Illuminating the Future of Kitchen Lighting: Energy Efficiency
Posted: September 2009
This article explains the latest strides kitchen lighting has made in the past couple of years in terms of both design and energy efficiency. Now, consumers have more options than ever before in choosing kitchen lighting for their home that is both beautiful and energy efficient.
It doesn't matter if you live in a home with a modern kitchen that has all the fancy upgrades, or one that just has a single overhead light in the center of the room. If you're not using the latest generation of energy-efficient bulbs, it's time for a lighting upgrade.
"Kitchen lighting has made great strides in the past couple of years, not just from a design standpoint, but with regards to energy efficiency. So upgrades
are definitely worth looking into," says Joe Rey-Barreau, education consultant for the American Lighting Association (ALA) and an associate professor at the University of Kentucky's School of Interior Design. He travels the country tracking trends, and one he's noticed lately is the focus on energy conservation.
"Lighting manufacturers are spending a considerable amount of time, and dedicating a lot of resources to developing fixtures capable of using more energy-efficient light sources than the standard incandescent," Rey-Barreau says. "And it's no coincidence that this trend is growing in popularity at a time when energy costs are on the rise," he says.
As recently as two years ago, the only fixtures available for the kitchen that used the most energy-efficient light sources available today - fluorescents and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) - were not aesthetically pleasing. In today's marketplace, however, decorative energy-efficient fixtures are available in every product category, whether you're looking for something traditional, modern or artsy.
"We know consumers want to capitalize on the fact that compact fluorescent bulbs are approximately three to four times more efficient than incandescent bulbs, and LEDs can be three to 10 times more efficient, so we've dedicated a lot of resources to developing new fixtures that utilize the technology," says Scott Roos, vice president of product design for Juno Lighting Group. "We'll be introducing an LED under-cabinet unit in the fall that requires just eight watts of energy to provide the same illumination as an 80-watt halogen light source. Our new LED down light will be 40 percent more energy efficient than a compact fluorescent and 75 percent more energy efficient than an incandescent."
"Kitchen lighting has made great strides in the past couple of years, not just from a design standpoint, but with regards to energy efficiency. So upgrades
are definitely worth looking into," says Joe Rey-Barreau, education consultant for the American Lighting Association (ALA) and an associate professor at the University of Kentucky's School of Interior Design. He travels the country tracking trends, and one he's noticed lately is the focus on energy conservation."Lighting manufacturers are spending a considerable amount of time, and dedicating a lot of resources to developing fixtures capable of using more energy-efficient light sources than the standard incandescent," Rey-Barreau says. "And it's no coincidence that this trend is growing in popularity at a time when energy costs are on the rise," he says.
As recently as two years ago, the only fixtures available for the kitchen that used the most energy-efficient light sources available today - fluorescents and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) - were not aesthetically pleasing. In today's marketplace, however, decorative energy-efficient fixtures are available in every product category, whether you're looking for something traditional, modern or artsy.
"We know consumers want to capitalize on the fact that compact fluorescent bulbs are approximately three to four times more efficient than incandescent bulbs, and LEDs can be three to 10 times more efficient, so we've dedicated a lot of resources to developing new fixtures that utilize the technology," says Scott Roos, vice president of product design for Juno Lighting Group. "We'll be introducing an LED under-cabinet unit in the fall that requires just eight watts of energy to provide the same illumination as an 80-watt halogen light source. Our new LED down light will be 40 percent more energy efficient than a compact fluorescent and 75 percent more energy efficient than an incandescent."
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