A beautiful ‘Lámpara’ lighting up a home in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain – Photo Courtesy: Gonmi
During the day time, we tend not to think about how much light there is because the sun does a marvellous job of lighting up the world. However, when night falls, its up to us to pick up the slack and illuminate our lives via many different types of light and bulbs.
We take for granted just how advanced lighting has become over the last 20 years; long ago the gases in bulbs were strong enough to actually make you critically ill and they were not exactly environmentally friendly, unlike the eco bulbs you can buy from shops today. So what kinds of light do we use and what kind of impact do they have on our lives?
Ceiling lights
99% of houses come with them (unless you are one of the unfortunate ones) so you will always have them there in your life. You can get flat ceiling lights that are flush to the ceiling and are aesthetically pleasing but poor for electricity use or you can get your traditional light fittings on which you can attach decorative shades.
It is quite the task to change a fancy flat ceiling light bulb whereas it is a piece of cake to change the bulb on a normal dangling fitting. Light bulbs are cheaper than they have ever been and you can get free eco friendly ones from electric companies over the internet.
Lamps
Marco’s brand new table lamp in his home in the beautiful medieval town of Racconigi, Piedmont, Italy – Photo Courtesy: Marco Segato
Not all of us need or want them but they are quite nice to look at for some people. You get many types of lamp for many different things. Traditional lamps that sit on a cupboard or table, reading lamps that attach to the wall and floor lamps. 2 of these three act again like your traditional light fitting and are easily changed; however, reading lamps can be wire free and can take batteries. Even better is that most of these lamps are made with LEDs which are easier on the eyes and last 5 times longer than a traditional bulb.
Security lights
Being safety conscious is not a bad thing at all and keeping you and your family safe in your home is a top priority. Thankfully, there are lots of companies that will not only fit alarms but will also fit lights that turn on when movement is detected. This can cause problems down the line if you or neighbours own a wondering cat as it will set the lights off every so often! They do, however, cost very little to run and is a much cheaper option to buying a full blown security system.
Garden lights
Exterior light with an energy efficient light bulb at Lola’s house in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Says Lola, “FACT: If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year.” Photo Courtesy: Lola Audu
Garden lights can be one of two things – lights that are attached to the house or those that are in the floor to light the path for you and/or guests around the garden, or they can be marvellous little solar powered lights dotted around. These lights are divine as they run on nothing else but the moonlight and are not so bright as to distract you, but bright enough to make the garden look extremely pretty. They’re also super cheap to buy and there is never a need for batteries!
Street lighting
You might not know it but street lighting effects your home more than you think (unless you live right in the sticks where there is little to no light). Street lights used to cause all kinds of sleeping problems for some people as they used to be made quite bright with a yellow tinge. They were so bright that people had to buy thick curtains to prevent it from polluting their room, which in summer can make a house very hot indeed.
It has thankfully come a long way as companies such as MMA Lighting Consultancy have gone through numerous tests to ensure that the lights are not only longer lasting and less dangerous but also that it does not effect the wildlife surrounding it.
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