Lighting installation involves modifying or installing light fixtures for functional and aesthetic purposes. New lighting installations can dramatically impact a room, making it easier to perform tasks and providing a fresh look.
Before you start any work, make sure the power to the junction box is shut off. It’s best to have a friend on hand to help stabilize ladders and hold tools and nuts.
Lighting needs to be bright enough that people can move around your space without tripping or bumping into things. Too much brightness, however, can cause glares that create problems for screen devices and detract from decor. Using dimmer switches can make it possible to use only the amount of brightness required for each room.
Lighting upgrades are a great way to improve learning environments in school districts. Saving money on energy consumption frees up funds for other improvements that will directly impact student performance. Schools are ranked and financially penalized or rewarded for graduation rates and academic achievement. An investment-grade audit conducted by a lighting professional will provide detailed energy savings with room-by-room exact pricing of exterior and interior lighting options.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficient lighting can lower electricity bills and reduce carbon dioxide emissions without compromising on the quality of light. Lighting makes up about 11% of the average home’s electricity usage and switching to energy efficient lighting can save homes up to 50kg (in NI) in carbon emissions each year – that’s equivalent to driving your car around 145 miles!
Energy efficiency refers to the amount of light a fixture produces per watt of power consumed. This is measured in a unit called luminous efficacy or lumens per watt (lm/W). Energy efficient lighting is able to produce the same amount of brightness as traditional bulbs while using less energy.
The best way to incorporate energy efficiency in your lighting system is through a lighting retrofit or upgrade, also known as re-lamping. Re-lamping involves replacing old traditional bulbs with more modern energy efficient alternatives such as LED or fluorescent. It also includes implementing proper lighting controls, such as timer or motion sensor based systems that can help to control and optimize your existing fixtures.
Aside from the environmental benefits of energy efficiency, there are many financial benefits. Efficient lighting can reduce electricity consumption, resulting in significant savings on energy and maintenance costs. Additionally, lighting with higher efficacy can reduce heat generation, which can lead to lower cooling costs.
Lighting is one of the largest energy consumers in any building, consuming up to 20% of a commercial or industrial facility’s energy. This is why lighting efficiency is a top priority for many building owners and energy managers.
Energy efficiency improvements are a low-hanging fruit for design teams and facility management professionals. In addition to lighting, other technologies that can be made more efficient include heating and air conditioning systems, plug loads, electrical equipment and building materials.
Energy efficiency measures are among the most cost-effective ways to cut business energy costs and are especially important during periods of high electricity/demand charges. They can be even more compelling when accompanied by utility rebates or credits.
Aesthetics
Depending on your tastes, lighting installation can make a major difference in the overall look of your home. You can choose from a wide variety of styles, materials, and colors to create your ideal ambiance. For example, warmer tones like orange and yellow can create a cozy feel, while cooler colors such as blue and green can help you relax. The direction and intensity of the light also contribute to the aesthetics of your home.
Aesthetics is a central concept in the study of art and design, but it has also been applied to other areas. For instance, many thinkers have studied the aesthetic qualities of architecture, music, and other art forms. Ultimately, the central ideas of aesthetics revolve around the pleasure of experiencing beauty.
Lighting experts have the unique ability to marry aesthetics with functionality, transforming interior spaces into immersive experiences. From reading corners to kitchen countertops, they know how to direct just the right amount of illumination to each area of a room while maintaining a cohesive aesthetic.
For the novice do-it-yourselfer, a lighting project can seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite straightforward. After cutting power to the junction box and following basic safety precautions, you can usually have a new fixture up in under an hour. However, it’s always best to consult a professional when handling electrical wires and a ladder.
Whether you’re looking for brighter lights to make daily tasks easier or a fresh, new style to update your space, a new lighting installation can provide both. And by using energy efficient bulbs, you can save money on your monthly utility bills.
Aesthetics is a broad and complex subject, and there are many theories about what makes something beautiful or appealing. For example, some argue that we have a natural sense of beauty that is based on our innate preferences and instincts. Others believe that aesthetic judgments are based on a mixture of factors, including the senses, emotions, intellectual opinions, will, culture, and values.
Safety
There is no shortage of things that can go wrong while working with electricity, which is why lighting installation is a job best left to qualified professionals. From musculoskeletal injuries to fires, there are numerous ways that poorly planned work can turn into a disaster, but there are also many steps that can be taken to make the process safer for everyone involved.
First and foremost, always check that the power is completely off. This can be done by shutting off the power at your electrical meter, or by turning off the breaker for the light you are about to work on at your home’s circuit box. Then it is important to let any lights that have recently been turned on cool down before touching them. Hot bulbs can cause glass to shatter, which can result in cuts, burns, and even electrocution.
Then there are the risks of working at heights. Climbing ladders, navigating roofs, or stretching to reach high trees are all ways that workers can fall and suffer serious injuries. Thousands of these accidents occur yearly, and it is one of the main reasons that it is a good idea to have a professional help with your lighting installation.
When working with performing arts lighting, there are inherent electrical exposures that can lead to shock or even death if not handled properly. If you ever feel a slight tingle when handling any type of lighting equipment, do not ignore it; this can be an early warning sign that there is a problem with your wiring and you should stop working immediately.
Finally, it is crucial always to look below while working on overhead lighting. Workers who are not careful could fall and be seriously injured, or even killed if they are not properly tethered to the lighting rig they are working on. If you are going to be working on overhead lights, it is also a good idea to clearly announce that the area below is being worked on and warn anyone who may be in the area to stay clear of the space.
