Mister Sparky

What's with the poor lighting in my home?

Mister Sparky specializes in residential lighting installation and can help you with practical and aesthetic projects for your home. Indoor lighting is a key part of interior design, and can make a house truly feel like a home. It can also be an intrinsic component of landscaping. However, lighting represents a major component of energy consumption, accounting for a significant part of all energy consumed worldwide. Therefore, proper residential lighting installation can save you money and conserve natural resources at the same time.

At Mister Sparky we will work closely with you to create your ideal lighting situation. All lighting systems can be fully automated and easily maintained. Some general categories and consideration for lighting use include:

Task lighting - is mainly functional and is usually the most concentrated, for purposes such as reading or inspection of materials.

Accent lighting - is mainly decorative, intended to highlight pictures, plants, or other elements of interior design or landscaping.

General lighting - fills in between task and accent and is intended for general illumination of an area. Indoors, this would be a basic lamp on a table or floor, or a fixture on the ceiling. Outdoors, general lighting for security and specialty lighting purposes is used.

Interior Lighting - Interior lighting systems are one of the most effective ways to increase the safety and security of your home. A well lit house is a deterrent to any criminal, so criminal activity is less likely to occur. You will have peace of mind and can feel safe knowing that you are coming home every night to perfectly lit home.

Incandescent light - Incandescent light bulbs are a source of electric light that works by incandescence (a general term for heat-driven light emissions). An electric current passes through a thin filament, heating it until it produces light. The enclosing glass bulb prevents the oxygen in air from reaching the hot filament, which otherwise would be destroyed rapidly by oxidation.

Compact fluorescent - Compact fluorescent bulbs use less power to supply the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb. The light of a compact florescent is emitted by a mix of phosphors on the inside of the tube, which each emit one color. Modern phosphor designs are a compromise between the shade of the emitted light, energy efficiency, and cost.

Fluorescent - Fluorescent lights or tubes are gas-discharge lamps that use electricity to excite mercury vapor. The excited mercury atoms produce short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor to fluoresce, producing visible light. Unlike incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps always require a ballast to regulate the flow of power through the lamp. While larger fluorescent lamps have been mostly used in large commercial or institutional buildings, you still find them used in garages, kitchens and recreational rooms in the home. Compared with incandescent lamps, fluorescent lights use less power for the same amount of light, generally last longer, but are bulkier, more complex, and initially more expensive than a comparable incandescent bulb.

Just some of the interior lighting solutions we offer include; recessed, under cabinet, art lighting, pendant lighting, track lighting, up and down lighting, niche lighting, chandelier, sconce and alcove lighting.

Exterior Lighting

One of the most common choices in exterior illumination for homeowners is outdoor security lighting. Keeping an area well lit during the hours of night goes a long way as a deterrent to help keep intruders and burglars away. Brightness and responsiveness are two of the most important characteristics to look for in outdoor security lights. The more illuminant a fixture is, the farther its light will carry. More focused illumination is important as well, so that the light does not "get lost" in the vast darkness of night.

The biggest consideration to remember when choosing outdoor security lighting is to select something that is going to make you feel safer in your home. Brightness and motion sensors are definitely two characteristics to consider, but be sure that you choose outdoor security lights that will provide you with a feeling of safety and comfort for you and your family during the nighttime hours.

Another choice for exterior lighting is decorative, used to illuminate walkways, plants, shrubs and trees and provide ambience to a yard. Some of the exterior lighting solutions we offer include; flood lights, security lighting, post lights, porch and coach lighting.

To learn more about indoor lighting and outdoor security lighting features, schedule a Mister Sparky Technician to evaluate your needs.