Positioning lights for a better ambience
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Various types of light sources make a room or a garden attractive and inviting. Planning for the right lighting scheme requires imagination and knowledge about light sources and fixtures.
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Lights add to the ambience of rooms.
Have you ever felt that the harsh lights in your living room need to be replaced with subdued lighting to improve the ambience? Are the high-voltage bulbs in the kitchen failing to illuminate the cooking area, while pushing up the power bill? Does the outdoor lighting leave a large part of your garden in the dark? Perhaps, it is time to consult a lighting designer.
Lighting design is the art of illuminating a space by merging functionality with technology and style. The challenge of a lighting designer is to develop solutions that achieve the best balance between general ambience and accommodation of the activities of people who use the space.
For most of us, lighting a room means installing a few ceiling fixtures and cabinet lights. However, lighting means more than just the use of attractive fixtures. There are various types of light sources that can make a room or a garden more attractive and inviting. Planning for the right lighting scheme requires some imagination and knowledge about light sources and fixtures.
Lighting sources
Incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lights constitute the two common lighting sources for domestic use. Each type can provide a certain type of light for specific lighting tasks. Although energy-efficient luminaries are more expensive, they help to cut back electricity consumption.
Incandescent bulbs are easy to install and inexpensive, but they have a shorter lifespan and consume more electricity. Fluorescent lights release a brighter and whiter light compared with incandescent bulbs. They are more expensive, but are energy-efficient and last up to 20 times longer than incandescent lights.
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) need 80 per cent less energy than what incandescent light bulbs consume. An incandescent bulb rated at 100 watts will produce 1,200 lumens (a lumen is a unit of light). A comparable compact fluorescent lamp will typically use only 20 watts of electricity to produce the same amount of light.
Another advantage of CFLs over other types of lighting is their long life span. Incandescent bulbs have a lifespan of approximately 1,000 hours, compared with between 8,000 and 15,000 hours for CFLs.
According to N. Krishnaswamy of the city-based Ananthapuri Electrical Engineers and Consultants, planning for a proper lighting system involves an assessment of the purpose for which the room is used and the required output. "For example, a CFL of 11 watts with a covered fitting to prevent theft would be ideal for the veranda where the light is left on for long hours. Indirect, subdued lighting would be better for the sit out to create a pleasant atmosphere. Glass fittings which result in glare are best avoided at the entrance to a house," he says.
A CFL lamp of 9 W will be enough for a bathroom, while the kitchen can do with two lights, one of the hanging type in the middle of the room and another fitted under the cabinet to light up the cooking area.
Dim light is preferable for bedrooms, with an additional lamp if the room is used for reading.
Tube lights constitute the ideal lighting solution for reading areas in the house. Though costlier, the ultra-thin T5 tubes are becoming popular for their power-saving features.
Need-based approach
"Most people tend to splurge on additional lights and plug sockets, without assessing their actual needs. Yet, they try to save money by choosing sub-standard fittings which fail to meet safety regulations," Mr. Krishnaswamy says.
The electrical code specifies ISI markings for pipes, wires, sockets, switches and ceiling roses.
Intelligent systems, which use a remote control unit to switch on the lights and other electrical equipment in your house, and sensor lights, which automatically switch off when nobody is in the room, have entered the market.
With so many types of bulbs and lighting fixtures available off the shelf, customers are truly spoilt for choice these days. But then, the use of light is no longer reduced to simple illumination purposes.
Concealed light sources or backlights installed behind curtains or furniture can be used to enhance the mood of a room or spotlight an artefact or painting.
While selection of quality lighting fixtures and bulbs is a given, placement of lighting equipment is equally critical for comfortable and effective illumination of the various tasks and functions of a space.
Outdoor lighting
People tend to think about outdoor lighting in strictly practical terms. Most houses have lights outside at the front and back doors and another one in the garage. But properly done outdoor lighting can enhance the beauty and charm of the garden or driveway and provide night time safety.
For outdoor lighting, the connectors, fittings and bulbs all have to be heavy duty, waterproof and weatherproof. Bollard lights, post-top lanterns, up-and-down lights and dome lights can be used to impart a special effect to a landscaped garden.
"Lighting designers are mostly consulted only at the fag end of the construction of a house. Ideally, it should happen when the building itself is designed so that the location of the fittings can be determined in advance," Mr. Krishnaswamy says.
T. NANDAKUMAR
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