Planning Your Home’s Lighting: Inside & Out

(HIT) - The recent national energy bill banning incandescent bulbs by 2014 will find homeowners choosing among the latest energy-efficient residential lighting—especially since lighting accounts for approximately 20 percent of the average home’s electricity bill.

According to Electrical Contractor magazine at www.ecmag.com, published by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), Bethesda, Md., before tapping into the latest lighting devices, homeowners should assess their needs and lifestyles. Tips include:

• Planning is essential: determine precisely where lighting is needed to accomplish specific tasks
• Kitchens: along with typical ceiling fixtures, under-cabinet and over-cabinet lighting are increasingly popular; energy-efficient recessed cans should also be considered for their dimming features
• Accents: in addition to functional and ambient light sources, accent lighting such as mini-pendants, subtle cabinet lighting and island lights add style
• Recessed fixtures: can be restricted to where detail work is being performed, such as computing, paying bills, reading recipes or doing homework
• Separate, dimmer-controlled switches: allow homeowners to define many environments through switching and dimming, including chandeliers, over-table recessed accent lights, cove lighting, wall sconces and foyer lighting
• Garage and basement: should not be overlooked for the unique needs of a workshop, laundry area or hobby work space
• High-use outdoor areas: plan for energy-efficient lighting and overall uses such as holiday light displays, a spa or an outdoor swimming pool
• Outdoor timers: consider if exterior lights are to be turned on at sunset and off at dawn, or perhaps to dim to 50 percent at midnight—or a motion sensor may be planned to turn on a pathway of light
• Exterior lighting controls: should be placed inside or in a completely nonmetal box
• Home automation systems: determine which lighting needs to be controlled and for what purpose; the controller’s capacity should support the current system and later additions

According to Electrical Contractor, installing just one dimmer in every U.S. home would save approximately $230 million in electricity per year and reduce CO2 emissions by 4.3 billion pounds per year—the equivalent of taking 370,000 cars off the road. Dimming from a range of 1 to 100 percent reduces energy consumption and extends bulb life by up to six years.

Published by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), Bethesda, Md., Electrical Contractor magazine reaches 85,000+ electrical contractors and more than 65,900 electrical contracting locations, more than any other industry publication. Telephone: (301) 657-3110. Web site: www.ecmag.com.

Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center