Updating your lighting is one of the fastest and easiest ways to give your home a new look. Inside and out, your home's lighting adds warmth and ambiance, and it also adds to the safety of your property.
Get New Lamps
You won't need an electrician to add a stylish, new table and desk lamps to your home. Industrial-inspired bare bulb clusters, sophisticated sculptural designs, and eye-popping shade colors are just a few of the current lighting trends. The right lamps can create a bold statement or invoke a subtle ambiance.
Switch to LEDs
You also won't need an electrician to change your bulbs to energy-efficient LED bulbs. You can even find vintage-inspired LED filament bulbs that look fabulous in an industrial or steampunk lamp. According to the US Department of Energy, LED bulbs can last 25 times longer and use 75 percent less energy, compared to incandescent bulbs.
Install New Types of Lighting
However, you will need a professional electrician to install recessed, track, chandelier, or pendant lighting. This is because this type of lighting requires accessing, or adding, wiring through the ceiling. You might be able to replace a ceiling lighting fixture yourself, but if you are adding something new, trust the job to a professional.
Add Outdoor Lighting
Outdoor lighting is also important, not only for security but also to create a beautiful night time atmosphere. Consider adding solar lights outdoors. They not only save money on your electric bill, but they are also easy to install yourself. You can place solar lights along a pathway, spotlight a wall, or flood a patio with light.
Solar string lights are an especially pretty way to light up a patio or deck. Some have retro-inspired naked bulbs while others can change colors.
However, if you are serious about a security lighting system, you'll want to have it professionally hard-wired into the grid. Alternatively, you can choose a more robust solar system that includes panels and a battery bank. This is because low-cost, garden variety solar lights may not perform well during the winter, since the energy they get from the sun is lower. Also, the small, internal batteries typically won't last through the entire night.
If your home is older, you may want to have an electrician come check your home’s wiring before you make any changes to your home’s lighting. Because today’s consumers typically have a higher reliance on electrical needs than in decades past, your home’s electrical system may not be able to support new additions. If this is the case, your whole home may need to be rewired to prevent future outages and fire hazards.
Whether indoors or out, your lighting creates both an inviting atmosphere as well as adding safety. The right choice can also save you money on your monthly electric bill. Robust security lighting can also add value to your property. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, now is the time to update the lighting in your old house.
