Low Voltage Lighting Ideas For Your Home

The versatility of low voltage lighting technology makes it an attractive choice for home designers and energy conscious homeowners.

Low voltage lights are generally quite easy to conceal and can accommodate all home lighting needs such as general, task and specific lighting.

Below will we look at some of the ways that you can use energy saving light bulbs throughout your home, and which type of technology would be best suited to your particular needs.

It is important to remember though, that if you are thinking of installing low power lights throughout your home, that you may have to use a variety of different types of bulbs.

Furthermore, if you are replacing your existing home lighting equipment primarily for the purpose of reducing your electricity bills, then you may have to make a comprise between the type of atmosphere you would like to create and how much you are willing to pay for a particular bulb.

For example, LED lights are an excellent alternative to halogen-tungsten lights if you plan on using them as spotlights. They are extremely energy efficient, although at present they are still quite expensive to buy.

So if energy efficiency is your prime concern, then LED lights would be a good option to go for. But if the cost of the bulb is your prime concern, then you would be better off going with halogen lights because at present, the amount of electricity that you would save from using LED bulbs will not cover the cost of the bulb which therefore doesn’t make LED replacement bulbs cost effective to buy.

Of course, prices change all the time, so it is important that you check the relative prices of LED and halogen light bulbs to determine whether you would benefit financially from purchasing LED lights.

Ok, so lets now move on to looking at where low voltage lights can be used in your home with some energy efficient home lighting ideas.

Hallway & Staircase Lights

The hallway and staircase should be well lit, and so require an adequate amount of general lighting. The basic purpose of any hallway or staircase lights that you install, should be to provide enough light to sufficiently illuminate the hallway or staircase area but not necessarily draw attention to any particular feature.

This can be quite effectively done using energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs and a hanging ceiling lights fixture.

A single 20 watt fluorescent bulb for example, can provide enough light for an entire staircase. For hallways, a single light bulb may also be sufficient, although you may wish to use a ceiling light chandelier with several light bulbs for a more regal looking appearance.

If there are features within the hall that you would like to highlight, such as a statue, a piece or artwork or a plant, then you could use a spotlight or downlight to provide specific lighting with a halogen-tungsten or LED bulb.

The advantage of using spotlights is that they can be easily repositioned and so the light can be directed as you please. With recessed downlights, the lighting fixture itself is far less intrusive as it is hidden into the ceiling which can help to give a room a more spacious and modern feel to it. But the downside, is that you can’t reposition the light once it has been put into place.

An alternative to using ceiling lights for your staircase, is to use floor lights with halogen or LED light bulbs. These can look extremely stylish and will give your home an almost futuristic look to it.

Bathroom Lighting

Bathroom lighting benefits from a good amount of general lighting. This can be provided by downlights or a hanging ceiling lamp with an energy saver bulb.

Spotlights can be used, although due to the small size of most bathrooms they tend not to be the best bathroom lighting fixture to use as they are better suited to larger and more open areas.

If you have a choice between using downlights or a bathroom ceiling light, then you may want to seriously consider using bathroom downlights instead. The reason for this is that in a bathroom you are likely to have many reflective surfaces such as mirrors, wall tiles and glass from your shower enclosure.

A problem that can occur when using hanging lighting fixtures inside a bathroom, is that the light will then be reflected off these reflective surfaces which can then interfere with your bathroom activities as you may end up having light that is constantly shining in your face. Halogen bathroom downlights however, largely help to eliminate this problem whilst still providing an adequate amount of general lighting.

Your other concern for bathroom lighting should be for specific or task lighting. You are likely for example, to require bathroom mirror lights in addition to lighting for any cabinets that you have.

Generally, this is best achieved using halogen downlights, although it may be possible to position a small fluorescent tube above your mirror, such as above a shaving mirror, or inside a bathroom cabinet.

If you require lighting for your shower or bath, this again is usually best achieved with halogen downlights that are positioned above or near your bath or shower.

Safety

An important consideration to make when using bathroom lighting is safety. Depending on how near a light is to a source of water will determine its safety rating.

The closer a light is to water, the lower a safety rating it will have. This rating will vary depending on your own countries regulations, and may influence your overall lighting design.

Kitchen Lighting

When it comes to kitchen lighting, your primary concern should be to provide an adequate amount of light so that you can eat and move around with good visibility.

Energy efficient kitchen lighting can be achieved with well positioned wide beamed halogen or LED downlighters, or with hanging ceiling lights that house compact fluorescent bulbs.

You may also be able to use fluorescent tubes in your kitchen if you have enough ceiling space. These are capable of illuminating a large area, although they are not necessarily the most attractive lighting fixture to have as the tubes themselves are very large and tend to be housed in bulky lighting fixtures.

Task lighting can be used underneath wall mounted cupboards with undershelf lighting to illuminate the work area beneath it.

This is best done with fluorescent tube lighting, as the tube and its fixture can be quite easily concealed underneath wall mounted kitchen cabinets. Fluorescent tubes are very suited to this purpose due to their long length which provides an equal amount of light along the worksurface below it.

Specific lighting may also be used should you wish to draw attention to particular features within the kitchen. Halogen or LED downlights or spotlights for example, can be used quite effectively for this purpose.

Dining Room

A dining room will benefit from well placed general lighting in combination with specific lighting to create a relaxing atmosphere in which you can enjoy your meal.

Generally, a chandelier with lamp shades that direct light upwards toward the ceiling is the best option for illuminating a dining room as this prevents light from shining in your face while you are eating and interfering with your meal.

If you require more light to be directed towards the table, then pendant lighting may be a more suitable option as this will direct light downwards without too much light going into your face. To emphasise the table within the room, you could then use shaded ceiling uplights to provide a gentle and subtle level of background light.

If there are specific areas of the room that you wish to highlight, strategically positioned halogen downlights can do this discretely and in some cases, standing lights may be appropriate.

A dimmer switch can be an excellent choice for dining room lighting as it will give you much greater control as to the type of atmosphere that you are able to create. This can be especially useful if you regularly host guests for dinner parties, as it can help to create a relaxing and sophisticated feel to the room.

Living Room

The living room is where people spend most of their time, and so this room will most likely require a mixture of light fittings.

General lighting can be provided by wide beamed downlighters, ceiling uplights or hanging compact fluorescent bulbs from ceiling or wall lights.

There may be features within this room that you would like to highlight, so specific lighting, provided by directional spotlights fixed or downlighters, may be needed.

If there are activities you do in the living room which require a greater amount of light such as reading or sewing, then task lighting provided by standing lamps should also be used.

Overall, you need to consider what you use your living room for the most and then try to find the most appropriate light fittings to meet those needs.

For example, as you will probably be using your living room for watching TV and movies, you need to be able to have some way of reducing or dimming the overall level of illumination in the room.

There are several ways that you can do this. One of the simplest is to use a dimmer switch that will allow you to dim your main ceiling or wall lights.

An alternative option is to have different sets of lights, some of which you can leave on, such as wall lights or a table lamp, and some that you can switch off such as your main hanging ceiling lights.

It is also worth paying close attention to where you position your lights, as lights positioned in front of a TV will cause a reflection on the screen which is likely to disrupt your viewing experience. Likewise, if you are placing mirrors or glass cabinets in your living room, be aware of any reflections that they cause which could disturb you.

Bedroom Lighting

A bedroom can be adequately lit with 1-2 centrally placed ceiling mounted compact fluorescent bulbs. An alternative to this is to use halogen or LED downlighters.

Overall, your aim for bedroom lighting should be to provide a versatile mixture of light fixings that can accommodate a wide variety of bedroom needs. So in addition to general lighting, you will also require task lighting such by installing a desk light, bedside reading light, table lamp or floor standing lamp.

To help create a more relaxing atmosphere in your bedroom, it may be worth considering using dimmer switches in order to control the intensity of the light that you have in your room. This can be useful for example, if you want to have a romantic night in with your partner, or if you wish to dim the room in order to watch TV or a movie.

Finally, if your bedroom tends to get hot during the summer, then it might be worth installing a ceiling mounted fan light to help keep your room cool at night.