Specialty and Architectural Lighting

This article examines the many health benefits of human exposure to full spectrum light, otherwise known as daylight simulating light sources. Psychological Most people prefer daylight from windows and skylights to electric light. Daylight gives people a positive feeling and can help improve mood and motivation. Because "full spectrum" light bulbs produce the appearance of white or bluish-white light and because they also produce a higher perception of brightness, there is often a positive association...

One of the benefits of LED light bulbs sometimes touted by the media and by manufacturers alike is "no heat." If the heat being referred to is radiant, meaning it heats objects but not the air in between, the claim is accurate. Put your hand a few inches away from a standard 60 watt incandescent bulb and you will feel heat. That is radiant heat from a hot tungsten filament, the source of the light....

Fluorescent lighting technology has been around for a considerable length of time. Both linear fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent bulbs have turned out to be reliable and economical, while producing the brightness required in public and working environments. Lately, however, a new form of light source has overtaken both fluorescent lighting and even older incandescent and halogen technology: The LED. All sources of light have their advantages and disadvantages, yet LED appears to be wining...

Have you ever wondered why some light bulbs are coated while others are clear? The majority of light bulbs that are sold in the market nowadays, rather than being completely clear like the original Edison bulbs, have different coatings. Clear bulbs are often used in situations where abrupt and extreme light is needed. To achieve this effect, this setup allows us to directly see the illuminated tungsten filament of an incandescent or halogen bulb. These...

It is often assumed that incandescent and halogen light bulbs are completely different technologies. In fact, halogen is just a hybrid incandescent. Both types of light bulbs use a tungsten filament. Both burn out when the filament breaks. Both use line and low voltage the same way. Also, both incandescent and halogen bulbs can be dimmed. But here is the interesting twist: the more a halogen bulb is dimmed, the more it becomes an incandescent...

About 8 to 15% of the electricity budget of an average household is consumed by lighting. The different types of lighting technologies that are installed, the design, and the user behavior are significant determinants to the total amount consumers can spend just on lighting for the home. With a well-designed and efficient lighting system, you can save big on household energy expenses. You need to carefully select light bulbs when improving your outdoor lights for...

Ever since Thomas Edison's early light bulbs, the iconic shape of the most common light bulb in our homes has been remarkably consistent - pear-shaped glass narrowing to a screw base at one end. This shape is so ingrained in our collective consciousness that it has become a cliche graphic used in endless ways to represent a bright idea, a sudden revelation, or all of artificial lighting in general. Over the last 100 years new...

This past weekend, I was at the Field Museum in Chicago and wandered into some of the leas populated, darker exhibits that the museum houses. Both the Ancient Americas and Pacific Spirits exhibits are quiet and dark, featuring clothing and art from these cultures. A much more popular exhibit on Ancient Egypt is similarly dimly lit for the most part. But why are these exhibits so dark? The dinosaur exhibit is brightly lit, popular, and...

You can make or break a romantic atmosphere with the proper (or improper) use of light. Whether it be Valentine's Day, a birthday, anniversary, or a quiet dinner with a significant other, light is one of the most important factors for setting the mood. Color Temperature Color temperature is hugely important for a romantic mood. Think of sunrise or sunset, when the sun is at its "warmest" color, a red or orange hue. Red or...