The Low Down on Electricity:
Could you imagine what it would be like to live before electricity was ever discovered? Well, that was back in the 1700s, so probably not. Today has its perks; the conveniences that electricity has brought us are very beneficial. We have come a long way. For the last 300 years since this experimental discovery, we have made leaps and bounds toward incorporating that lightning into our homes.
We have lights at the flip of a switch. We have heating and cooling at the touch of a button. We can cook, eat and see the people we are conversing with when the sun goes down. It has undoubtedly made it easier to live in the 21st century. I could not imagine our lives without it over an extended period of time. Let alone trying to live your whole lifespan without electricity. Life is good with electricity, and so are the choices we have available to us today.
Improving Your Kitchen Lighting
Kitchen lighting is an essential aspect of planning or updating a home. Many meals and family gatherings happen there. Most kitchens are open concepts, except some are galley kitchens, some are large, and some are small, but the proper lighting is essential.
Whether you add pendant lights, surface lighting, cabinet lighting, or recessed lighting, it's all in the appropriate planning and placement that will change the whole atmosphere surrounding this area. Let's look at what each of these lights bring to the table.
Pendant Lighting:
Pendant lighting is lights that hang from the ceiling to bring stationary lighting to one area of the bar or island. Most homeowners will add more than one pendant light that hangs over the bar to create a balance across the surface area.
Surface Lighting:
Surface Light mounts right to the surface of the drywall ceiling. They are mainly used for lower structured ceilings. They can also be attached to a wall, primarily used like a sconce.
Cabinet Lighting:
Cabinet lighting can be used as a bonus to provide light for the countertops. Mounted mainly under your existing cabinets, this type of ambiance can help ensure that you have plenty of light to cut up those veggies on the countertop.
Recessed Lighting:
Recessed lights are mounted flush to the ceiling. Above all the open areas that need different luminaries, these lights can be added throughout the kitchen.
LED Lighting vs. Incandescent Bulbs & CFL
Not only are kitchen led lighting a vital decision to improve your kitchen's ambiance, but so is your choice of what kinds of bulbs each fixture may require. The advantages and disadvantages of using an LED Bulb vs. Incandescent or CFLs are as follows:
LED Bulbs
Most LED bulbs have a long life span, anywhere from 5 to 10 years. They have become more popular over the years because they are low maintenance and energy efficient. The advantage of using this bulb is thermal management, which keeps them cool. The disadvantage is it can cast shadows in certain areas that you may not want in some regions of the house.
Incandescent Bulbs
This bulb was first used in the late 1800s. So it has had a long run lighting the way through our homes and businesses. The federal government has mandated the phase-out and sale of incandescent and halogen bulbs as of August 1, 2023, unless you are in an area with restrictions. As of the beginning of 2023, the manufacturing of those bulbs will come to an end. This is the effort that the Biden administration has made toward the production of green energy. The healthier your home is, the healthier you will be.
CFL Bulbs
Those spiral-looking miniature fluorescent bulbs came in after incandescent bulbs were invented in 1976. These bulbs contain mercury and are a hazard to the environment. This bulb is another part of the phase-out process. They were once an improvement to being more energy efficient, but LED has now replaced these CFL bulbs.
Solar-Renewable-Green Energy
Electricity has always been there; it just took someone with a mastermind to discover it. The same is true for solar-renewable-green energy. In the early 1800s, another mastermind found that some materials absorb electrical currents when exposed to light.
This gentleman discovered that if he coated selenium with gold, it would produce a powerful force by taking light energy and turning it into a continuous electrical current. Moving forward about 100 years, in 1954, the solar cell was efficient enough to be used commercially.
Today, we are rapidly moving forward in the race to reduce our carbon footprint with solar panels for your home. Most experts say solar is the way to go. This type of renewable energy takes light energy from the sun. It converts it to an electrical current for your home to provide a healthier environment for future generations.
The federal government wants to move us toward a healthier, greener environment while pushing consumers to buy LED bulbs instead of Incandescent or CFL. Our dependence on energy consumption will be reduced significantly once these processes start taking place. Taking the steps toward a better healthy environment will guarantee that the next generations won't be left in the dark.
Licensed Electrical Professionals
For the most part, improving or updating your kitchen lighting and design may require the expertise of electricians in Fort Worth. If you have been shocked before, you will know why it's best to let a licensed electrician to handle the job.
Most company websites will have more information about booking an appointment or getting an estimate online, so now that you have the low-down lesson on how electricity and solar energy were discovered and tips to improve your kitchen lighting. Don't hesitate to get in touch with the professionals; don't try to rewire or replace any electrical lighting component without talking with an expert; it can be dangerous or deadly. Think Safety First.
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