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[L230]Led Light For Home

by Barrie Newton, Bar

Originally, these were small round lights, often fitting into wooden decking, by drilling through a small hole, and pushed in, to give a small light in the surface of the decking. Although they are not impressive during the day, at night they give a delightful effect. They can be stood on, last a very long time, and use very little electricity. They are operated from (usually) a 12V supply, plugged into the mains.

They are now available in sizes ranging typically from 15mm to 90mm, square as well as round, in white, blue, red, green and colour changing. They are now considerably brighter than originally. While they are still used for decking and other garden installations, they can also be used to stunning effect in a variety of locations inside the home. Single LED lamps will become the next generation of low energy lighting. They are already taking over from compact fluorescents for certain applications, although they are still not as bright as these on a cost comparison basis.

Some ideas for indoor locations for LED lights

LED lights can be inserted into any ceiling. Drill a hole in the plasterboard (taking care to avoid joists) and just push the light through, the same as if you were pushing it into decking. You can fit any number of LED lights in this way. Each will look like a flush fitting spot of light in the ceiling. The effect is the same as fibre optic lights give, but at a fraction of the cost. Each light will have its cable coming from it, and these are all plugged into one or more junction boxes, in the loft above. The junction box(es) then plug into a power supply, which must be plugged into mains socket. If the socket is installed in the loft, it can be switched remotely, using a wall switch or pull cord switch in bathrooms. (Remember to follow local electricity regulations). It is often convenient to leave them on permanently as they use little electricity.

Bathroom ceilings are particularly suitable for LED lights, often used alongside the lighting already there, such as halogen downlighters. If the LED lights are left on all night, there is usually sufficient lighting to not need any other lighting if you get up during the night. This avoids you being blinded by bright light, which is only needed for such things as shaving, make-up, etc. Furthermore, if the main lighting is fitted to pull cord dimmer switch, stunning effects can be created by dimming the main lighting with the LED lighting on. A few candles as well give a really relaxing ambience, for a soak in the bath. I prefer blue LED lights in bathrooms, but other colours, or colour changing ones can be used.

Kitchens are also suitable locations for such lights. They can be mounted in the ceiling as above, under wall cupboards or in plinths.

Other locations include stairs, to illuminate the steps, skirting boards, plate racks, glass fronted cabinets, fire surrounds, etc. You can probably think of more, to suit your particular house. If it is difficult to drill through, very slim surface mounting fittings are also available. Colour changing kits are often preferred in these environments. They have a control box, which can be set to give fast or slow colour changes, be frozen on one colour, or be sound activated.

They are also ideal for low level all night or emergency lighting (they can work of a 12V battery instead of the power supply). I have been asked in the past to design lighting for elderly peoples' bedrooms, where they can see if they have to get up in the night, without fumbling for a light switch. PIR detectors, to switch on the room lights are unsuitable, because any movement of the person in bed would switch them on. Low level LED lighting is ideal. It can be left on all the time, with very little electricity consumption, and minimum background light to disturb sleep. Such a system would also be suitable for children's rooms. A dusk to dawn photocell could be incorporated as well.

In conclusion, stunning effects can be obtained with LED lighting, the electricity consumption is very low, the lifetime of LED lights is very high and it can be useful for emergency lighting as well.
All the kits described in this article can be found on the links below.

One way to cut costs is by using a good quality light bulb. The cheaper ones are enticing because they cost less in the store, but sometimes they can end up costing you more on your electricity bill and they don't last as long as the more expensive, energy-saving bulbs.

Use fluorescent bulbs wherever you need a good amount of lighting. Fluorescent bulbs give off a nice soft, but amplelight and last a lot longer than regular light bulbs. These bulbs can be employed in pretty much any light fixture and there are some that come in a more compact form so that they fit into a regular fixture. You don't have to have long store-like lighting fixtures with long, narrow bulbs anymore when you're thinking florescent.

Halogen bulbs also provide plenty of light and will last much longer than regular bulbs. They do require much more care when handling them and they have a tendency to get hot when they've been on for awhile, but they cut down on energy costs within your home.

Use a smaller wattage bulb in fixtures or lamps that don't necessarily need that much light. If you can get by with a 25 watt bulb in an area, then change the higher 60 watt or 100 watt bulbs you probably have in there now.

Utilize different lighting techniques by trying track lighting if possible. Track lighting offers multiple light fixtures on one track that can be pointed in different directions in the room. By strategically pointing them to different areas of the room, you can eliminate the need for any more lamps or lighting choices in that area.

Install a light-dimming switch wherever you can. This allows you to adjust the amount of light within your room as you need it. If you need a lot of light, you can turn it on all the way and when you need only a little light, you can turn it down to the level of light that you want. By not using the full energy from the lighting all of the time, you can cut down quite a bit on energy costs.

Using these tips, you'll save money on your energy bill and in how much you have to spend annually on light bulbs because the cheaper ones fizzled out. Just remember that you don't have to sacrifice top quality lighting just to cut costs.

Article Source : Pg. 62

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Both Barrie Newton & Fongsuim are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Barrie Newton has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management. . Barrie Newton's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.

Fongsuim has sinced written about articles on various topics from Feng Shui, Home Management and Alternative Medicine. Ken FongThe Scoop. Fongsuim's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.