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Today’s energy efficient homes are built to meet or exceed the government’s 5 STAR requirements for energy efficiency. Consider the following: when gas prices are higher, people will drive by several stations looking for a cheaper price or bargain- instead simply stooping at the first station that is most convenient.

Real estate, new home purchasers seem to follow the same trend. There are many first time home buyers who are still looking building homes all over the country. But not as many as in the recent years. Those buyers are just scrutinizing their investment more. They are shopping multiple builders, researching energy efficient house and system built homes on the internet, etc. at much more higher rate then before. The inflation, which is increased cost of land, building materials and labor have slowed the market, but have also created a great opportunity for builders of energy efficient house building systems. Those builders who stand the scrutiny of being compared to many other possibilities have much better chance to stay in business.

A slowdown can spell doom to many builders using traditional construction methods, as it is nearly impossible to price much less than other builders without offering less quality/features. However, is stark contrast, energy efficient house with System Built Homes thrive in this market as we able to offer homes that match (or often exceed) quality/feature standards while offering a much competitive price than houses are built with regular stick building. While the slower market dictates less and more scrutinies buyers, an energy efficient house with System Built Homes have the ability to attract more of these buyers.

Lighting is a necessary and powerful part of any environment. A new homes lighting should be versatile and energy efficient. With the dimmers and fixtures of today it is possible to have optimal lighting and save energy at the same time. In this article I plan to hit on some of the best suited places to put today’s energy efficient lighting.

Lighting can be broken down in to three major types, ambient, task, and accent. Ambient lighting can be provided by many sources but for this article we will touch on two of the most common sources of general lighting in todays homes, the table lamp and the ceiling mount fixture. This is probably the easiest type of lighting to provide using energy efficient sources as the common retro-type fluorescent bulb can go in most any table lamp and flush mount fixture. In the past several years Verilux and Ottlite have created a niche market by offering lamps that take dedicated fluorescent bulbs that closely match daylight. While this can sometimes offer good general illumination in a room remember that these types of fixtures usually have a very white light that does not look good in most living areas.

The second type of lighting used to light a space is task lighting. Task lighting is needed anywhere tasks will be performed, the most common areas in a home being the kitchen, the office, and the laundry room. In the kitchen the way to be energy conscious is with fluorescent or LED under cabinet lighting. Many companies offer both types including Lithonia, Kichler, and National Specialty Lighting. It is important to mention that regardless of the type of energy efficient lighting you decide to use under cabinets for task lighting be sure that the Kelvin Temperature is close to that of the other fixtures in the room.

Finally accent lighting can also be achieved with energy efficient lighting. Flourescent bulbs and fixtures are not well suited to accent lighting due the large source of light from fluorescent tubes. Today’s energy efficient accent lighting is provided with LED. There are now very good retro fit LED bulbs available in MR16 and PAR types but they can still be expensive. Putting dimmers on Halogen accent lighting is also can also be an energy conscious choice when designed properly.

This is just a quick overview of ways to remember the environment when designing and specifying the lighting for today’s homes. Any space can be lit wisely and efficiently with the tools available today. For further questions or a consultation for the next space you will be lighting come by Village Lighting at 1616 North State Street inBellingham, WA. Village Lighting is a fully stocked showroom with knowledgeable staff that’s now available online at www.villagelightinginc.com