Watch the video on Lighting Your Home.
Unlike standard home lighting strategies that place one switch-controlled source of light in each room, an advanced lighting system can put control of task, ambient, and accent lighting at the homeowner's fingertips. Computerized, programmable lighting systems help reduce lighting costs by allowing the homeowner to choose specifically where and when to illuminate different areas while improving the aesthetics of the home.
Recent advances in light bulbs now allow for a greater selection of long-life, energy-efficient bulbs. No longer limited to stark, noisy utility lights, fluorescents have evolved into quiet, warm, energy-saving light sources that can be used in any room.
New fixture designs like track lighting also allow for more creative and functional light sourcing. Often these fixtures will call for low voltage halogen bulbs like "bipins" or MR16s. These operate at a much cooler temperature than normal halogen lights, further reducing energy consumption by not driving up room temperature, which requires more air conditioning.
The best practice when installing lighting in a home is to install an advanced residential lighting system that makes lighting both functional and beautiful.
When choosing an advanced lighting system for a new home, here are a few things to take into account:
- Consider energy consumption. Identify which rooms will be used the most, then use energy-efficient lights like fluorescents or low-voltage lights in those areas.
- Prioritize lighting around each room's main purpose. Kitchens and bathrooms need more "task" lighting, while homeowners prefer ambient lighting in living rooms.
- Be sure to account for safety by lighting stairways or areas where low light could lead to high risk.
- Make sure all fixtures are properly installed and rated for their specific use. This is especially true of IC (Insulation Contact) rated recessed down lights.
- Once the lighting system is installed, familiarize yourself on how the system operates and if any long-term maintenance is required.
- To enhance the home's beauty, light up the details. Illuminate architecture and design features like built-in cabinets and entryways.
Incandescent lights traditionally provide about 85% of household illumination, and account for approximately 15% of the home's annual electricity consumption. By choosing longer-life, energy-efficient bulbs you can significantly decrease the operating costs of a home. To learn specific information about energy savings related to energy efficient lighting, visit the National Renewable Laboratory (NREL) web site or click here.
When looking for ways to lower homeowner costs and increase comfort and home appeal, choosing to install an advanced computer integrated lighting system is a very bright idea.
All Light Bulbs are Not Created Equal
There are four basic attributes used to gauge a light bulb: Efficacy (lumens/watts), lifetime (hours it is expected to last), CRI (color rendition index), and color temperature (K).
Efficacy represents how much light (lumens) the bulb will produce per watt of energy consumed. One lumen is equivalent to one lit candle. A standard incandescent bulb will produce about 10-17 lumens per watt. The common "straight tube" fluorescent kicks out between 30-100 lumens per watt, and the newer compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) will contribute about 50-70. The higher the rating, the more energy efficient the bulb will be.
Cost of bulb replacement can be significant over the life of a home. The typical incandescent bulb will last between 750-2500 hours while the "straight tube" florescent can survive to up to 24,000 hours. Newer CFL bulbs weigh in around 10,000 hours.
The Color Rendition Index or CRI rating is used to determine how accurate the light source (bulb) displays colors. A rating of 50-60 like the standard white fluorescents can give things a blue or washed out look (think high school metal shop). Incandescent and higher quality CFI bulbs are rated in the 90-100 range offering a truer illumination (think art gallery). Generally any bulb with a CRI rating above 80 will provide attractive lighting for the home.
"Cool" or "warm" are often used to describe the tone of light produced by a bulb. This can be measured using the Kelvin or "K" color temperature guide. To match the warm qualities of incandescent bulbs, use fluorescents bulbs in the 2700K– 3000K range. For kitchens and bathrooms where cooler, "cleaner" light is desired, bulbs in the 4000K-6000K range work well.
For more information on picking the right bulb, check out the Energy Star guide to lighting.
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