Residential Lighting

Residential Lighting Supply

For your next home lighting project, turn to the experts at Lightingandsupplies.com for some of the best residential lighting fixtures on the market. These fixtures all use the latest in LED, fluorescent or induction lighting technologies, featuring superior illumination, long lamp life, and substantial energy savings compared to conventional lighting methods.

3 Basic Types of Lighting

Proper lighting can have a significant impact on how you feel in a space, and each space may call for a variety of different lighting requirements. A good lighting setup combines different kinds of lighting to create a welcoming space where you can easily work or relax. There are three basic types of lighting you should layer in a room in order to accomplish this:

Ambient/General Lighting

Ambient or general lighting is a necessary part of any good lighting plan because it provides an overall glow to a room. In addition to setting the tone for the space, ambient lighting creates enough light for you to see and move around comfortably and safely. In some cases, it can also double as task lighting.Ambient lighting is usually created using overhead fixtures like recessed pot lights, track lights, chandeliers and other ceiling lamps, or stand alone fixtures like floor and table lamps.

 

Accent Lighting

By design, accent lighting creates a focal point. It builds upon the ambient lighting of a room by adding dimension, and can be used to draw attention to a feature, like a piece of artwork or a plant, or to highlight a unique design element, like wall texture or decorative coving.

 

To add drama and effectively draw the eye, accent lighting should direct at least three times as much light towards the focal point compared to the rest of the room. When done well, accent lighting draws your attention to the object or feature without drawing your attention to how it’s being lit. This is usually accomplished through track and recessed lighting or wall-mounted fixtures, like picture lights and sconces, which can be angled and directed to create a spotlight.

When lighting artwork, it’s best to use LEDs. They don’t emit UV light and give off almost no heat, ensuring your painting or photography doesn’t get damaged over time. Browse our selection of LEDs to find a bulb that will safely light your artwork.

Task Lighting

Task lighting is intended to help you accomplish – you guessed it – a task! This type of lighting is localized and can be provided by a variety of different sources, allowing you the option to adjust the lighting for a work space or chosen area and brighten or darken it in order to suit your needs. Effective task lighting needs to reduce glare and should be bright enough to prevent eye strain, making it ideal for activities like, reading, cooking, crafts and hobbies, studying and work.

 

There are a variety of factors that go into selecting the right task lighting, including what activity or work you need it for, and even your age. As a person gets older, they require more light and become more sensitive to glare, making good quality task lighting even more important. Depending on these factors, a good task light should provide about 269 to 1076 lumens, or 40 to 100 watts, to a workspace.

Task lighting can be created using a variety of light sources, including overhead sources like recessed or track lighting, as well as desk or task lamps. Task lamps should be adjustable or angled down to keep the light on the task and out of your eyes. They should also be placed to the side of your work to reduce glare and limit shadows.

Halogen bulbs work well for task lighting because they produce a white light similar to daylight and use less energy than incandescent bulbs. Find a halogen bulb.

LED bulbs are another good choice because they produce a direct, bright light that won’t get hot when you’re working for long periods of time. Shop our selection of LED and LED filament bulbs.

 

Overhead Ceiling Light Fixtures

Flush Mounts

Flush mounts are generally used in rooms with lower ceilings, smaller rooms, or where you don’t want to make a big statement with a chandelier.

 

Chandeliers

Chandeliers are statement fixtures that hang down from the ceiling. They  are often used over dining tables, in larger living rooms, or entryways and large foyers.

 

Pendants

Pendants are similar to chandeliers in that they hang down from the ceiling, but they are a smaller scale and usually have just one lightbulb. You’ll often see pendants over islands. Because they’re smaller scale, they are often hung in groups such as 2 or 3.

 

Determining the Size of Light Fixtures Needed

When deciding what light fixture to get, you need to first consider size. You want a fixture that is big enough for your space that doesn’t look proportionally small.

For ambient lighting, measure the length and width of the room. Then add them together and convert to inches, and that’s the ideal size for a light fixture.  For example, an 18-inch wide fixture would be ideal for an 8x10 foot room.

When figuring out the properly sized pendant for your kitchen island, measure the length of your island. Then, decide if you like the look of 2 or 3 pendants. If you go with 3 pendants, the pendant size can be smaller, but if you go with 2 pendants, they should be more oversized. After measuring the island, take into account the amount of space needed between each pendant. A good rule of thumb is to space pendants about 30 inches apart. Then you can go from there and calculate what size of pendants would fit above your island, leaving 6 inches of clearance on both ends of the island so no pendant hangs over the edge.

For dining room lights, look for chandeliers that are about ⅔ the size of your dining room table for a proportionate size.

 

 

Eligible Residential Fixture Types - Rebates

ENERGY STAR has put together their list of high-performing residential lighting products in the categories below are eligible for ENERGY STAR qualification.

Indoor:

• accent lights including
• bath vanity
• cove lighting
• ceiling and close-to-ceiling mount (ceiling fan light kits)
• chandeliers
• decorative pendants
• linear strips
• recessed down lights including retrofit kits
• undercabinet task lights
• wall sconces
• wrapped lens
• ventilation fan lights
• portable luminaires
• includes portable desk task lights
• includes portable floor task lights
• includes table lamps and floor lamps
• includes torchieres