How to do lighting in large great rooms

[ddumas10]

We just bought a camellia and of course the outlets are all around the walls. No plugs in the floor in the middle of the room. This makes it difficult to have lamps without the hazard of having wires you could trip on. Any suggestions?

[Waverunner]

We added recessed lights. We preferred this option of adding lighting to the room(s) and areas that were darker rather than solar tubes.

We recently added the 4 inch recessed lights. They are smaller than the six inch lights that come standard in many kitchens and other areas of the house. Ours are also dimmable. We have the option of adding more, if needed later, to the same switches. They come in a variety of finishes and options. They are also available in LED version or you can get a standard version. Ours came with halogen bulbs which we will replace with LEDs.

They look great and don't need outlets or take up floor space and table space!

[maryanna630]

What wattage did you use with the four inch?
Thanks.

[Chatbrat]

Very nice touch for great rooms-
1) get a carpenter to build a cove around the perimeter of the room ( cove can be in the form of crown molding, etc

2) electrician install LED rope lighting in the cove -controlled by a switch controlled outlet in the attic

[villagetinker]

If you really want table lamps, you can investigate something called FLAT WIRE, a Google search will yield lots for results. If you find something that you think would work, call a local electrician for a suitable installation.
I would NOT use this for 120 vac, I would use it for 12 or 24 VDC and then have the lamps modified to use low voltage LED lights. Personally, I would be nervous about 120 vac running across the floor. The 12/24 volt would be greatly limited in fire capability and shock capability.
There were several sites that indicate this is a 'approved' way to wire equipment.
This information is being provided for your research, and I am not suggesting that you use it, this is a possible alternative. Do some home work and talk to experts in the field.
Hope this helps.

[jnieman]

If you decide to go with the recessed lighting, spend the extra for the LED lights. We didn't and I find the regular lights a little bit warm to leave on for very long. They do make a big difference in a darker room. It brightens up everything.

[villagetinker]

If you decide to go with the recessed lighting, spend the extra for the LED lights. We didn't and I find the regular lights a little bit warm to leave on for very long. They do make a big difference in a darker room. It brightens up everything.

I agree with the LED lights, changed all of our lights out to LED. NOTE we were able to use the original recessed enclosures, going on 18 months now. The LEDs are much brighter, much cooler, and much lower electrical power requirements. We used Cree bulbs exclusively (available at Lowes as I recall), about $10 each. We had 3 fail for 3 different reasons and all were replaced for free no questions asked.

[Waverunner]

maryanna530 - The lights that are currently in our 4 inch recessed lights are GE halogen energy-efficient 38 watt, 490 lumens, with a 1.4 year life based on 3 hours use per day. They are 1 directional PAR20 halogen bulbs. We intend to replace these with dimmable LED bulbs with an equivalent or better lumens rating.

jnieman has an excellent recommendation and it leads to a further discussion. You can buy "regular" type recessed fixtures, which cost less, and add your own LED bulbs OR you can buy a recessed light LED fixture, which is more expensive, is more of a self contained single unit, (that includes the bulb within the fixture), and has a cover over the bulb area. Some may find the covered bulb has a more aesthetically pleasing appearance and runs flush with the ceiling. Before you buy the covered unit, you may want to ask for the lumens (brightness) rating. We didn't buy the covered units, but if we did, we would also want to know if/when it fails, which should be many years after the electrician's warranty is up, if you have to replace the entire LED unit (rather than switch out a light bulb, as with the other type).

With the exception of the fluorescent bulbs, we plan to replace every light inside and outside of our home with LED bulbs. We want to reduce our electric bill and heat transfer from light bulbs. We are doing this over time, based on lights we use the most (I.e. front lamp post, kitchen, bathrooms) and availability of reasonably priced bulbs. From our observation, the manufacturers have started with the lower wattage equivalent types first. It takes a little research and comparative shopping and then finding the bulbs in stock. We are still waiting for the reasonable replacement for three-way bulbs.

[jnieman]

maryanna530 - The lights that are currently in our 4 inch recessed lights are GE halogen energy-efficient 38 watt, 490 lumens, with a 1.4 year life based on 3 hours use per day. They are 1 directional PAR20 halogen bulbs. We intend to replace these with dimmable LED bulbs with an equivalent or better lumens rating.

jnieman has an excellent recommendation and it leads to a further discussion. You can buy "regular" type recessed fixtures, which cost less, and add your own LED bulbs OR you can buy a recessed light LED fixture, which is more expensive, is more of a self contained single unit, (that includes the bulb within the fixture), and has a cover over the bulb area. Some may find the covered bulb has a more aesthetically pleasing appearance and runs flush with the ceiling. Before you buy the covered unit, you may want to ask for the lumens (brightness) rating. We didn't buy the covered units, but if we did, we would also want to know if/when it fails, which should be many years after the electrician's warranty is up, if you have to replace the entire LED unit (rather than switch out a light bulb, as with the other type).

With the exception of the fluorescent bulbs, we plan to replace every light inside and outside of our home with LED bulbs. We want to reduce our electric bill and heat transfer from light bulbs. We are doing this over time, based on lights we use the most (I.e. front lamp post, kitchen, bathrooms) and availability of reasonably priced bulbs. From our observation, the manufacturers have started with the lower wattage equivalent types first. It takes a little research and comparative shopping and then finding the bulbs in stock. We are still waiting for the reasonable replacement for three-way bulbs.

Are you saying we can replace the regular bulbs we have in our regular unit with LED bulbs? Without having to replace the entire unit? Would the LED bulbs work well without a cover on them or would they glare and be too bright? We have a dimmer on our switch.

[Waverunner]

Yes, you can replace regular lights with LED lights without changing the fixtures. You do not need to have a cover on them. LED bulbs are sold as dimmable or non-dimmable, you need to look at the packaging. The brightness of LED bulbs are best compared by their lumens number. The higher the lumens, the brighter the bulb. We like our lights very bright to around 800 lumens for the kitchen, which we always dim if they seem too bright. We even used very bright ones in the bathrooms. It takes a little getting used to, but it helps to offset our darker interiors. You may want to experiment a buy a couple bulbs and try them out.

The biggest bang for your buck is replacing your outdoor lamp post lights with LEDs, as this fixture is on multiple hours every day of the year.

We bought our kitchen flood lights in two bulb packs from Costco, (which was less than 2 miles from our old home - now an Orlando day trip). We try to buy all our LED lights for at/under $10 per bulb, which is our level of reasonable.

[jnieman]

Yes, you can replace regular lights with LED lights without changing the fixtures. You do not need to have a cover on them. LED bulbs are sold as dimmable or non-dimmable, you need to look at the packaging. The brightness of LED bulbs are best compared by their lumens number. The higher the lumens, the brighter the bulb. We like our lights very bright to around 800 lumens for the kitchen, which we always dim if they seem too bright. We even used very bright ones in the bathrooms. It takes a little getting used to, but it helps to offset our darker interiors. You may want to experiment a buy a couple bulbs and try them out.

The biggest bang for your buck is replacing your outdoor lamp post lights with LEDs, as this fixture is on multiple hours every day of the year.

We bought our kitchen flood lights in two bulb packs from Costco, (which was less than 2 miles from our old home - now an Orlando day trip). We try to buy all our LED lights for at/under $10 per bulb, which is our level of reasonable.

Thanks for the info on the LEDs. I have always kicked myself for not getting the LEDs to begin with because of the heat the regular bulbs put off. Thanks again!