
The GaN InGaN lights usually use a yellowish colored phosphor coating of cerium doped yttrium aluminum garnet Ce3 YAG The Ce3 YAG crystals are considered a scintillator as opposed to a phosphor Because yellow light acts to stimulate the red and green light receptors of someones eye the appearance of white actually comes from the presence of the mix of the yellow and blue The white light resulting from this is a shade of white often referred to as lunar white by people in and outside of the industry
The overall spectrum of a white LED light will distinctly show that it comes directly from a GaNbased LED and can peak at about 465 nanometers When more broad strokes of shifted light emitted by the elements of Ce3 YAG phosphor the light emitted can be extended to between 500 and 700 nanometers In manufacturing the LEDs must be properly sorted during the process by their own particular characteristics because of the spectral characteristics of the diode
White LEDs can be made in other ways as well for example one can coat near ultraviolet rays NUV that emit LEDs with a mix of highly efficient europium based reds and blues these phosphors added to green emitted by copper and aluminum doped zinc sulfide or ZnSCu Al However this method is less efficient than LED with YAGCe phosphor primarily because it is larger and more energy is transformed into heat than with other LEDs.
A man named Micheal Bowers as a graduate student in Nashville TN at Vanderbilt University recently developed a kind of LED lighting that involves coating a blue LED with quantum dots The quantum dots in response to the LED light will glow white The effect is quite similar to incandescent bulbs meaning that the technique produces a warm glowing yellowish light
Before Bowers made his discovery another of the most recent method of producing white light LEDs is a method which makes use of absolutely no phosphors whatsoever Some call the idea revolutionary it is certainly a great idea in the development of LEDs today The newest method is based on a homoepitaxially developed form of zinc selenide ZnSe Basically the ZnSe substrate for this purpose is a creation which emits blue light simultaneously from the active region as well as the yellow from the substrate
LED technology has come a long ways since the basic led used in many electronics High Power leds have emerged which can give as much light output as halogen bulbs High power leds are currently in the 15watt range of use providing anywhere from 1060 lumens of light output What this means for application is household light bulbs Most household light bulbs use anywhere from 30100 watts This is quite a demand on your electricity bill if left on even for 4 hours a day By using new technology your can reduce your electricity bill substantially.
LED bulbs manufactured recently with 3 watt high power leds can fit in household sockets and give useable light output in the 4060 lm range Of course these bulbs are not complete replacement for normal lighting but they can be used in areas where you dont need much light or areas where multiple sockets are available and you can have many of them on For example if one area is lit with a 60 watt light bulb if you have enough light bulb sockets available in that area about 46 of the 3 watt light bulbs would give equivalent light 12 watts vs 60 watts of useable is a considerable savings.Previous led light bulbs using the 5mm leds were not bright enough to give usable light output The E27 LED light bulb 3 watts is an example of a great product available in the market and at a reasonable cost Available in red blue and white this light is an easy solution saving on electricity bills in your house Not only does it save power it produces almost zero heat It is safe to touch with your finger anytime
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