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Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs)

Compact fluorescent lights
Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) come in different shapes, sizes, and colors of light. CFLs cost a bit more than an incandescent, but it saves you money in the long run because they use 75% less electricity to produce the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb and last up to 10 times longer(usually around 10,000 hours). It is estimated that a CFL pays for its higher price after about 500 hours of use. Also, because CFLs release less heat, not only are they safer, but your cooling load is less in the summer. Although CFLs are an excellent source of energy efficient lighting, they cannot be installed on dimming circuits, in emergency exit fixtures or lights and on electronic timers or photocells. For Outdoors, check the package to make sure the bulb can be suited for outdoor use.

Pot lights

Low voltage potlights
Types of Light Bulbs for Recessed Lighting

When selecting or installing recessed lighting, several types of fixtures and bulbs are available for specific needs.
· Incandescent, also known as “A” bulbs, are inexpensive and good for general light or wall washing with the use of reflectors.
· “R” bulbs are most common and have a reflective surface included on the back of the bulb.
· Halogen bulbs offer a clean white light, and are available in both flood and spot types in sizes to fit 4-, 5-, or 6-inch fixtures. Low voltage halogen bulbs have a long life and put out more light than incandescent bulbs, but require the use of transformers and special low voltage housings.


When to Use Pot lights
· Though recessed fixtures are most easily installed between ceiling joists of new building or major remodeling projects, some recessed fixtures are designed specifically for retrofit applications and can slip into an existing ceiling space through holes made to accommodate wiring; however, the fixtures you choose must be rated for use near insulation (IC housing rated) whenever ceiling insulation is present. When a ceiling is uninsulated, a non-IC housing may be used.
Where to Place Pot lights
· Avoid recessed fixtures placed too close together or in rows down the center of the room. This type of installation can have the look of an airport runway.
· Match the size of your fixtures to how close together they can be installed. The common rule is that 4-inch fixtures should generally be placed at least 4 feet apart and 6-inch fixtures about 6 feet apart.
· Center recessed fixtures in front of the objects you wish to light – a painting, bookshelf, or drapery panels, for example – and about 12 to 18 inches in front of that object.
· Recessed lights used for reading or task lighting should be carefully placed overhead so your head and shoulders will not block needed light.
· When lighting a three-dimensional object such as a fireplace, sculpture, or flower arrangement, it is more effective to light it from two or three different angles.
· Use wall-washing fixtures around the perimeter of a small room to help “push” the walls out and make the space feel larger, or aim them at a collection of artwork or photographs to call attention to the display.
 
 

MR16 advantages:

MR16 bulbs

What are the advantages of using MR16 lamps?
MR16 lamps have several advantages over other reflectorized lamps such as standard incandescent reflector (R) lamps, parabolic aluminized reflector (PAR) lamps, and reflector compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). These advantages are their small size, color properties, and beam control.
Size:
MR16 lamps are small. Their 2-inch (5-centimeter) diameter allows for great flexibility, especially where luminaire size is an issue because of space constraints or aesthetic concerns. The ceiling aperture for a downlight luminaire using an MR16 lamp, for example, can be as small as 1¼ inches (3 centimeters) in diameter. These luminaires are known as pinhole downlights.
Color properties:
Halogen incandescent lamps such as MR16 lamps provide light that appears whiter (2800 K to 3200 K) compared to the yellowish white light provided by non-halogen incandescent lamps (normally 2700 K). In certain applications such as in retail or museums, whiter light may be more desirable. Halogen incandescent lamps have a higher color rendering index (CRI) (CRI of 95 to100) than reflector compact fluorescent lamps (CRI of 82), for example. A higher CRI means that the light source will most likely render the color of objects more naturally and in some cases more vividly.
Beam control:
Low-voltage tungsten filaments in halogen lamps are smaller than those in 120-volt incandescent lamps. The smaller the filament, the better the reflector’s optical control for a given size reflector. Manufacturers commonly align the filament coil within the MR16 lamp with an optical system, while R and PAR lamps are aligned mechanically. The MR16’s optical alignment gives it more accurate optical control than R and PAR lamps. As a result, MR16 lamps have confined beams, and the light intensity drops sharply at the edge of the beam. MR16 lamp beams can be designed to be as small as 7 degrees or as wide as 60 degrees, giving the lighting designer great flexibility. The picture below shows 40 degrees angle beam by using MR16 bulbs.

MR16 lam beams
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Incandescent and Halogen

Incandescent and Halogen bulbs

What is Incandescence?
Incandescent lamps were the original electric light sources and, with some refinements, they still employ basic technology that is over one hundred years old: a tungsten wire filament is placed inside a glass bulb, an electric current is passed through the filament, and resistance in the filament causes it to heat and “incandesce” or glow. Most modern lamps feature a coiled filament that improves efficacy and reduces heat loss. Whereas early bulbs contained a vacuum to prevent the filament from combining with oxygen and “burning out,” most of today’s lamps use various mixtures of inert gases for the same purpose.

The Characteristics of Incandescent Lamps
Incandescent light is the most commonly used electric light source in the home, which means that people consider it to be “normal.” The low color temperature and high CRI of incandescent lighting casts a warm light which provides excellent color rendition of human skin tones. In addition, incandescent lamps are affordable, can be controlled by inexpensive dimming circuits, and are available in a wide range of sizes, configurations and wattages. Unfortunately, incandescent lamps are inefficient. Because they produce light by heating a solid material until it glows, most of the energy they consume is given off as heat, resulting in low LPW performance. Other more energy efficient lamp types can therefore offer substantially lower operating costs.

Halogen–Superior Incandescent Technology
Tungsten halogen lamps are a refinement of incandescent technology that offer up to 20 percent greater energy efficiency, longer service life and improved light quality. In a standard incandescent lamp, tungsten from the filament evaporates over time and is deposited on the walls of the bulb, thus reducing light output. The filament gets thinner and thinner and eventually breaks, causing the lamp to fail. The halogen gas inside a halogen lamp causes the evaporated tungsten to redeposit on the filament. This process, along with high pressure inside the capsule, slows down deterioration of the filament, improves lumen maintenance and extends the lamp’s service life.

Whiter, Brighter Light
Halogen lamps have higher color temperatures than standard incandescent lamps—their light output contains more blue and green. Halogen lamps therefore appear whiter and brighter. Although both types of lamp essentially have a CRI of 100, the higher color temperature of halogen lamps provides more pleasing and vibrant color rendition across a wider range of colors.

Low Voltage– an Almost Perfect Point Source
Special halogen lamps are available for low voltage configurations and they offer a number of advantages. Low voltage systems, which can be designed to operate efficiently at lower wattages than line voltage systems, allow the use of lamps that are extremely compact and still provide high lumen output. The relatively short, thick filaments in MR16 and MR11 halogen lamps, for example, produce large amounts of light from a very small area and permit excellent beam control. Low voltage halogen lamps have therefore become the preferred choice for accent, display and decor lighting.

A Wide Range of Lamp Shapes
Halogen lamps are available in many sizes, shapes and wattages. Reflector types include PAR, AR and MR configurations in a wide range of wattages and beam angles, from narrow spot to wide flood. Midbreak versions provide long lasting, energy efficient alternatives to standard incandescent lamps. Other lamp configurations allow lighting fixture designers to take full advantage of the special attributes that halogen technology offers.

Professional Potlight Installation

Professional potlight installation Mapleleaf Electric Inc. is an Electrical Contractor Company which specializes in a very fast and high quality pot light installation with the most competitive prices. Our company has developed a unique installation process, incorporating tools and techniques which allow us to install any pot lights in any room of your home. Even better, our process leaves no holes to patch and no mess to clean in your home.
This service is provided in finished home with absolutely guarantee of no dust, mess and damage in ceilings and walls. No crown molding is needed.
We are so proud of our work, that we guarantee it for life!

Our price varies depending on:

  • Location (address)
  • Type of home (condo or house)
  • How many and location of pot lights (main floor, upper floor & outdoor pot lights)
  • Type of pot lights (line or low voltage pot light)
  • Custom pot lights (color, energy saving bulb & brand)

 

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