McBride Lighting & Electrical Services

Tips for Planning Your Kitchen Lighting

Without the right type of lighting, your kitchen won’t be as beautiful, or as functional, as you would like. It’s important to have a mixture of lighting in layers to emphasize the characteristics of your kitchen and to allow you to easily prepare meals.

Task lighting is very important and makes your kitchen highly functional. General lighting can be toggled on or off to create ambience, while accent lighting, such as under-cabinet lighting, can add a lot of character. Multiple switches and dimmers used in combination can allow you to adjust your kitchen’s lighting scheme at any time. Watch this helpful video for more illuminating tips.

McBride Lighting & Electrical Services specializes in designing and installing tailored lighting fixtures to make the most of your kitchen and home. Visit us online or call us at (720) 250-9777 to schedule a consultation with one of our specialists.

A Basic Guide to Different Light Bulbs and Their Uses

There are many different types of light bulbs that can be used in your home. Incandescent light bulbs used to be the most common choice for residential lighting. Today, compact fluorescent lighting has become one of the most popular ways to enjoy increased energy efficiency. LEDs are also once again changing the way many people look at energy-efficient lighting.

Incandescent Bulbs
Once one of the most ubiquitous light bulbs in the nation, the incandescent bulb uses a filament usually made from tungsten, which has an incredibly high melting temperature. When heated by using electricity, the metal filament emits light. Over time, the inside of the light bulb can darken due to the decay of the filament, and these bulbs can burn out. One of the problems with incandescent lighting is that it generates a lot of heat and consequently wastes energy.

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
CFLs are quickly replacing many incandescent bulbs in households. They can last up to 10 times longer, use only a fraction of the energy, and emanate cool light—generating far less heat than an incandescent equivalent. These light bulbs are ideal for use throughout the home, available in a wide range today. Many warm variants are available, contrasting the early CFL bulbs that produced much harsher light than typical incandescent bulbs.

Light-Emitting Diodes
Still a relatively new development in household lighting, light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are seeing more and more use. These bulbs generate almost no heat and have lifespans longer than even CFLs. Varying light temperatures and colors provide a wide range of uses for LEDs, and they are largely seen in commercial applications. This type of bulb can help homeowners save vast amounts of money on the cost of lighting their homes and offer many creative options for accent and task lighting.

Professional electricians can help you understand what areas of your home can be upgraded with new lighting fixtures or new bulbs. McBride Lighting & Electrical Services has the experience and products to help you reduce your energy bills and explore new forms of lighting. Call us at (720) 250-9777 to schedule a consultation. You can also visit us online if you would like to learn more about what we have to offer.

Looking For More Information On Home And Outdoor Lighting? Take A Look At The Links Below

Learn how to determine whether your home could use extra illumination for increased security and whether you should retrofit your existing lighting by visiting the pages below. Contact McBride Lighting & Electrical Services at (720) 250-9777 if you would like to explore these topics or our services in more detail.

• Find out why it's important to have quality exterior lighting by exploring this page from LandscapingNetwork.com.
   
• Visit ThisOldHouse.com to learn how path lighting can increase the security of your yard and add visual appeal.
   
• Check out this infographic from The Washington Post to get an idea of vulnerabilities around your home that could be exploited by a potential intruder.
   
• When you're looking to upgrade your kitchen lighting, be sure to check out this slideshow from HGTV.com for inspiration.
   
• For further tips on increasing the security of your home, such as upgrading your exterior lighting, read this article from HowStuffWorks.com.

Keep Children Safe from Electrical Outlets in Your Home

Electrical safety is something every homeowner should practice, and keeping the young ones safe around electrical outlets is a top priority. There are a few different ways to protect your outlets against access by infants and children. Some methods include specialized covers or safety plugs.

Designed to prevent small hands from coming into contact with an electrical source, these measures are used with almost any standard outlet. Safety plugs are made from plastic, which does not conduct electricity. These plugs fit into the outlet like an appliance plug, and children are not strong enough to be able to remove them. Swivel covers can be installed over your existing receptacles and require twisting pressure from a plug in order to open. Watch this video for additional safety tips.

To learn more about electrical safety, contact McBride Lighting & Electrical Services at (720) 250-9777. We can help keep your home safe with new wiring, service panels, and other upgrades.

Lighting Retrofit or New Lighting: Which Is Right for Your Home?

Upgrading your home's lighting can help you harness energy efficiency and enjoy a greater range of lighting for areas inside and outside of your house. Many quality electricians offer lighting retrofit services that can update an older home. Other homeowners may benefit from an entirely new lighting installation.

When Retrofitting is Appropriate
Lighting retrofits often involve replacement fixtures, additional wiring, and energy-efficient upgrades for the bulbs in your home. Retrofitting is a great way to modernize your lighting usage, reduce your energy consumption, and enjoy the cosmetic and practical benefits that upgraded lighting has to offer.

Lighting retrofits are ideal for older homes that have safe and high-quality electrical wiring but use incandescent bulbs and other low-efficiency lighting exclusively. By simply upgrading to compact fluorescent bulbs inside the home and other high-efficiency lights outside, you can cut your energy use and enjoy low-maintenance, long-lasting sources of light.

When to Add New Lighting
Adding new lighting can be a simple choice for many homeowners. Rewiring an older home will make it safer and able to accept higher-voltage appliances, also allowing for more unique lighting installations. A remodeled kitchen begs to be shown off with new lighting fixtures, customized for the space. Ill-lit landscapes can be made safe and stunning with the addition of new lighting fixtures.

A combination of both retrofitting and new lighting installations can be the best solution for some homeowners. It all depends on your goals: Would you like to save energy, enjoy wider-spectrum lighting, implement custom solutions, or illuminate dark areas? You may find that retrofitting some areas of your home's lighting installation while adding new fixtures in key areas is ideal.

To learn more about lighting retrofits and new installations, contact McBride Lighting & Electrical Services at (720) 250-9777. We can show you the advantages of using energy-efficient fixtures and modern lighting to add beauty and illumination to your home.