What's with the poor
lighting in my home?
Mister Sparky®
specializes in residential
lighting installation and can
help you with practical and
aesthetic projects for your
home. Indoor lighting is a key
part of interior design, and can
make a house truly feel like a
home. It can also be an
intrinsic component of
landscaping. However, lighting
represents a major component of
energy consumption, accounting
for a significant part of all
energy consumed worldwide.
Therefore, proper residential
lighting installation can save
you money and conserve natural
resources at the same time.
At Mister Sparky®
we will work closely with you to
create your ideal lighting
situation. All lighting systems
can be fully automated and
easily maintained. Some general
categories and consideration for
lighting use include:
Task lighting – is
mainly functional and is usually
the most concentrated, for
purposes such as reading or
inspection of materials.
Accent lighting - is
mainly decorative, intended to
highlight pictures,
plants, or other elements of
interior design or landscaping.
General lighting -
fills in between task and accent
and is intended for general
illumination of an area.
Indoors, this would be a basic
lamp on a table or floor, or a
fixture on the ceiling.
Outdoors, general lighting for
security and specialty lighting
purposes is used.
Interior Lighting -
Interior lighting systems are
one of the most effective ways
to increase the safety and
security of your home. A well
lit house is a deterrent to any
criminal, so criminal activity
is less likely to occur. You
will have peace of mind and can
feel safe knowing that you are
coming home every night to
perfectly lit home.
Incandescent light –
Incandescent light bulbs are a
source of electric light that
works by incandescence (a
general term for heat-driven
light emissions). An electric
current passes through a thin
filament, heating it until it
produces light. The enclosing
glass bulb prevents the oxygen
in air from reaching the hot
filament, which otherwise would
be destroyed rapidly by
oxidation.
Compact fluorescent –
Compact fluorescent bulbs
use less power to supply the
same amount of light as an
incandescent bulb. The light of
a compact florescent is emitted
by a mix of phosphors on the
inside of the tube, which each
emit one color. Modern phosphor
designs are a compromise between
the shade of the emitted light,
energy efficiency, and cost.
Fluorescent –
Fluorescent lights or tubes are
gas-discharge lamps that use
electricity to excite mercury
vapor. The excited mercury atoms
produce short-wave ultraviolet
light that then causes a
phosphor to fluoresce, producing
visible light. Unlike
incandescent lamps, fluorescent
lamps always require a ballast
to regulate the flow of power
through the lamp. While larger
fluorescent lamps have been
mostly used in large commercial
or institutional buildings, you
still find them used in garages,
kitchens and recreational rooms
in the home. Compared with
incandescent lamps, fluorescent
lights use less power for the
same amount of light, generally
last longer, but are bulkier,
more complex, and initially more
expensive than a comparable
incandescent bulb.
Just some of the interior
lighting solutions we offer
include; recessed, under
cabinet, art lighting, pendant
lighting, track lighting, up and
down lighting, niche lighting,
chandelier, sconce and alcove
lighting.
Exterior Lighting
One of the most common
choices in exterior illumination
for homeowners is outdoor
security lighting. Keeping an
area well lit during the hours
of night goes a long way as a
deterrent to help keep intruders
and burglars away. Brightness
and responsiveness are two of
the most important
characteristics to look for in
outdoor security lights. The
more illuminant a fixture is,
the farther its light will
carry. More focused illumination
is important as well, so that
the light does not “get lost” in
the vast darkness of night.
The biggest consideration to
remember when choosing outdoor
security lighting is to select
something that is going to make
you feel safer in your home.
Brightness and motion sensors
are definitely two
characteristics to consider, but
be sure that you choose outdoor
security lights that will
provide you with a feeling of
safety and comfort for you and
your family during the nighttime
hours.
Another choice for exterior
lighting is decorative, used to
illuminate walkways, plants,
shrubs and trees and provide
ambience to a yard. Some of the
exterior lighting solutions we
offer include; flood lights,
security lighting, post lights,
porch and coach lighting.
To learn more about indoor
lighting and outdoor security
lighting features, schedule a
Mister Sparky®
Technician to evaluate your
needs.
