Indoor Lighting
Indoor Lighting
Lighting is an often overlooked item that has a significant impact on the overall look and feel of a room. Insufficient light can make an otherwise bright and cheery space seem dull and dreary. With LED technology and the emergence of specialty lighting suppliers, the possibilities are endless. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, give us a call! We have extensive experience in lighting layout and can help guide you through the process to create the lighting of your dreams.
Our electricians are happy to spend time with you discussing lighting layout, dimming options, colour temperature, and the differences between LED and incandescent/fluorescent lights. We keep samples of LED pot lights, LED under-cabinet lighting, and many other types of lights on all our trucks to demonstrate the pros and cons of each.
Things to Consider:
- How much light will you need? Are there many windows in the room?
- How high are the ceilings? Will the light fixtures hang down low or would pot lights work best?
- Is the purpose of the light fixture to provide ambience, or is it more functional lighting?
- Does the light need to be dimmed (for example, a kitchen or dining area), or is the full brightness of the light required (for example, a storage room or garage).
- Do you want your lighting automated?
- Will you need a fan/cooling system as well?
Under-Cabinet and Accent Lighting:
LED strip lighting is a very efficient yet bright way to illuminate work surfaces or highlight features in your home. At less than ¼” depth, the strip lights can be installed underneath cabinets or in feature walls so they are almost completely hidden. The light they cast is a great way to add ambience and warm up a room, but is also very effective for task lighting and illuminating work surfaces.
Most high quality LED strip lights are dimmable and can be fully adjusted depending on your needs.
This house was designed by Madison Taylor design and Amp Champ did all the electrical work for this custom home. These beautiful light fixtures really added to the design of the house.
Beautiful accent lighting with strip lights
Potlights
Pot lights, or flush mounted fixtures, are a great option in any room and are especially effective in areas with lower than normal ceilings (for example basements). LED technology has come a long way, and the pot lights being produced today are extremely bright and energy efficient at about 8 watts per light.
Other benefits of LED lights are that they produce very little heat, have very long lasting life span (about 50, 000 hours!), and their lumen output is very high. Amp Champ uses high quality LED pot lights that can be installed in nearly any ceiling surface and have a full range of dimming. LED pot lights come in a wide variety of trim colors and designs and are rated for high moisture areas like showers, bathrooms and exterior soffit.
Traditional light fixtures:
When you want to make a statement, chandeliers, hanging pendants, and ceiling fan/light combinations are the way to go. We can install a standard junction box that provides sufficient mounting strength to handle whatever fixture you want installed. Do you have a Great Room with cathedral ceilings? No problem! We can assemble scaffolding in your home to reach even the highest ceilings to hang any type of fixture. Our electricians will take great care in moving furniture, laying down protective floor coverings, and assembling/disassembling the scaffold in a safe and efficient manner. No job is too high!
A word of caution…
The world of interior lighting is endless, and only you know your style and taste. That’s why we ask that you provide your own fixtures when you’re ready to install new hanging lights. What looks like a beautiful light fixture to us might not look so great to you!
You can find great lighting at interior design stores, big box stores, local retailers, designer boutiques, and even online stores. Here are some important reminders:
Every electrical appliance requires a CSA or ULC sticker that ensures the fixture meets the standards set out by Canadian authorities. In some cases, online retailers or specialty lighting stores have been known to supply lights that have not gone through the rigorous testing that each CSA certification demands. These fixtures are not guaranteed to work properly or be safe, and because of that we are legally obligated to refuse to install these types of fixtures. So, for your own safety check for the CSA logo before you buy!
Lighting Design Help
If you’re really stuck with your lighting design, we recommend Suze Interiors. We have been privileged to work with her clients on installing fixtures that she has recommended, and the result was stunning every time! Find out more through her website: www.suzeinteriors.ca.
For more information on how to find the right lights for you, follow this link: http://www.lumens.com/how-tos-and-advice/how-to-choose-the-right-size-ceiling-light.html