We are remodeling a basement to make a game room and want energy efficient lighting in the ceiling instead of incandescent. not willing to use industrial fluorescent tubes because of appearance. Is there an attractive, energy efficient light made? Chandeliers with fluorescent that hide bulbs? canisters in ceiling? large room needs lots of light. Input please.
Hammertoe
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Try this link...
http://www.nam.lighting.philips.com/us/consumer/products_marathon_ES.php
Phillips has almost anything you could want...
For the home you only have two basic choices, incandescent and fluorescent. All the other types of lighting (metal halide, high pressure sodium, mercury vapor, and so forth) are high brightness industrial lights like in factories or parking lots.
Incandescent lights (halogen are a form of incandescent) are not energy efficient. That leaves you with fluorescents.
There are a zillion choices in fluorescents, though. Especially in California, which mandates nearly every aspect of the lives of its inhabitants.
If you want to stay with tubes, there are lots of different fixtures besides the bare shop light or plastic-lensed troffer for drop in ceilings. In that case choose electronic ballasts and a lamp with a high Color Rendering Index, at least in the 70s or 80s.
There are also recessed ceiling can lights that are equipped with small fluorescent lamps. You can take any standard fixture and screw in fluorescent lamps as well. And a number of fixture manufactures offer fluorescent capability as an option. Look at fixture catalogs in a lighting supply house and you'll see that you can get many of their fixtures equipped for fluorescents.
The trouble with the smaller fluorescent lamps is that the color is very unnatural. They tend to make skin look green. So, I'd recommend mixing fluorescent and incandescent, unless you go with all tubes, which are available in high Color Rendering Index versions.
I am a huge advocate of LED lighting but its not readily available yet.You can find it online and get bulbs that screw into regular sockets. They are absolutely amazing in my opinion, using just a few watts and purportedly give off very little heat as well as last forever. Check them out its the new ultra energy efficient lighting that almost nobody has heard of. (Why am I the only one who knows about these things?)
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