Friday, October 17, 2014

Electrical Projects: Using Alcove Lighting

 Alcove lighting can remodel your home without decimating your budget.  First off, let's look at lighting choices.

Types of Alcove Lighting

Install alcove lighting | (480) 926-1033
Install alcove lighting | (480) 926-1033
In our last article, we covered swimming pool lights.
As your electrician in Ahwatukee, however, we feel that some areas of the home can also do with a bit of electrical remodeling. One area that is a good way to remodel is to do alcove lighting. There are two types of alcove lighting, incandescent bulbs and LED.  While CFL bulbs are around, they look odd in accent lighting.  After all, unless you get the bulb variety, a CFL bulb looks rather like a soft-serve ice cream cone.  LED lighting has the advantage that you can save a bit of money on your electric bill and they last for anywhere between 3 and 5 years.  LED light, however, can often be a bit bright for an alcove  unless you get a lower wattage.
Like LED bulbs, if you wish to use incandescent bulbs in an alcove, you also want to use lower wattage. Remember, an alcove is essentially accent lighting. You want to highlight a feature of a room, not overpower the room, which leads us to our next point: using colored lights.

Less is More with Alcove Lighting

Remember, where alcove lighting is concerned, less is more. You don't want your alcove to be overpowering. If you want to use colored lights, just remember that if you're not careful, too many colors in an alcove will look garish and unsettling. Avoid color-changing LED lights. You want a nice alcove, not a circus tent. If you're going to use colored lights in your alcove, use either a neutral color or a complementary color. Sepia and amber light look good almost everywhere, red, green, blue and purple, not as much.
Another thing to consider with this wiring project is the advice of a professional. You want to make sure that you get the right type of recessed lighting for your alcove. You want to make sure that it is compatible with your current electrical wiring as well as practical concerns such as whether or not it will melt with high watt lights. Some plastic light fixtures can warp with even the heat of a light bulb. The bottom line of lighting is that you want to use lights that are below 60 watts. You want your lights to accentuate not be too bright to see. When you're ready to install your lighting, be sure to call an electrician in Ahwatukee.
Alcove lighting is only one type of lighting that you can play when you're designing your living room lighting.
Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033
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