Home Lighting Design Guide Pocket Book

How does light help us see? Lighting Options. What is efficiency? How to choose light fixtures. Design Principles & Examples. Design checklist ... Skiptomaincontent Skipto"Aboutgovernment" HomeLightingDesignGuidePocketBook EnergyEfficiencyReferenceGuide TableofContents PDFVersion(339KB) Introduction Howdoeslighthelpussee? LightingOptions Whatisefficiency? Howtochooselightfixtures DesignPrinciples&Examples Designchecklist Entrywayandhallway Livingroom Diningroom Kitchen Bedroom Bathroom Family/greatroom Homeoffice Stairwells Garage Laundryroom Exteriordeck Landscape Tentipsforlightingyourhome 1.Introduction Goodlightingcanmakeourhomescomfortable,functionalandfunplacestobe,whereartandarchitecturelookgreatandfriendsandfamilylovetovisit.Ourlightingcanbebotheffectiveandefficient.Effectivesoitcanevokeamood,lightataskorprovidesecurity.Efficientsowecanusetheleastamountofenergyandstillgettheeffectswewant.Effectiveandefficientresidentiallightingrequiresamixofartisticandscientificskills. So,whatmakesaroomcomfortable,ahomeinvitingoralandscapeinteresting?Howdoeslightaffectcolour?Whattypesoffixturesareusedforwhichareas?Howdoyoudetermineenergyefficiencyandthecostsassociatedwithvarioustypesoflighting?Whatareallthequestionsthatneedtobeansweredtocreategoodhomelighting? ThisHomeLightingDesignGuidePocketBookisanupdatedsummaryofthepreviouslypublishedHomeLightingDesignGuide(alsoavailablefromCEATI)andisintendedasahandyresourceforhomeowners,buildersanddesigners.Itanswerscommonlightingquestionsandincorporatesprovendesigntechniqueswithenergyefficiencyopportunitiesthroughoutallareasofatypicalhome. Howdoeslighthelpussee? Thefourprimaryfactorsthatinfluenceourabilitytoseeclearlyaresize,luminance,timeandcontrast.Everyone'svisionchangesdifferentlyovertime,buthereareafewgeneralguidelines.Asweage,oureyesneedlargertypeforreading,soadjustmentsshouldbemadetoaccommodatethiswhetherwhenreadingabookorusingacomputer. Additionallight(luminance)isalsorequiredtocompensateforlossesthatoccurintheocularsystem.Werequireasmuchasdoublethelightbyage50aswedidat20.Timealsoplaysaroleinvision;forexample,whendrivingwehavealimitedtimetofocusonanobjectandhaveitregistertoseeproperly.Asweage,thistimeittakestofocusisincreased.Finally,thecontrastbetweentheobjectwearefocusingonandtheimmediatebackgroundallowustoseemuchbetter,andthiscontrastbecomesmoreimportantwithage.Wealsobecomemoresusceptibletoglare,soweneedtheextralighttobediffused,andcaremustbetakentoensurethesourceisdirectlyshieldedfromoureyes. 2.LightingOptions Wegenerallyusetheterms'lamp'or'source'foralltypesoflight-emittingproductsusedinlightfixturestoproducethelightweneed.Everylamphasavarietyofcharacteristicsthathelpdetermineitsmostappropriateapplication.Avarietyoflamptypesareavailableforresidentialapplications.Themostcommonareincandescentandfluorescent,withlight-emittingdiodes(LEDs)nowbeginningtopermeatethemarket. Thefollowingtableisaquickreferenceofthemostcommonlamptypes,comparingtheirenergyuse,colourrendering,life,andwheretheyaretypicallyused.(Note:Duetorapidlightingtechnologychanges,thereadershouldconfirmthelatestdatafromsuppliers.) CommonLampTypes LightSource EnergyUse ColourRenderingIndex(CRI) Life(Hrs) Application LED Low 70+ 50,000 Accent,Task,Decorative CompactFluorescent(CFL) Medium 80 10,000 Ambient,Task LinearFluorescent Medium 80 20,000 Ambient,Task StandardIncandescent High 100 1,000 Task,Accent,Decorative HalogenIncandescent High 100 4,000 Accent,Task Whatisefficiency? Efficiencyinlightfixturesisameasureofhowmuchlightescapesthefixtureversushowmuchlightisproducedbythesource.Forexample,ifabarecompactfluorescentsourceprovides1000lumensbut,wheninstalledinafixture,only600lumensescape,thefixtureis60%efficient.Significantvariationscanexistfromdifferentmanufacturersandwithineachlightsource. Consequently,itisagoodideatolookfortheENERGYSTAR®symbol.LightingfixturesthathaveearnedtheENERGYSTARmarkcombinehighperformance,qualityandthehighestlevelsofenergyefficiency,sotheyhelpsaveenergy,savemoneyonutilitybills,andprotecttheenvironment. Itisalsoworthlearninghowtocalculatethecostoflightinginordertocomparevariousoptionseconomically.Youneedtoknowthreethingstodothis: Powerofthesource,inkilowatts(kW)¹. Lengthoftimethesourceoperates,inhours(h). Utilityrate,incents(¢)perkWh. Annualcost=kW×annualoperatinghours×utilityrate ¹1kilowatt=1000watts Eventhoughyourutilityrateisfixed,youcanimproveyourlightingefficiencybydeterminingthelumensrequiredandchoosinganenergy-efficientlampreplacement. Howtochooselightfixtures Inmanycases,afixtureischosensimplybecauseitlooksattractive.However,ifitisveryinefficientordoesnotdirectthelightwhereitisrequired,itisnotthebestchoice. Lightfixturesallowustocontrolglare,directlightwherewewantit,provideaplaceforballastsandtransformersandprovideattractiveaesthetics. Anotherimportantconsiderationwhenchoosinglightfixturesisthecolourproduced.TheColourRenderingIndex(CRI)isascale,from0to100,whichdescribeshowwellcoloursarerenderedunderaparticularlightsource. TheCorrelatedColourTemperature(CCT)ofalampdescribesthemoodcreatedbythelighting–howwarmorcoolthespacefeels.WeusetheKelvintemperaturescaletoratelightsources;thehighertheKelvinnumber,thecoolerthelightsource. Addtothisawidechoiceofcolours,finishes,locationsandtypes,andtheselectioncanbeoverwhelming.Itisusefultosortfixturesintothegeneraltypecategoriesofsurface,pendant,recessed,track,portable,landscapeandfiberoptic.   Surfacemountedfixturesareexposed,butremaincloseto-orflushwith-theceilingorwallandarepopularinhallwaysandbedrooms.     Pendantfixturesaresuspendedbyacord,chain,cableorothermeansandarepopularovertables,kitchenislandsandinhigher-ceilingareas.     Recessedlighting,usuallyintheformofdownlights(orpotlights),istypicallyfoundwithinaceilingcavity.Recessedlightingcanbeusedinvirtuallyeveryroominthehome;however,itshouldnotbeusedtoprovideallthelayersoflightrequiredinadesign.     Tracklightinganswerstheneedforflexibilityinlocation,quantityandaimingangles.Tracklightinghasbecomemuchmoresophisticatedinfunctionandappearance,withmultiplecircuitsandvoltages,finishes,coloursandstylesandcanbesurfacemountedonwallsorceilingsorsuspended.     Portablefixturesaredefinedtypicallybytheircord,whichcanbepluggedintoanyavailableelectricaloutlet.Deskandbedlights,polelights,torchieresandsomepicturelightsfallintothiscategory.     Landscapelightingreferstooutdoor-ratedfixtures,usedtoaccenttrees,walkwaysandflowergardensandoftenincludesdecklighting.     Fiberopticlampsprovidethin,clearfibers,whichemitcolour-changinglightouttheends.Thefiberscarryonlylight-noelectricity-sotheyarecompletelysafeinanylocation.   3.DesignPrinciples&Examples Thissectionbringstogetherthevariousdesignprinciplesandtechniquestoprovideapracticalapproachtoefficientandeffectivelightingforthehome. Efficientandeffectivelightingdesignmeansusingthemostefficientsourceswiththerequiredcontrolsthatwillsupplythelightinglayoutdesired. Whenconsideringalightinglayout,itisagoodideatofocusfirstonpeople,thenarchitecture,thenart.Noneisexcluded,butlightingahomeisprimarilyforpeople–toenhancetheircomfortandcommunication,aswellastofacilitatethedailytasksofeatingandworking. Inhomelightingdesign,lightlayeringusesfourprimarylayersoflight–ambient,task,accentanddecorative–andtherearesomecommontechniquesthatsupplementandenhancelightlayering,suchasgrazing,silhouetteandwallwashing. Partofthedesignprocessinvolvescontrollingthefixturesinanintuitiveandappropriateway.Thebestwaytodothisistovisualizethespaceasyoucarryoutday-to-daytasks.Whateventstakeplacewhenyouparkinthegarageandcomeinwithgroceries?Wherewouldyouliketheswitchestobe?Whichlightfixtureswouldyoulikethemtocontrol?Whenyouhavecompanyoverfordinnerandwanttocreateanintimateatmosphere,whichfixtureswouldyouliketobeabletodim? Ofcourse,itisessentialtomeetallapplicablecodesandregulationswheninstallingorupgradingalightingsystem.Allelectricaldevicesmustbeapproved,asindicatedbyaCSAorcULstamporsticker.Checkwiththelocalelectricalproviderfordetailsregardingcode,permitandinspectionrequirements. Thefollowingprovidesabriefdescriptionofthevarioustechniquesneededforaneffectivelightingdesign. Ambientlightissoft,diffuselightthatfillsaroom,reducesshadowsandcreatesasenseofopennessandcomfort. Tasklightingprovidesadditionallighttocarryoutaparticularjob. Accentlightingrequiresanunderstandingofwhereitemsmightbeplacedthatdeserveparticularattention,suchaspaintings,photographs,flowerarrangements,artpiecesorarchitecturaldetails. Decorativefixturesareoftenmeanttolookattractiveratherthanprovidemuchusefullight.Wallsconcesandchandeliersarethetwomostcommondecorativeproducts. Wallwashingputslightwhereweseeitbest–straightaheadonthewalls–andisagreatmethodofcreatingsoftambientlight. Silhouetteaspecialobjectinanalcovebyshininglightonthewallbehind.Thiscancreateinterestandprovidedrama. Grazingisamethodofhighlightingwalltexturebypassinganarrowbeamoflightfromtoptobottom. Dimmersorswitchesshouldbeusedforeachlayeroflight.Three-wayswitchesallowcontroloflightsfromtwolocations,ausefulapproachinroomswithmultipleentrypoints.Considerdimmerstoextendthelifeoflampsandgenerateenergysavings. Motiondetectorscandetectthemovementofheatsourcessuchasourbodies.Theseprovideconvenienceandenergysavingsandworkwellinlocationssuchasgarages,storageroomsandplayrooms,aswellasoutsidetodiscouragetrespassing,vandalismandtheft. Photocellscontrolafixturesothatitturnsonwithdarknessandoffwithlight.Motiondetectorscanbecombinedwithphotocellstoprovidebestofsecurityandenergysavings. Whole-housecontrolsareavailable,butduetotheircomplexity,agreatdealofresearchisrequiredtoensurethechosensystemiseasytouse,effective,expandableifrequiredandfunctionsasdesired. Designchecklist Younowhaveacollectionoftools(sourcesandfixtures)andtechniques(ambientvs.tasklighting,dimmersandswitches,etc.)toworkwith,andyouwanttoapplythesetoyourhome.Onaroom-by-room,space-by-spacebasis,answerthefollowingquestionstohelpthinkthroughthestepsandprepareasketchforeachroom. Makesomebasicnotesforeachroom. Whatarethecoloursandfinishestobeused? Whatfurniturewillbeadded,andwhere? Whatisthesize,shape,andceilingheight? Whattaskswillbecarriedoutintheroom? Whatverticalsurfacescanbewashedwithlighttoprovidesofter,diffuseoveralllight? Doestheroomneedlightingdesign,orisasimpleutilityfixtureadequate? Choosedecorativefixturesthatblendwiththecolours,finishesandarchitecture.Sometimes,there'snootherwaytodeterminethis,buttoactuallypurchaseoneandplaceitinthespace. Addtasklightingasrequired,referringtothelistoftasksyoumadeabove.Makesurethatthesourcedoesnotshinedirectlyinyoureyeswhenworkingonthetask.Becarefulnottocreatereflectedglareoffshinysurfaces. Iftherearepictures,art,antiques,orotherobjectsworthaccenting,addlightinginthoselocations.Again,visualizeyourselfwalkingthroughthespaceandmakesureyoucanneverlookdirectlyintothesource.Ifthefeaturewillbepermanent,chooseaimablerecessedlighting.Ifalotofflexibilityisrequired,considertrack,railorcablelighting. Decidehowtoachieveatleastsomeambientlightintheroom,consideringindirectordirect/indirectfixtures.Thiscanbedonethroughhiddencoves,bylocatinglightsabovefurnitureorcupboardsorwithportabletorchieresandfixtures. Makesureeachlayeriscontrolledseparately.Visualizeyourselfwalkingthroughtheroomfromeveryentrypointtoensurethecontrolsarecomfortableandconvenientforday-to-dayuse.Isaswitchedfloororwallreceptacleagoodoptionforportablefixturesinthisspace? UsingtheDesignChecklist,considerthefollowingkeyideasforeachpartofyourhome;thesamplefloorplansandpicturesmayhelpinspireideasofyourown. Note:Theimagesdonotfullyreflecttheschematicsandareusedsimplytoshowvariouslightingoptions. Entrywayandhallway Avoidusingonlypotlights,whichcanshadow. Provideaccentlightingonartorpictures. Tracklightingoraimabledownlightscanprovidebothaccentandambientwallwash. Useadecorativependantorwallsconcenearthedoortocreateawelcomingatmosphere. Ensureaccesstoswitchesfrommultiplelocations. Useefficientsources,astheselightsareoftenonforlongerperiodsoftime. Tracklightsordownlights Livingroom Createflexibilitythroughportablelighting. Providegoodambient/indirectlighting. Makesureglareiscontrolledforcomfortablereading. Useswitchedreceptaclestointegratefluorescenttorchieres. Accentlightingshouldbeusedinsomelocationstocreatevariousscenesandanintimateatmosphere. Downlightsandwallsconces,plusportablelamps Multiplefixturetypesinoneroomallowforflexibility.Wallsconcescanprovideeffectiveambientlightifdirectedup.Portablelampsarealwaysagoodoptionforlivingrooms.Also,considermatchingwallsconcesandpendants Photocourtesy:RandallWhitehead,KichlerLighting   Diningroom Separatethecontrolofmultiplelayerstocreatevariousmoods. Don'trelyonachandeliertoprovideallthelight;supplementwithdownlightsandsconces. Aimdownlightstowardwallstocreateambientlight. Providedimmingcontrolstoenhanceanintimateatmosphereandallowflexibility. Downlights,pendantsandwallsconces Chandeliersaredecorativeandshouldbekeptrelativelydim.Supplementwithdownlights.Mostofthelightonthistableisfromtherecesseddownlights,notthechandelier.Also,rememberthatportablelightscantakemanyformsandwillenhancetheatmosphereofmostrooms. Photocourtesy:JunoLighting   Kitchen Avoidtracklightinginfavourofmultiplelayerswithseparatecontrols. Addlightwhereneededformealpreparationwithtasklightsunderthefrontofcabinets. Washlightdowncabinetstobringoutcoloursandwoodgrains. Kitchenlightsareonalot,soenergy-efficientchoicesareparticularlyimportant. Recesseddownlightsandunder-cabinetlamps Largerpendantfixturescanbeanattractivefocalpoint,whileaskylight,finishedwithasoftdiffuser,bringswelcomedaylightintoakitchen.Usingnoelectricity,skylightsusethemostefficientlightsource-thesun! Photocourtesy:KichlerLighting,Sunscope   Bedroom Createambientlightbywashingwallswithdownlightsorwithsurfaceorpendantfixtures. Provideglarecontrolforreading. Ifusingasinglefixture,considerapendantwithbothuplightanddownlight. Putclosetlightsdirectlyabovethedoorframe. Chooseefficientsourcesforkids'bedroomsespeciallyiftheyareusedalot. Recesseddownlights Recessedhalogendownlightsondimmersallowthehomeownertosetarelaxingmood.LEDreadinglightscanbedimmedanddirectedasrequired.Closetlightingabovethedoorhighlightsclothing. Photocourtesy:LightingSolutionsInc     Bathroom Stronglightshouldbedirectedtowardsthefaceofsomeonestandingatthemirror.Usewall-mountedsconcesordecorativelinearfluorescentstrips. ConsiderasmallLEDlightwithaGFCIoutletbythetoiletforsafenightpassagewithoutblindinglight. Provideadimmablelightoverthetubforreading,locatedovertheheadarea.Consideralowvoltageforincreasedsafety. Separatethefancontrolfromthelightingcontrol. Screw-influorescentlampsprovideefficiencywhileallowingstylishfixturechoices. Recesseddownlightsandwallmounts Awidevarietyofwallsconcesandsinkareafixturesareavailabletofitinwiththedécorormakeastatementontheirown. CourtesyKichlerLighting     Family/greatroom UsemultiplelayerstocreateabrightspaceforplayanddimmablelightforpartiesorTVwatching. UsedecorativerecessT8dimmablelampsforgeneralillumination. RememberthatCFLsourcesarenotalwaysdimmable,sousetheseforgoodambientlighting,andconsiderdimmableoptionsforafewwallsconcesorgrazingthefireplace. Addwallsconcesforvisualappeal. Wallsconcesanddownlights CombiningsmalldownlightswithdramaticaccentscreatesanintimateatmosphereforpartiesandTVwatching. Photocourtesy:CooperLighting     Homeoffice Direct/indirectsuspendedfixturescreateabright,butlow-glarespaceforlonghoursofcomputerorpaperworkandareveryenergy-efficient. Useacoolerlamp(3500Kisagoodchoice)thanintherestofthehome. Direct/indirectsuspendedanddownlights Stairwells Ensureswitchesareeasilyaccessiblefromboththetopandbottomofthestairs ConsidersmallLEDorhalogensteplightsforsafeyetlow-levellighting. Garage Avoiddownlights,astheycreateharshshadowsandarenotgoodforthevarioustaskscarriedoutinthisspace. 4-foot,2-lampvapour-prooffluorescentfixturesworkwell,eveninthecold,andprovideexcellentlight. Locatefixturestoeachsideofthevehicle(s),ratherthanoverhead. Laundryroom Ensureaccesstoswitchesfrommultipleentriesifneeded. Providetasklightingoverappliancesandtables. Exteriordeck Don'tallowdirectviewingoflamps;theeyesareparticularlysensitivetoglareatnight. Considerfixtureswithfrostedglasspanesorfixturesthatprovideonlydownlight. Ensurethatallfixturesareapprovedforwetlocations. Considerlowvoltage(12V),lowwattage(<20W)lightingunderrailsoronposts. Makesurestairwellsarewell-defined. Landscape Illuminatingtreesisnotagooduseofelectricity,anditaddstotheurbanskyglowandlightpollution. Ifconsideringlandscapelighting,usesolar-poweredLEDpathlights,whichprovidesmallway-findingpointsoflight. Tentipsforlightingyourhome Compactfluorescentlamps(CFLs)areanenergy-efficientlightsourceformanyhomeapplications. Lampchoicesshouldbe2700-3000Ktocreateawarm,invitingandrelaxingatmosphere. Tosaveenergyandmoney,chooseabulbatthedesiredbrightness,andthenselectthemostefficientoptionavailable. LEDoptionsareexcellentchoicesforunder-cabinetsandstairs.CFLsorlinearfluorescentlampsareverygoodfortaskandambientlighting. Trythingsoutfirst!Ifyou'renotsureaboutalamporafixture,buyoneandtryitbeforeusingiteverywhere. Alllampsandfixturesproduceheat,whichmustbeventedifinenclosedorrecessedfixturestoavoidsafetyhazardsorprematurefailure.Usetheproperlampwiththeproperfixtureforthelightingtask. High-qualityenergy-efficientlightingproductsmaycostmoreinitially,butsaveyoumoneyovertheirlifetimeandlastlonger. Askforhelp!Lightingshowroomscanhelpbyprovidinglightingcatalogues.AlwaysaskforENERGYSTARqualifiedfixtures. Whencreatingaflexible,intimateatmosphere,useENERGYSTARqualifiedfixturesorlampswithdimmingcapabilities.Or,installadimmeronyourhalogenlights.Dimmingwillnotonlysaveenergy,butalsoextendthelifeofyourlamps. Layeryourlightusingthe"accent,ambient,decorative,andtask"ideas,andhavethemoperateseparately. Inconclusion… Byaddingyourownimaginationtotheprinciplesandideasinthisguide,youwillenjoythebenefitsofanefficientlyandeffectivelylithomeforyearstocome,whileminimizingyourutilitybillsandenvironmentalimpact. EnergyEfficiencyisGoodBusiness EconomicProsperity EnvironmentalPerformance SocialResponsibility Security Reportaproblemonthispage Pleaseselectallthatapply: Alink,buttonorvideoisnotworking Ithasaspellingmistake Informationismissing Informationisoutdatedorwrong Ican'tfindwhatI'mlookingfor Otherissuenotinthislist Submit Thankyouforyourhelp! Youwillnotreceiveareply.Forenquiries, contactus. Datemodified: 2017-02-15