Advocate Selvakumar: Economy Energy Saving Ideas for Lighting

Economy Energy Saving Ideas for Lighting

The ideal lighting option will account for the quality of lighting, savings in energy and reductions in cost. A house should be lit up in a way that will improve the décor and color values and it is not just a matter of investing in fluorescent tubes.

The merits of low-cost lighting options can be judged by their initial investment cost and their general maintenance expense. Walls, ceilings, tabletops and corners are good sites to use fixtures as objects of décor. Modern décor goes well with cheaper materials such as rice paper or cane. Any corner can be made beautiful through simple globe lights in paper. Where shades of rice paper are used lamps with high lumen should not be used. Good light for several activities is given by mini fluorescent lamps under the cabinets. The living, dining and the bedrooms are spaces that need lighting to create uniform illumination and provide the choice of mood lighting. It makes a great difference as to the type of fixture you choose.

For activities such as reading directional task lighting is the most suitable. Warm compact fluorescent lamps with the same light as the standard incandescent lamp are suitable for reading. However, task lighting alone is insufficient. Reading requires ambient lighting from other quarters so that extremes of light and dark contrasts are not seen by the eyes. For task lighting down lighters from the ceiling or in portable lamps are good. Some examples of them are pendant lamps, certain types of wall sconces and small chandeliers. For reading portable down lighters with swivel arms are particularly good. For the budget, those with fabric or acrylic shades are beneficial. To cast the light beam upwards wall washers, soffit lighting and up-lighters are used. Such fixtures are good for ambient lighting.

For cooking, lighting that is as similar to daylight as possible is needed to give true color values. Overhead ceiling fixtures at right intervals (recessed or semi flush) together with task lighting produce the best general lighting that this area needs.

Decorative lighting that improves décor is an option for the somewhat public areas in the house. You can have chandeliers that are within your budget available in several materials. A well made chandelier with oyster shells and glass beads on an acrylic frame is fashionable and low-cost at the same time. The right combination of general and task lighting makes the place useful for the function given to it.

Besides the type of lighting, where it is placed and the type of fixture also affect its quality. If you place an overhead fixture above a task area its effect will be ruined if the person's shadow falls on the task. Behind the television or computer diffused lighting should be kept as it is better than putting the fixture behind the user. Through this method direct glare and reflection on the screen is avoided. For such purposes, soffit lights, floor lamps and recessed lighting are worth considering.

Directional lighting to different places simultaneously is given by track lighting and it is best in spaces where there are several activities such as in the children's room. The cost of this kind of fixture is from Rs. 300 onwards and it looks elegant. Good accent lights are spotlights that rejuvenate the décor. For the bathroom dresser or mirror simple strip lighting is nice and cheap inner cabinet lighting improves open and glass fronted cabinets. Low-cost clip lights are used in the kitchen as task lighting above the sink, stove or counter.

You have to keep in mind the long term view of energy savings when you buy electric lamps as choosing them will impact the service bill. Great energy savers come in the form of compact fluorescent lamps although the initial costs may be a little high. For example, a CFL of 25 watts is as bright (or more) as an incandescent bulb of 75 watts. It uses less energy up to 25 percent than ordinary bulbs and is ten times more long-lasting. Energy efficiency is high in CFLs and fluorescent tubes but they cannot be fitted with dimmers which is a drawback. True color values are given by halogen lamps as they have a white rather than yellow spectrum. They can also be fitted with dimmers. They could be in uplighters that are not used for a long time. Using them for a somewhat shorter period may not lead to a great spurt in energy utilization. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are an improvement on CFLs because they last almost ten times longer. LED bulbs are a good long term choice even though they may be costly. They are typically used as task lights and focused or directional lamps. LED rope lights are common at present. If you want to create an appealing illumination you can use it in the soffit.

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