WEB Freebies
We've added three pictorial checklists: “Laundry Room Design,” “Kitchen Design,” and “Oops!” These lists are chock-full of insightful information to help design function into your new home. And you know what they say: “A picture is worth a thousand words!” For more information,
Click for FREEBIES !
Watch a Green Home in the Making!
Recently I worked with those designing the 2008 Vision Home to provide a functional analysis. This home, now under construction in the Orlando area, is a project of Green Builder Magazine and Westmont Homes. For detailed photos and additional information about this project and the suppliers who are working on it, see
http://www.greenhomes.typepad.com.
Energy-Efficient Recessed Lighting
Are recessed lights a good idea in terms of energy costs?
Top hats, can lights, pot lights, down-lights, recessed lights. Whatever you call them, recessed cans offer a
versatile lighting option for residential construction.
Unfortunately, these little lighting cures can also be a source of
significant air leakage. Commonly used recessed fixtures do not have air-tight housings, and are installed without
sealing the connection between ceiling and fixture. The resulting air infiltration between conditioned and
unconditioned space equals higher energy bills. (The only time air infiltration is not a problem is when the attic space
will be sealed – no soffit or ridge vents – and foam insulated.).
Recognizing that energy loss from can lights is a problem for many consumers,
the lighting industry now offers cans that are airtight.
Designated as ICAT (insulation contact airtight) and offered by most lighting manufactures,
these fixtures have the following features:
-
A gasket option
has been added
that permits a
tight seal
between the
fixture and the
ceiling
-
The metal housing, pictured below, is manufactured to be airtight.
Will changing to fluorescent bulbs make a difference in energy costs?
Yes indeed, since fluorescent bulbs use one-third the energy of their incandescent counterparts and produce much less heat.
One drawback to this approach is that, up until now, however, fluorescent bulbs could not be used with dimmer switches.
Progress® Lighting is one company that has addressed this issue by introducing a dimmable, fluorescent
ICAT recessed can light, pictured above. This unit operates with a standard 26-watt compact fluorescent bulb and
works with a standard incandescent dimmer. A 26-watt fluorescent is roughly equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent bulb).
For more information, visit
www.ProgressLighting.com
What about LED recessed lighting?
LED’s for use in can lights are just entering the market. Keep an eye on LLF™ Incorporated for their LED selection.
I am very impressed with their LR6, which is designed for use in standard 6” cans. This product produces a bright,
warm light, lasts more than 20 years under normal use, is comfortable to the touch, and uses 85 percent less energy
than a conventional incandescent and less than half the energy of a comparable fluorescent. LLF has even designed an
electronic chip that reduces the inherent problem with LED lights becoming less bright over time. The LR6 is also dimmable.
Read more at
www.LEDLightingFixtures.com
Suggestions for energy efficient recessed lighting:
Is there a subject you’d like me to cover? Let me know by sending an email to tracy@tracystips.net.
All past issues of this ezine are in the Ezine Archives on our web site. Click here for Ezine Archives !
Copyright © 2007 Tracy DeCarlo - All Right Reserved
WANT A CHECK LIST OF HUNDREDS OF TIPS
AND IDEAS FOR DESIGNING A FUNCTIONAL HOME?
If you liked today’s tips you’ll love the book “Don’t Forget the Linen Closets!” It’s packed with over 240 ideas and reminders to help you incorporate function, organization, and efficiency into your home without breaking the bank.
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To us, it [“Don’t Forget the Linen Closets”] is the most thorough guide to building a house, regardless of size, in the industry. Most importantly, it is geared toward the folks who will actually live in the house.
By following your guidelines, we are confident that we will have a far more functional home than if we had been on our own. Also, we know that we and the builder have saved thousands of dollars by avoiding rework and non-functional design flaws. In fact we have dubbed the book, “The Home Buyers’ Essential Handbook for Design and Construction in Less Than 50 Pages.”
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences in such a concise and useful way.
Bill and Yvonne Dunbar
Homeowners building a custom home
Orlando, FL – February 2006
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If you’d like more personalized help, Tracy’s plan-review service will walk you through the process in detail. In either case, planning the details in the beginning can save thousands in the end! To see more testimonials and/or to place your order, visit
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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the following blurb in its entirety:
Tracy DeCarlo, author of “Don’t Forget the Linen Closets!” publishes the idea-packed, monthly e-zine “Tips for Designing a Functional Home.” If you’re ready to learn how to incorporate organization, function, and efficiency into your new home or remodeling project without breaking the bank, get your FR*EE tips now at www.BuildingTips.net.
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