You’ve found your perfect fixture to transform your room’s ambiance but did you choose the perfect lightbulb? There are four popular lightbulbs that come in various colors and shapes. Here’s how to choose the best lightbulbs for your needs.
Think about your location.
The four most popular types of lightbulbs are incandescent, compact fluorescent (CFL), halogen, and light-emitting diode (LED). Each type has various strengths in different rooms.
LEDs emit a bright, directional light making them a great fit for task lighting. Since they also last up to 50,000 hours and are perfect for fixtures in inconvenient places.
CFLs: For illuminating large spaces such as basements and kitchens, CFLs work well. These energy-efficient bulbs emit a variety of colors and are less expensive than LEDs.
Halogen bulbs emit a white light similar to high-noon daylight. They are energy efficient and dimmable. However, they have a very short life span and warm quickly. It’s recommended to keep these bulbs away from fire-hazardous materials and to use gloves to change out the light. Halogen bulbs are great for recessed, pendant, and under cabinet lighting,
Incandescent: If you’re looking for an inexpensive option or a warm light to use with dimmer, incandescent bulbs are your best option. It’s good to note that even though they last longer than halogen bulbs they don’t last as long as CFL or LEDs nor are they as energy efficient.
Watt about Illumination?
All puns aside, the amount of energy a lightbulb uses is referred to as watts. To produce a brighter light, a bulb will need a higher wattage.
How many lumens does your space need? Lumens refer to the amount of light radiated. So similar to watts, the higher the lumen, the brighter the light. It’s recommended most rooms use 20 lumens per square foot for a well-lit area. Extra dark rooms or walls with dark paneling should have an additional 10 lumens per square foot. The total number of lumens can be spread across a few fixtures and one light doesn’t need to handle all of the illuminations on its own.
Whoever said you couldn’t have nice things neglected to think about a luxe feel often revolves around small aesthetic and quality of life changes. Here are seven little ways to make your home feel more luxurious when you don’t have a luxury-level bank account.
Towel Warmers
Ever feel like you’re freezing after a cold shower? It’s time to opt for a towel warmer. Warm, fluffy towels are a simple way to make you feel pampered, fighting off those post-shower shivers. Towel warmers are a great option even don’t live in an area with cold temperatures because they’ll keep your towels dry in a damp or humid environment.
Update your fixtures
Dated, builder-grade fixtures are out, and old, cracked, yellow light switches or outlet covers are really bringing down the vibes. To make your home feel more high-end, consider updating things like faucets and light fixtures. Think about spray painting fixtures to add gold accents to your home or installing touch-responsive faucets. Chandeliers or oversized pendant fixtures over a kitchen island, dining area, bedroom, or even a hallway are a great choice. Bedside table sconces hung on the wall usually always look chic. Installing such eye-catching personality pieces can serve as the main centerpiece in a room, saving you money by spending less on other decorations.
Layer the lighting
In luxe spaces, there’s not just one overhead light. The goal is to create focal points and pools of lights in areas of interest. Have you been to an art gallery and seen a light pointed at a painting? It really elevates the experience and makes the art look more expensive, right? Mix recessed lights, pendants, hidden strip lights, ambient lights, downlighting, uplighting, and so on. Use dimmers when possible and motion sensors if you opt for smart lights.
Landscape Lights
Don’t forget about the outside of your home. Landscape lights can enhance your yard structure and gardens by creating a resort-like feel to your outdoor living areas. They can really brighten up the overall look of your home, increasing your house’s value and reducing the risk of burglary.
Electric Fireplaces
An easy way to add luxury to your home is to get an electric fireplace. They are perfect for making your home feel warm and cozy. Electric fireplaces come in many different styles. You can decorate them to make them look even more elegant and sophisticated. The best part? You can enjoy your electric fireplace year-round.
Diffusers
Diffusers may be a very underrated element. Aromatherapy is huge in luxurious spaces, making them feel clean and expensive. Of course, some people may have sensitivities to certain scents but if you’re not one of those people, opt for essential oils such as Eucalyptus, Lemongrass, Bergamot, Grapefruit, and Lavender.
Maintain what you have
Lastly, let’s not forget to maintain what you have. Generally, anything well maintained will feel more premium. That’s why new things always feel so nice. So don’t forget to dust your light fixtures, fix tile cracks, vacuum your carpet, and clean your mirrors!
While we’ve gone over a lot of little luxuries, you’ll notice that a lot of them need power! New England Electrical Contracting specializes in the installation and wiring of all these electric creature comforts and more! Get in touch for a free consultation and get your upgrade started!
During the mid-20th century, solar power was all the rage. Cars, homes, towns, it could all be powered by the ever-present sun! While an exciting concept, reality turned out much different. While a good option for some, the disadvantages of solar have made it a relatively lesser used energy source.
While energy independence is an alluring goal, a smart home or business owner knows to do their research before committing to a long-term investment. So let’s consider whether solar power or a whole home generator would be right for you.
Solar Batteries
Since smartphones have become a part of our lives, portable battery banks have also been around. When thinking of solar power for your home, you can think of it as being a permanent battery bank attached to your house that is charged by the sun. This comes with some obvious pros:
Ultra-quiet operation.
Extremely low maintenance.
Completely renewable energy.
However, solar power generally has a higher price tag to set up, as well as a battery that will need to be replaced within 5 to 10 years. Additionally, here in the northeast, our power usually fails in the wintertime. Days are cloudy, and depending on your power needs, solar-powered batteries may fall short.
Whole Home Generators
A tried-and-true method, our Generac-certified whole-home generators have a proven track record of keeping homeowners safe. Their sound level is comparable to a modern washing machine, and they’re usually situated outside the home. Consider several key pros:
Much more affordable to purchase.
Extremely long lifetime, on average between 10,000 – 30,000 hours running.
Seamless connection to the existing natural gas line in your home.
Not reliant on external conditions to provide immediate power to a home.
While some people scoff at buying used goods, there is a reason why garage sales, thrift shops, and auction websites have never gone out of style. When choosing a potentially life-saving piece of equipment like a whole home generator, however, should you outright dismiss the idea of buying used? Consider some informed reasons why it may not be a bad idea to consider purchasing second-hand.
The Obvious: Inexpensive!
It goes without saying that a used generator is less pricy than a new one, but the difference could be more significant than you expect. Purchasing a pre-owned, gently used model could net you anywhere between 20% – 70% in savings! Depending on your requirements, the cost savings may make all the difference in the quality of the model that may have leapt into your price range.
A concern, however, could be the condition of a used model. However, the advantage to purchasing a used home generator through New England Electrical is that you will not be sacrificing quality for price. You’ll still have our 24 hours, 7 days a week guarantee that we’ll be on-site for emergency assistance. Our award-winning service and consultations will be just as quality. Finally, our maintenance plans will keep your used generator running for many years after your purchase.
The Advantage of Whole Home Generators
There are many types of generators, but perhaps the best kind of used generator would be a whole-home model. Why? These are strictly used as a backup source of power. When assessing the quality, or value, of the unit, likely the first thing you’ll want to do is see just how long it’s been run. A backup generator is only used when power is out! This, more than anything, should provide convincing evidence of how lightly these used models will be.
Your Environmental Footprint
A natural gas generator already emits far lower levels of pollutants into the atmosphere than gas or diesel-powered generators. In fact, the EPA relaxed its guidelines for the regulating of natural gas generators. There is also zero risk of fuel spill contamination with this type of generator. Noise pollution is lessened because they run quieter than gas, and they emit the lowest levels of CO2 of all the IC generator types.
Compounded to these benefits, a used generator represents one less wasted unit. Rather than salvaging the used unit into parts or dumping it in a landfill, you’ll be contributing to a more sustainable Earth and minimizing waste.
Used, not Used Up!
The takeaway from this should be that a lightly used generator can be nearly as high quality as a new model, but with a serious reduction in price! If you’re still on the fence, call us at New England Electrical for a consultation. We’ll break down what your property requires, and will help you find the best whole-home generator, new or used, to fit your needs.
When determining the size of your whole home electric generator, there is a common misconception that the size of your home relates to the size of your generator. ‘A large house or business will require a more robust generator.’ However, if its purpose is to supply power, size alone is not necessarily the best deciding factor. Instead, the number of appliances, electronics, and circuits is the biggest factor.
Making a Choice
What power-outage experience would you prefer? It goes without saying that you want to be impacted as minimally as possible. If every single circuit in your house is powered, you would probably barely notice an outage! After receiving an alert, you would likely continue on with your day. While that sounds nice, having every circuit powered can add up over time. It can be redundant, or even completely unnecessary.
Generally, home and business owners first choose which circuits on their property are the most important. They do this by making a list of every appliance, room, or outlet they would like powered. After tracing these circuits back, one of our qualified electricians would connect those to the whole home generator. So first: Choose what you want powered!
Wattage and Wastage
Now it’s time to calculate wattage. If you’re unsure what to choose, first make a list of the essentials. When refrigerators, water heaters, sump pumps, and lights are connected, the most important aspects of your home have already been kept safe! Food won’t spoil, showers can remain hot, the basement won’t flood, and adequate lighting will keep your family safe. Putting these appliances on the essential list could prove a wise decision.
At New England Electrical, our professionals are trained to do these calculations for you. You just tell us what you’d like protected, and we’ll do the rest. However, if you’d like to run your own numbers, just make a list of the power being drawn from each appliance and device, add it up, and calculate the total. It’s that simple!
That being said, a warning: Refrigerators, sump pumps, and AC units have two types of power draws. One when turning on, and one when running. Go with the larger number and you’ll have a good idea of what wattage generator your property will need.
Final Tips
Generators can go from smaller 5,000-watt units all the way to hefty 14,000-watt and higher. The types of units within that range can be even more diverse. Each homeowner or business needs will be different, and two similarly sized homes may need different sized generators.
