Light Bulb Wattage – How Much Lighting Power Do You Need?


It is not as easy as it appears to select the correct wattage for lighting and other electrical fixtures. There are several factors that need to be considered when choosing wattage for light and other electrical fixtures.

Firstly, the wattage chosen for the electrical fixtures should be such that it will not cause overheating or fires. Secondly, proper assessment of wattage requirements should be made. This is because incorrect wattage will affect overall energy efficiency in the house.

For instance, a twenty-watt fluorescent bulb can give off the same power of light than 75 to 100 watts of traditional of incandescent light bulb.

Thirdly, evaluation of how much lighting is essential for each specific area, like kitchen, bedrooms or living room. Finally, a wattage that matches the specifications of fixtures should be chosen.

It is very important to select the right wattage as a safety measure and to ensure that fixtures are not damaged due to overheating.

If a brown spot is observed on the insulation it means that the wrong wattage of light bulb has been fixed in a fixture. The electrical wiring may also turn fragile due to continuous exposure to high temperatures from the bulb. It is essential to use the same wattage as recommended on the fixture’s warning label in order to prevent accidental fires in the home.

Home Lighting Power Consumption

It is important to know how high wattage affects the efficient use of electrical energy in the house. The efficiency factor is, normally, superior in higher watt bulb and it emits brighter light than a smaller watt bulb.

In view of this, it is advantageous to use one fixture with a high power bulb instead of two lamps with less power. However, if a fluorescent bulb is proposed instead of ordinary incandescent bulbs, the same wattage is not required as a 20 watt fluorescent bulb gives out the same amount of light as a 75 watt incandescent bulb.

A great care is needed while selecting light bulbs for a kitchen as illumination there is quite important. The lighting in the workspace should be normally at least 100 watts of incandescent bulb or 25 watts of fluorescent lighting.

The lighting in working area in the kitchen includes either fixture on the ceiling or ‘under-cabinet’ lights. An electrical contractor can install both these fixtures correctly. The general norm is that there should be at least 100 watts of incandescent bulbs or 25 watt of fluorescent lights for every 50 square feet of kitchen space. This way the kitchen area will be brightly lit and every little object would be clearly seen.

Rooms Ambient Lighting

There is a simple method to assess the ‘ambient lighting’ for a living room or bedrooms. First measure the area of the room and multiply the area in square feet by 1.5 times to arrive the amount of total illumination required. For instance, the area 12 feet by 16 feet room is 192 square feet and the wattage required is 288.

For a room of this size, two table lamps with 150 watt bulbs or 8 fixtures with 40 watt bulbs will be required to get proper illumination. As it is quite difficult to select correct wattage for a home, it will be useful to avail the services of an electrical contractor to suggest how to correctly illuminate a room.

As a general norm, areas that require brightness such as kitchen may require light bulbs with high power lighting. For bed rooms and family rooms, however, lower watts will be sufficient for ambient lighting.

Fluorescent and incandescent bulbs emit different amounts of light with the same wattage and therefore, it is also essential to compare ‘light output’.

3 Ways A Professional Electricians Can Reduce Your Home Energy Usage




If you want to have an energy efficient home and keep your home from electricity related accidents, then you should not hesitate to seek the services of an expert electrician.

Electricians not only guide you about the safety of your electric gadgets but also show you how to make your home energy efficient. They normally inspect closely your energy needs, such as heating and cooling system, lighting, inspect the condition of the wires and accordingly make recommendation which you need to implement. Such steps have proved very effective in reducing your energy bills.

1) Conduct home energy audit.

Normally an expert electrician will start with a home energy audit, this is very important as after inspecting everything like heating and cooling system, lighting , wiring and other electric appliances which you use at home.

The electrician will determine the current energy use in your home and guide you how can you save the energy and subsequently reduce your energy bills. They will also guide you how can you enhance the life of electric appliances with minimum maintenance.

2) Maximize heating and cooling efficiency.

Electrician will mainly focus on the area which has higher electric consumption; one such area is heating and cooling system of your home. They will normally recommend use of thermostat which is already programmed as this saves lot of energy.

Such programmed thermostat work automatically and can be set by you; this will ensure minimal power consumption when you are not at home. Instead of using air conditioners, the electrician may recommend use of ceiling fans and also tank less water heater, such steps have proved to consume less power.

3) Analyze your home lighting requirement.

Nearly 10% of electricity is consumed in lighting the house; this can be redesigned with the recommendation of an electrician. He may suggest you to use the CFL or LED lights instead of conventional bulbs. He may also recommend use of motion sensor switches, dimmers and photocell sensors.

The biggest danger is seen in faulty wiring, the electrician can spot this issue and can guide you how can you be safe with proper wiring at home. It has been seen that people use surge protectors thinking that these can protect their costly appliances like computers and home theater system.

The electrician can guide you about the places where these protectors can be placed and the usage mechanism. You must always let the experts do the job, many home owners normally avoid in seeking the guidance of an expert electrician, this they do because they are quite confident that they can do this job themselves and can save money.

Such a step sometimes proves very risky and can be even life threatening. Improperly installed circuits often lead to very serious accidents; expert electrician can guide you about the safety as they are well trained. Their top priority is safety of your home and your family, therefore their guidance can help you to protect your costly appliances and probably lives.

Always remember faulty wiring or any other carelessness can cause fire and can lead to huge losses. Any home maker who believes in safety of the home and the people around should always seek the services of an electrician. This will ensure both safety and will make your home energy efficient and subsequently reduce your energy bills.

Rough Estimate Of A Residential Photovoltaic Power System Cost




There is no doubt that everybody likes to use a cleaner source of energy and that, by far, solar energy is the cheapest and cleanest source of alternative energy. However, many are worried about the cost involved in installing and maintaining solar panels.

This blog post is intended to give a rough idea about the approximate cost of installing solar panels at homes.

Solar Panels Are Maintenance Free

Those who have already set up solar installations at their homes know that solar panels need the least or no maintenance. To make the best use of sunlight, solar panels are mostly installed on house roofs. While fixing solar panels on the house roofs, people have to be exceptionally careful.

Whether the solar panels are built by yourself or you bought them readymade from the stores, you must follow the instructions very carefully while installing them on your roof. If you face any difficulty in setting up the solar panels, get professional help from a qualified solar energy technician.

But you know that calling in a professional to set your solar panels up will cost you more in terms of service charges. So, to reduce the cost of installing your solar panels, try to do it yourself. Working on the roof is not very safe. You may slip and fall and get hurt.

To avoid such an unpleasant incident, take a friend or a family member with you while you install your solar panels on your roof.

Your Initial Expenses

Your initial expenses relate to the parts and pieces you need to buy from the solar energy store. If you build the solar cells yourself, it will roughly cost you between $120 and $240.

Readymade solar cells will cost between $300 and $400. The amount of solar electricity produced depends on the number of solar cells. Adding a few more solar cells doesn’t cost you much.

But at the same time, increasing the number of solar cells will make three to four fold increase in the solar power produced. The cost of a very high powered solar panel is around $4,000. The choice of the solar cells depends on your budget and your energy needs.

Of course, you don’t need very expensive solar cells. What you need to do to get more energy is to increase the number of average sized solar cells which don’t cost very high. What makes solar energy so attractive is the fact that Photovoltaic (PV) solar cells are maintenance free once they are installed. They last for more than 20 years.

The efficiency of solar cells to convert sunlight into solar electricity may be affected if the solar panel is covered with dust and debris. If you clean the solar panels from time to time, the solar cells will remain as efficient as they were in the beginning.

Your initial investment in solar energy will be recovered within 9 years of installing solar panels at your home. Your electricity bill will be substantially reduced and there will be no bill at all if you are self-sufficient with the solar power you produce at your home.