Green Homes Special Series: Part Four: Lighting

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This kitchen is illuminated by the LR6, a product of LED Lighting Fixtures (LLF) Inc. of Morrisville, N.C. (c) LLF Light from the Start Today’s residential lighting considerations go beyond decorative fixtures. Lighting influences our general well-being. It plays a role in our energy use and the greater U.S. demand for energy and its implications, and our choices may cause light pollution or add toxins to the environment. Lighting planning even includes control and maintenance decisions. Getting the best light starts in the design. Locating and designing a project properly can take advantage of free natural daylight, increase its impact throughout a home and reduce any potential for glare. Skylights, solar tubes, translucent room partitions and glass block walls or even varied interior wall heights can be ways to bring in the light. Windows with high-performance glazing can make the most of daylight and great outdoor views but need to be appropriately placed. “Window area and orientation are important factors,” says Jay Hall, acting director of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes program, which is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. “The goal is to have large enough windows to let in sunlight without affecting the heating or cooling load. Proper orientation with overhangs or roofs can allow in plenty of light in winter while controlling the light in summer.” This kitchen is illuminated by the LR6, a product of LED Lighting Fixtures (LLF) Inc. of Morrisville, N.C. (c) LLF Good planning also includes minimizing light coming from a home or property, according to the Lighting Research Center, a research and education organization devoted to lighting at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y. Low-reflecting surfaces and downward-directed lights are among ways to reduce the glow that ruins access to the night sky, light trespass on neighboring properties and glare affecting passersby. To keep occupants comfortable and safe, plan easy control over general, task and accent lighting with accessible switches and outlets and adjustable-height fixtures. Make life easier as you age by shielding light sources, reducing glare and providing greater contrast between transitional areas in your home. Light Sources The lighting marketplace is evolving. When making your lighting choices, match your light source with fixtures that will ensure they perform properly and for a long time. Determine the light level, uniformity and distribution of light as well as the color of light you want. Figure in ease of replacement, both in actual physical access and market availability. Here are some options. Incandescent lamp. Our major source of electric-powered light for more than a hundred years, it is basically a glass bulb filled with an inert gas that has a wire filament. Electric current is sent through the filament, which produces a high heat and some visible light. An incandescent’s typical life is 750 to 1,000 hours, however, it is inexpensive to buy. Under the 2008 Energy Bill, the inefficient incandescent will disappear by 2014. However, innovations are taking place. For example, GE Consumer & Industrial’s Lighting Division announced plans for a new high0efficiency incandescent to be introduced by 2010 with an ultimate target to be four times as efficient as current incandescents and with the same quality, brightness and color. Without good planning, light trespasses on neighboring properties and reduces access to the night sky. (c) Jennifer Brons, Lighting Research Center Compact Fluorescent Light or CFL. This light has an electronic or magnetic ballast and a tube coated on the inside with white phosphor and filled with gas, including mercury vapor. Electricity flows through the gas, produces ultraviolet light that excites the coating, which then emits visible light. Some, but not all, CFLs are Energy Star-rated, meaning that they are supposed to meet government standards. The major benefits of an Energy Star-rated CFL include using about 75 percent less energy than a standard incandescent and lasting up to 10 times longer, meaning a savings up to $35 in energy bills over its extended lifetime. Among downsides: its mercury content and need for proper disposal, some may not work with dimmer or three-way switches, they should not be used in colder or hotter temperatures than manufacturers’ range and may burn out prematurely if turned on and off frequently.

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