Categories Commercial, Lighting

Commercial LED lighting solutions for restaurants

Commercial LED lighting solutions for restaurants

When you run a restaurant, it’s important to make sure you have the right lighting. A casual, family-friendly restaurant typically needs to offer a cheerful, well-lit environment. An upscale dining establishment needs to create a more intimate mood for couples enjoying a night out. No matter what kind of atmosphere you need, commercial LED lighting can provide it.

Ambient Lighting

Ambient lighting refers to lights that create a certain mood or atmosphere in your restaurant. You can use commercial LED lighting that is softer to illuminate tables throughout your dining area. Having these lights over tables rather than all over the ceiling provides a more intimate effect for those who are dining. This is a good choice for restaurants that need to create a more romantic effect, such as high-end restaurants that couples frequent.

Commercial LED lighting can be spread out over larger areas overhead, such as when you need to create a more fun or lively atmosphere for your restaurant. This works well for restaurants that have a more casual setting, such as cafes, fast food restaurants, and family restaurants. This lighting provides plenty of illumination for customers and creates a comfortable atmosphere.

Accent Lighting

Does your restaurant have certain features that you would like to call attention to? Whether your high-end restaurant has artwork on the walls or your casual restaurant has eye-catching design features, commercial LED lighting can highlight these. You can place these LED lights in specific areas to draw the eye to these features.

Dimmable Lighting

Some types of commercial LED lighting have dimmable controls. These controls make it easier for you to manage how much light your restaurant has. For example, you can use these controls to make your restaurant brighter earlier in the day if you’re serving breakfast and coffee for customers. When dinnertime comes around, use these controls to soften the lighting in your restaurant. For the middle of the day, you can use a more moderate setting for the lunchtime crowd.

Lighting Fixtures

The types of LED lighting fixtures your restaurant has can enhance its appearance. Elegant pendant lighting with LED bulbs is a good option for upscale restaurants. Recessed LED lights that cover most of the ceiling over your dining area are a suitable option when you have a casual dining establishment.

Advantages of Commercial LED Lighting

Commercial LED lighting offers a few benefits for restaurant owners. This type of lighting can cost more upfront. However, these lights cut down on the amount of energy used for lighting restaurants overall. This leads to a decrease in energy bills, which can help you save money on running your business.

LED lights are known for lasting a lot longer compared to fluorescent or incandescent lights. Since they don’t need to be changed often, your business saves money on the cost of bulbs as well.

With LED lighting, you don’t have to worry about your bulbs flickering, either. This means you can count on having reliable, steady lighting for your customers. Steady lighting helps create a more pleasant dining environment.

If you’re ready to install commercial LED lighting in your business, please contact Turn It On Electric to discuss your options or request an estimate.

Categories Lighting

Recessed lights: pros and cons

Recessed lights: pros and cons

Recessed lights have been growing in demand with homeowners and business owners. These lights provide certain benefits that other types of lighting don’t. Before deciding whether or not to have these lights installed, it’s important for you to be familiar with their pros and cons. Keep the following in mind when determining if recessed lighting is the right choice for your home or business in the Phoenix area.

Pro: Lights Are “Hidden”

Recessed lights aren’t as noticeable as a hanging light fixture or other traditional ceiling fixtures. If you want to streamline the appearance of your office, reception area or living room ceiling without any bulky fixtures, recessed lighting is a good option. These lights are also ideal for areas with lower ceilings, such as basements. Since they’re out of the way, you don’t have to worry about bumping into them while walking around.

Pro: More Evenly Lit Rooms

Having recessed lighting installed means that you need to have several lights placed in different areas of the ceiling. This provides rooms with more even illumination, unlike a traditional overhead fixture that only illuminates the area near it. With more even lighting, you won’t end up with parts of the room that are dimmer. You can also rely on recessed lights to illuminate your entire kitchen for easier food preparation. Or light your whole living room so that you have enough light to read, no matter where you sit.

Pro: Recessed Lights Are Always in Style

Some types of lighting fixtures, such as track lighting or hanging fixtures, have styles and designs that change over time. Investing in these lights means that they’ll eventually look outdated. When you have recessed lighting, you don’t have to worry about it going out of style or needing to replace it for an updated look. While this might not matter as much in an out-of-the-way area, such as a basement, it can be a smart investment for kitchen or living room lighting.

Con: You Need a Lot of Recessed Lights for Good Lighting

One of the drawbacks of recessed lights is that each light only provides illumination in a limited area. To make sure that you have a room that is well lit, you need to have many of these lights installed in your ceiling. This involves more work in terms of the installation process and can affect the amount you spend overall, especially if you need them for a large room.

Con: Recessed Lighting Installation Is Complex

Some homeowners are able to install a traditional light fixture on their own. However, this isn’t a good idea with recessed lighting. This type of lighting needs to be carefully installed, which involves removing insulation in the area to reduce fire risks. You also need to make several holes in your ceiling for installation. Leaving this project to electrical professionals is the best way to ensure a proper and safe installation.

Con: Recessed Lights Can Leak Air

Since recessed lighting goes right into the ceiling, this can leave small gaps around each light. The gaps allow air to pass through, which can create drafts and affect the comfort of your home. Having professional electricians install recessed lights can help ensure that these gaps are properly sealed up.

Once you have made the decision to installed recessed lights in your Phoenix home or business, contact Turn It On Electric.

Categories Electric Bill, Lighting

LED lighting for your kitchen remodel

LED lighting for your kitchen remodel

When remodeling your kitchen, it\’s the ideal time to think about lighting. Your kitchen should have the right kind of lighting to allow you to do everyday tasks as efficiently as possible. LED lighting is a common choice for kitchen lights, thanks to its many benefits.

Brighter Lighting

Think about the kinds of tasks you do in your kitchen on a regular basis. Tasks such as cutting vegetables or cooking on the stove can be dangerous when you have a poorly lit kitchen. LED lights provide brighter lighting than incandescent bulbs and other traditional kitchen lights. Having a brightly lit kitchen makes food preparation tasks much safer for you and your family.

Brighter lighting is useful if you or your family members take care of other tasks in your kitchen as well. Your kids might do their homework at a built-in desk in the kitchen, or you might go through mail or pay bills at the kitchen table. Having LED lighting in these areas puts less strain on your eyes.

Cost Savings

LED lights use bulbs that last a lot longer than incandescent bulbs and other types of bulbs. This means you don’t have to worry about changing the bulbs often. You’ll be spending less money on LED bulbs overall, which helps save on the cost of lighting your kitchen.

With LED lighting in your kitchen, you’ll be using less energy than with traditional bulbs. This results in lower energy bills from month to month, which is another way to help you save money.

Enhanced Appearance and More Space

LED lighting fixtures are available in stylish designs that can improve your kitchen’s appearance. Instead of an outdated traditional fixture, for example, you can have a more contemporary LED fixture installed.

Some of these LED lighting fixtures, such as LED strips, can be placed in out-of-the-way places that don’t take up kitchen space. You can have these fixtures installed under your cabinets, for example. Having them installed in these areas means you’re not giving up any countertop space or overhead space.

LED Lighting Ideas

You can have LED lighting installed in several areas in your kitchen for brighter lighting. Some common places to have this type of lighting installed include the following:

  • Under cabinets: Under-cabinet lighting with LED lights provides task lighting for food preparation and other daily activities. These lights go on the underside of your cabinets so that you’ll have plenty of light shining down on your countertops without having to sacrifice any space.
  • Recessed lighting: This type of lighting can be used to highlight certain features of your kitchen or to create the right ambiance. You can have recessed LED downlights placed over glass cabinets for accent lighting. Another option is to have them installed over the main areas of your kitchen to create more even lighting.
  • Over cabinets: LED lighting placed over cabinets can add visual appeal to your kitchen. These lights are suitable if you have open space between the tops of your cabinets and your ceiling. You can have LED lights installed in these areas to accentuate certain design features in your kitchen.

When you\’re ready to install LED lighting in your kitchen, contact Turn It On Electric. We will work with you to incorporate the right kind of lighting in your kitchen.

Categories Lighting

Floor lamps vs ceiling lights: how to get your lighting right

Floor lamps vs ceiling lights: how to get your lighting right

Getting the lighting right can change the feel of a room. This is especially important in rooms where you spend a lot of time. From floor lamps to recessed lighting and everything in between, the right combination of lighting can be the final touch your room needs.

With so many options for each type of lighting, figuring out how to create your desired ambiance can be difficult for a do-it-yourselfer. To get the most out of your illumination consult with a highly qualified electrician at Turn It On Electric.

What are the lighting options?

The most important question you need to ask when planning a lighting installation is, \”What happens in this space?\” This question will help you determine what types of lights you need. There are three primary categories of lighting:

  • Ambient fixtures can be found on the ceiling in kitchens, bathrooms, closets, hallways, and bedrooms. These broadcast enough light over a room to make everything visible. However, they don\’t highlight anything in particular.
  • Task lighting is used in addition to another type of lighting. Its primary purpose is to make it easier to see work you\’re doing close up. For instance, under cabinet lights can help illuminate the countertop, making food prep easier. Task lights can include floor lamps.
  • Accent lights are less common in homes but can be used to illuminate artwork, displays, or even landscape features. This type of lighting draws attention to whatever it\’s aimed at.

So, what determines the best lighting for a room? In most spaces, a combination of the different types of lights will be your best option. This allows you to easily transition your room depending on what you\’re doing.

Your living room probably already has an overhead ambient light fixture. Imagine if that was your only source of light in the room. Wouldn\’t you be more comfortable at the end of a long day if you could turn on a floor lamp and read a book, rather than have a bright light looming over you? A floor lamp, or task light, provides enough focused light for you to see what you\’re reading, but it doesn\’t light up the entire room.

Ceiling Lights as a Starting Point

Ceiling lights allow you to illuminate a room with the flick of a switch. They can be extremely beneficial, especially in rooms without much natural light. An electrician may be able to install a dimmer to give you more control over the brightness of the overhead light. Unfortunately, one overhead light often isn\’t enough to get the lighting right in your room.

Floor Lamps to Enhance a Room

When choosing how to light up your space, it isn\’t usually a decision between floor lamps or ceiling lighting. Instead, a combination of the two can help you get the lighting right.

Floor lamps provide lighting to a specific area, such as a couch or chair. Reading, puzzles, or even just a good conversation can be enhanced by floor lamps. They often give you options in terms of levels of illumination. You can set a romantic mood with dim lighting or enhance an activity, such as reading, with the brighter setting.

Floor lamps do have some restrictions, making them best when used in combination with another source of light. For example, most have a set height. This can be an issue if you have unusually high or low furniture. Additionally, it can be an inconvenience to fumble around to find the switch to turn on the lamp.

Turn to the Lighting Pros

Whether you\’re building a new home, remodeling, or just aren\’t happy with the amount of light you currently have, the technicians at Turn It On Electric can help you enhance your space with lighting.

Choosing the right types of lighting can be tricky when you factor in all the lighting options available. If you\’re ready to illuminate your home, contact Turn It On Electric today. Our team members can recommend the best lighting options for you and install them professionally.

Categories Lighting

Top 5 considerations before buying LED strip lights

Top 5 considerations before buying LED strip lights

LED strip lights offer some important benefits for residential and commercial property owners. This type of lighting provides improved energy efficiency compared to incandescent lights, leading to significant savings on electric bills. LED strip lights are available in different colors and color temperatures. This allows Phoenix homeowners and business owners to create the ideal lighting effect.

If you plan on adding this type of lighting to your home or business, you’ll need to consider certain factors first. Keep the following in mind as you go over your options for LED strip lights.

LED Strip Lights: Locations and Usages

Before getting started, think about where you’ll be putting these lights. You can use them as accent lighting, mood lighting, and task lighting. Some homeowners add them under kitchen cabinets. Business owners can use them in storefronts, lobbies, and to illuminate signs. The location and purpose of your LED strip lights will help your electrician determine the right brightness and size for your space.

Brightness

One of the factors to consider for LED strip lights is the brightness you desire. The measure of brightness is known as lumens. You’ll need to determine how many lumens per foot you’re going to want for your LED lighting. This depends on what you’re using it for and where you’re installing it. An electrician can help determine the appropriate lumens for your space.

Color Temperature

The color temperature of your LED strip lights refers to how warm or cool the lighting appears. These temperatures, measured in degrees Kelvin (K), typically range from 2,700 K to 6,000 K. Lower temperatures produce a warm, yellowish glow. Higher temperatures appear more white.

The purpose of your LED strip lights helps determine the desired color temperature. For example, you might be better off with warm white lighting in bedrooms, living rooms, or even a hotel lobby. A slightly higher temperature, cool white, provides adequate lighting for the details you need to see in your kitchen or bathroom. An electrician can help you choose the appropriate Kelvin range for other areas, including garages, office buildings, and more.

LED Strip Size

It’s important to determine the appropriate LED strip size for your home or business. This helps to calculate the overall cost of the lighting. An electrician can help you determine the size you’ll need based on where you’re having it installed.

Quality of LED Strip Lights

LED strip lights vary widely in terms of quality. Choosing lower quality lights could affect the aesthetic of your home or business. Sometimes, cheaper upfront costs lead to more frequent repairs or replacement. Working with an electrician can help ensure that you select LED strip lights that provide the highest quality for your space.

If you’re considering LED strip lights for your Phoenix home or business, contact Turn It On Electric. We can handle all of your lighting needs.