Tag Archives: lighting

Could occupancy sensors save you money?

Indoor lighting occupancy sensors detect activity within an area. They turn lights on automatically when someone enters a room. They reduce lighting energy use by turning lights off soon after the last occupant has left the room. The sensors must be located where they will detect occupants or activity in all parts of the room.

There are two types of occupancy sensors: Ultrasonic sensors detect sound, while infrared sensors detect heat and motion. In addition to controlling ambient lighting in a room, they are useful for task lighting applications, such as over kitchen counters. In such applications, task lights are turned on by the motion of a person washing dishes, for instance, and automatically turn off a few minutes after the person stops.

Both are readily available online and at retail stores.

To Turn Off or Not to Turn Off?

According to the US Department, of Energy, “the cost effectiveness of turning off lights depends on the type of bulb and the cost of electricity. The type of light bulb you use is important for several reasons. All light bulbs have a nominal or rated operating life, which is affected by how many times they are turned on and off. The more often they are switched on and off, the lower their operating life.” The type of lights and the price of electricity determine whether it’s best to turn lights off when you leave a room. Consider using sensors, timers and other automatic lighting controls. See energy.gov’s recommendations for when to turn off the various types of lights in your home.

Nightlights

A nightlight is a small, low-powered electrical light source placed for comfort or convenience in indoor areas that become dark at night.
Facts and Figures
  • Before they were powered electrically, nightlights were usually long-burning candles placed in fireproof metal cups, known as tealights in some countries. (Tealights in the U.S. refer to very short and wide candles that can be purchased within or without an aluminum tin cup that are commonly used inside a decorative glass holder.  They are also known as votive candles.)
  • There are roughly 90 million nightlights purchased each year in the United States. In 2001 alone, more than 600,000 of them were recalled by manufacturers for safety reasons.
  • Defective nightlights can cause fires, burns and electrocutions.

(read full article on InterNACHI)

Lighting Quality

Efforts to enhance home energy efficiency have spurred a growth in a variety of alternative lighting sources that use less energy than conventional incandescent bulbs. With this improvement comes a greater variety of light quality, although this latter property has become obscured amidst the excitement generated by energy savings. How well do these new, “green” lighting sources actually render color to the human eye? They can illuminate a room at a lower cost, but is it necessary to forfeit the ability to tell whether your clothes match just to save money and energy? Many consumers and inspectors should be aware of a metric designed to quantify this aspect, known as the color rendering index, known as CRI. CRI is a measure of how well light sources render the colors of the things they illuminate, such as skin tones and fabrics…(read full article on InterNACHI)

Creating an outdoor oasis for your home

What makes outdoor living so appealing? Being outdoors allows for a connection with nature as well as allowing homeowners to fully enjoy all of their property. It can provide an environment promoting relaxation and comfort, and even extend the useable area of a home.

To make the most of those outdoor opportunities, creating an exterior oasis can be done with some forethought and a few crucial elements. One that is often overlooked, but can really make a difference, is screening. Mesh screening stapled to the underside of the deck (if this area can be accessed) will prevent bugs fr-om crawling up through the deck’s floor. Mosquito netting or other screening around the upper portion of the deck can also provide privacy, while serving double-duty as insect prevention. Since mosquitoes and other insects can really spoil cocktail hour, here are a couple of other tricks that may keep them at bay. Strategically placing waterproof fans on the deck or outdoor patio will ‘inhibit mosquitoes for a couple of reasons. The wind stirred up by fans may make it difficult for mosquitoes to smell humans as well as making it difficult for mosquitoes to fly and maneuver. Planting flowers and other plants that are known insect repellents can also help. Some 0f these plants include basil, marigolds and lemon grass.

Comfortable seating is important, including getting rid of rickety, plastic lawn chairs. Today’s outdoor furniture is designed to be attractive, easy to lounge in a_nd weather-resistant. Adding a fire-pit is almost guaranteed to draw attention and company. Cool fall nights are nights to look forward to when there is a warm fire glowing.

There are a number of home fixes that can make the interior of the home appear to extend seamlessly to the outside. One may be the installation of sliding glass or French doors, which allows for easy entrance to the outdoor realm, as well as allow site lines that beckon outside.
Another trick is to install matching flooring from inside to the outdoors. For example, the use of the same weatherproof flooring-such as stone tile­ outside as well as indoors will unify the two spaces.

While the sun and natural light will take care of daytime lighting needs, to keep the party going into the evening requires the help of some exterior lighting. In fact, when prospective buyers are queried about outdoor features, exterior lighting is one of the most frequently mentioned requirements. Adequate outdoor lighting makes outdoor areas safer, more accessible and allows for more outdoor living. Uplighting (a bulb or light set in a cylinder or container at ground level with a beam of light directed upwards) can be used to create focal points, highlighting trees or other outdoor details. From a practical standpoint, solar or other landscape lighting will illuminate walkways, railings, stairs and doors for safe and unrestricted movement. Scones or pendants can light up patio or deck areas used for entertaining
or grilling. And strings of lights add a sense of warmth and celebration to any evening.
Finally, in an electronic age, no outdoor area can be considered finished without accommodating the needs of texters and tablet-users. To keep everyone connected, online, wireless outdoor Wi-Fi antennas can provide an extra boost of service, and solar USB charging stations will ensure all devices -as well as their owners-remain charged up. While not overtaking the market for indoor flat screens, all-weather outdoor televisions keep the games on alongside the grill.

Could occupancy sensors help save you money?

Light bulb with dollarIndoor lighting occupancy sensors detect activity within an area. They turn lights on automatically when someone enters a room. They reduce lighting energy use by turning lights off soon after the last occupant has left the room. The sensors must be located where they will detect occupants or activity in all parts of the room.

There are two types of occupancy sensors: Ultrasonic sensors detect sound, while infrared sensors detect heat and motion. In addition to controlling ambient lighting in a room, they are useful for task lighting applications, such as over kitchen counters. In such applications, task lights are turned on by the motion of a person washing dishes, for instance, and automatically turn off a few minutes after the person stops.

Both are readily available online and at retail stores.