Lighting: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Many of us take the lighting in our homes for granted and never think about what we can do to improve it. Most of us have the same lighting in the house as when we bought it and have grown to live with it. Good lighting can transform your environment, put you in a better mood, and can actually improve your mental well being (no kidding).

Lighting generally falls into the following categories:

1. Ambient (surround light)
2. Accent lighting (pictures, fireplaces, landscapes, etc.)
3. Mood (romance, listening to music, Christmas lights)
4. Task (reading, working, doing the dishes)

If you ever bought expensive clothes from a department store only to get home and not like the color, you have been subjected to good lighting (at the store, not at home). Lighting is rated by what is called Kelvinator Temperature and the color-rendering index (CRI). The Kelvinator Temperature is a light spectrum from blue to red. The CRI is based off of the sun, which is rated at 100. All artificial light is then compared to 100. CRI dictates the true colors of objects. For instance, the color blue with a CRI of 95 would be close to the color blue in sunlight. Light brightness is rated in foot-candles and can be measured with meters.

There have been many studies done on light and productivity, seasonal adjusted depression (SAD) and lighting on mood alteration. Lighting is just not a passing fancy, it can seriously affect your life.

Good lighting involves a lot of thought, but can be enhanced on almost any budget. If you have questions about the lighting in your home or other electrical matters, please email me at jean@morrissetteelectric.com.