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You're planning to remodel your kitchen. You've planned out everything - you've got the granite countertops picked out, the cherry cabinets are on order, and the latest stainless steel appliances have arrived. You've thought of everything...

Except one thing.

Your kitchen lighting plan. These days, the modern kitchen must have more that just utilitarian overhead lighting. Remember the bank of overhead fluorescent lights with the clear plastic diffusion tiles and they were just about the only light source in the kitchen?

Today, you need a lighting plan in your kitchen that will help with functionality as well as the beauty of the room. You need task lighting but you also need lights to add ambiance. Here are some ideas that you can discuss with your electrician to make sure that your new kitchen is perfect in every way and that all this perfection can be seen and enjoyed.

Start with Task Lighting
Make sure that the major work areas of your kitchen have plenty of available lighting. Most new kitchen schemes have lighting under the cabinets to highlight cutting surfaces, lights over the sink or range, and illumination over a kitchen island or stand-alone counter. Lights can be spaced under cabinets to light the work areas on the counters. Recessed or pendant lights can shine down on sinks and stovetops. For kitchen islands, recessed and pendant lighting is your best choice.

Next is Lighting Control
You need to make sure you and your electrician think about how you're going to turn your lighting scheme on and off. Consider placement at the entrance(s) to the kitchen. With modern technology, you have more than just the typical on-off switch. You can have a package of switch and light dimmers installed that will allow you to control the task, ambient, and accent lighting in the room. There can also be programmable settings that will give you pre-planned lighting looks, depending on your needs - full lighting for major food prep, an accent setting to highlight shadows and colors for a dinner party, and more. Not only can these lighting controls provide an aesthetic look, they can save money on energy and extend the life of the bulbs.

Add Accent Lighting
Accent lights can be overhead track lighting that spotlights the color of the kitchen cabinets, wall scones that can be dimmed down low, lighting within the kitchen cabinets that shines through a semi-transparent cabinet door, and recessed lights around the perimeter of the kitchen to show off the surface of the counters and the new floor.

For your lighting, you can go with the traditional incandescent bulbs or the stark fluorescent bulbs, but you might consider this an opportunity to add low voltage lighting or at least halogen bulbs to save even more energy in a room that is constantly being used and is the hub of most homes. By saving energy, you'll not only cut your electric bill but you'll also be helping to save the planet.

If you need to find an electrician or a low voltage lighting expert, you can post your job on ConstructionDeal.com - you'll have electrical pros calling you instead of having to call them at random. This will save you time. And do not get just one bid or talk to only one electrician - the more bids you have, the better your chances are of saving money and finding the right person for the job.

At ConstructionDeal.com, you get to choose how many electricians will call you so you'll know how many bids you'll be receiving. And it's fast, free, and easy to post your kitchen lighting project!

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Labels: Electircians, Electricians, Kitchen Lighting

Here is some valuable information from the Leviton Institute on making sure your home is safe:

"The trend to upgrade and remodel our homes is an indication of how much we value the creature comforts and security of home. But how safe are we in our homes? Last year 7 million Americans suffered disabling injuries and another 27,000 died as a result of injuries sustained in their homes.

Now is a good time to take stock of how you can prevent hidden electrical dangers from becoming disasters. It is recommended you have a professional electrical safety inspection performed every ten years and that you conduct your own inspection of your home and exterior grounds annually.

Here's how:

1. Examine outlets and switches to make sure they have no cracked or broken parts. If they do or if they are hot to the touch, make sure you have them replaced immediately. Also check for loose-fitting plugs which can be a shock or fire hazard.

2. Outlets are designed to accommodate a certain amount of amperage, generally 15 or 20 amps. If you overload an outlet with too many appliances you can exceed its amperage rating and create a fire or shock hazard in your home. Unplug the excessive appliances from the outlet and plug them in elsewhere in your home.

3. Never tape over a damaged electrical cord. Make sure cords are not frayed or cracked and never run them under carpets or rugs. Replace taped, frayed or damaged cords immediately.

4. Never force a plug into an outlet and never remove the ground pin from the plug to make a three-prong plug fit a two conductor outlet. If plugs fit loosely in an outlet and begin falling out, the outlet must be replaced.

5. Fuses should be properly rated for the circuits they're protecting. Always replace a fuse with the same size you are removing. Check to ensure that the circuit breakers in your home are working properly.

6. Make sure you have GFCIs installed in your kitchen, bathrooms, workshop, basement, garage and outdoor areas where water and electricity are likely to come in contact.

7. Test your GFCI once a month. Plug an appliance or nightlight into it and turn it on. Press the "TEST" button and see if the appliance or the light switches off. Press the "RESET" button and the appliance or light should go back on. If the appliance or light doesn't go off when you push the TEST button or if it doesn't go back on when you press the RESET button, the GFCI isn't working properly and should be replaced.

8. When using an extension cord, always plug an appliance into the cord before plugging it into the outlet.

9. When using extension cords outdoors, always use a cord rated for outdoor use.

10. Never install a high wattage light bulb into a lamp socket rated for a lower wattage bulb."

If you need to find a local Electrician, post your request with Construction Deal. We'll match you with a master electrician to inspect your homes wiring and electrical capabilities. It's a free service to find a qualified pro in your area.

Labels: Electircians, Electrical Safety