Although home lighting is not the first thing that comes to mind while decorating a room or home, a room's lighting greatly influences its d'cor. Home lighting is divided into three categories depending on the intended purpose.

General Home Lighting

General lighting provides visibility for every day tasks and ambient lighting (like that provided by compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs)) is ideal for general home lighting. It is important to remember that the lighting should compliment the d'cor of each room, and traditional incandescent light bulbs can also be used for lighting if required. CFLs are a little more expensive than incandescent light bulbs, but are far more energy efficient and also last longer than incandescent light bulbs. General home lighting concepts include recessed and track lights and tall lamps.

Task Lighting

Task home lighting serves a particular purpose and is designed for a particular activity like over a drawing table, on a desk, or above a sewing machine. Traditional task lighting was a mix of light bulbs and focus lamps. However, newer home lighting concepts include CFL table lamps and floor lamps. Like general home lighting, task lighting should primarily be composed of CFLs unless there is a specific need for the ?yellow light? of incandescent lamps.

Accent Lighting

Accent lighting is designed to enhance the d'cor of rooms and is usually the most expensive form of home lighting. Accent lighting can be used to highlight portraits and paintings or for highlighting a wall. Accent lighting is purely optional and depends on the home owner's taste and preference. Chandeliers are also considered a form of accent lighting.

Irrespective of the purpose of the lighting, there are a few things that need to be kept in mind:

Power consumption

Traditional home lighting options like incandescent light bulbs are slowly being replaced by energy efficient florescent lamps. Contrary to popular belief, florescent lighting can match light bulbs in terms of power and the illumination. CFLs are also environmentally friendly and offer natural ambient lighting when compared to older home lighting options like incandescent light bulbs.

Cost

It is vital to strike the right balance between looks and pricing. As mentioned earlier, accent lighting can make up a major part of the home lighting budget, and cost and functionality should be balanced out.

Room by room lighting

Light each room individually, instead of assuming that each room will require the same lighting, survey each room and then decide exactly how many lights will be required. Home lighting is a lot of common sense, and small details like providing each light with an individual switch can help save energy and money.

Bedroom lights should ideally be equipped with dimmers to make them more energy efficient and allow greater flexibility. Similarly, bathrooms can be equipped with vanity lights or wall sconces'. Although, chandeliers are the centre of attraction in any room, chandeliers are usually not energy efficient and should be used sparingly. Incandescent light bulbs should ideally be reserved for accent lighting purposes.

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