Archive for June, 2011

Bulbrite Halogen Bulb

Eco-friendly lighting has been getting a lot of buzz lately. Besides being a great way to reduce your energy bills, eco-friendly lighting can also mean friendlier electrical use for the environment. As we all know, electricity is an expensive part of our daily lives and conserving energy can mean great things for both our wallets and our planet. So if you’ve considered making the switch to eco-friendly lighting, ValleyLighting-CT.com has a few suggestions on how you can get started:

1.) Begin by swapping out your regular incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) or halogen bulbs. Not only do these bulbs last longer, but they also use a fraction of the energy of incandescent bulbs.

2.) Consider installing new light fixtures that are compatible for LEDs, or light emitting diodes. LEDs can last for thousands of hours and don’t give off the extra heat of other lighting types. Less heat means easier temperature control and less energy expended on regulating temperature.

3.) Switch to solar outdoor lamps for your outdoor lighting scheme. Solar lamps can last for 100,000 hours or more depending on the type of fixture and if it’s properly installed.

4.) Use rechargeable batteries in your electronics or on outdoor lighting fixtures such as solar lights. Rechargeable batteries are more expensive up front, but they can mean huge savings in the long run.

Have other eco-friendly lighting tips that you’d like to share? Leave us a comment – we’d love to share your tips with the rest of our readers!

Outdoor Lighting Fixture

If you’ve been reading up on landscape lighting on our blog and want to start making changes to your current outdoor lighting scheme, now is the perfect time to start. Landscape lighting is so much easier to do during the summer months and as you look for different fixtures, lighting schemes, and tips, remember that you can do many of these things right at home with just a little help from the professionals at ValleyLighting-CT.com.

Here are some tips from the lighting experts at ValleyLighting-CT.com to help you get started on creating the outdoor lighting scheme of your dreams:

• It’s best to use a combination of low-voltage lights and spotlights in your outdoor lighting design.
• Low-voltage lights are great for using along shrubs, gardens, or pathways.
• To showcase trees, sculptures, architectural details, or foliage, you’ll want to use spotlight.
• When installing your outdoor lighting, keep in mind that you made need an electrician to assist. While installing low-voltage lights on a 12-volt system can be easy, working with spotlights can get complicated.
• When spacing garden lights, try spacing them out about every 6 to 8 feet. Be careful not to overdo it.
• When adding a spotlight, consider using two: one on each side of the object to enhance the look.
• To light a home’s exterior, use spotlights within 18 inches of the house. Experiment with the direction until you get the right level of illumination without having it shine into the windows.

Do you have any tips for making the most of your outdoor lighting?

Landscape lighting is the perfect summertime project for you to take on if you’re looking to spruce up your exterior. Luckily, to help you get started, ValleyLighting-CT.com has these four easy steps for starting to plan out your landscape lighting scheme. All you’ll need is a paper, pencil, eraser, and some flashlights. Let’s get started.

1.) Startout by drawing a rough sketch of your exterior. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The key thing in this exercise is to get an idea of how many lights you might need and where you plan to put them.

2.) Then, go outside and take your sketch. Do a walkthrough of your lawn and mark down any additional lights. Pay attention to areas like pathways, trees, gardens, or ornamential foliage to see where you may want an extra light for emphasis.

3.) At night, go outside again with your sketch with a flashlight. Place them in areas where you plan to install the lights to see (roughly) how they may look once installed.

4.) Make a list of the number of lights and the appropriate plaecment for each. Then, visit the lighting experts at ValleyLighting-CT.com for a lighting consultation. Lighting designers will know best when it comes to choosing the best  Not local? Give us a call toll-free at 877.405.LIGHT(5444) and we’d be happy to answer your questions.
Remember, we travel anywhere within 90 minutes of our store (sometimes farther by special request). We also offer consulting in our store or by phone/fax/email. For more information, or to request a site visit, contact Frank or Peggy at 203-736-6921 or email us at – consulting@valleylighting-ct.com.

Landscape Lighting

In last month’s series of posts, we talked about ways to get the interior of your home looking great. Now, it’s time to move to the exterior of your home and dive into tips to make your landscape lighting shine – literally! Landscape lighting can be a great way for you to highlight the design of your yard, your gardens, or even some architectural features of your property. At ValleyLighting-CT.com, we offer many landscape lighting fixtures, including an extensive selection from Kichler Lighting and Focus Industries.

Why add lighting to your landscape? For beauty and safety of course! Outdoor lighting along your garden paths and in your landscapes not only accentuates the beauty of your property at night; it also provides illumination for your walkways and your property, making it less likely for trespassers or those accidental trips and falls. For a lawn that is envied and a home that is safer, it pays to invest in the appropriate landscape lighting for your property. Check out the selection of outdoor landscape lighting today at ValleyLighting-CT.com to get started.
But besides offering a great selection of outdoor lighting and landscape lighting fixtures, ValleyLighting-CT.com also offers on-site visits so that we can show you how your yard will look all lit up at night! Now that’s something that other Connecticut lighting stores just don’t do.

If you want superior service and the finest selection of landscape lighting fixtures from Kichler and Focus Industries, contact us today for your landscape lighting consultation!