Browse Forums Lighting + Lighting Design Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 21Mar 07, 2009 8:05 am In the 18 months since I have frequented this forum I have noticed a shift in attitude to downlights; whereas they were flavour of the month and woe betide anyone who didn't want them anywhere and everywhere, people seem much more cautious or even openly anti them now.
Just an observation. We haven't got any either, never could really see the big deal about them and parents had some problems with theirs which put me off. Anyway, bigred, 12 double pps doesnt seem enough to me either - I just checked our electrical plan and we have 26 doubles, 7 singles, and 3 outdoor sockets in a 23 sq house and that doesn't seem excessive. Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 22Mar 07, 2009 10:30 am No downlights for me either!!
I will have 150sqm of living space and I am installed about 20 extra power points and 3 extra lights inside (over kitchen bench) and a few outside lights or junction boxes - depends on the cost really 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 23Mar 07, 2009 2:25 pm Nope, l don't think you've gone overboard BACT....our home is just over 40sqs (including garage) and we will have 69 light points (17 of those are downlights) and 57 power points in total. Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 24Mar 07, 2009 3:26 pm I've got 66 power points and 134 lights!!!! (118 of them are downlights)
Also, I've forgotten that I want a couple of lights in the roof and a couple of GPO in the roof too. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 25Mar 07, 2009 4:20 pm Casa2 I've got 66 power points and 134 lights!!!! (118 of them are downlights) Also, I've forgotten that I want a couple of lights in the roof and a couple of GPO in the roof too. Ok, now I feel a little bit better - thanks Casa!!! I spent the morning going through and trying to cut down on number...but i think I actually ended up with more! haha Can I ask, will you be putting most of your downlights on dimmers and/or using any sort of central lighting control system (e.g. Clipsal/Dynalite)?? Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 26Mar 08, 2009 9:19 am Our Dream joles I am not having one downlight.... I am an unusual specimen I know.... I love powerpoints as well.... but even I'm not having that many.. I don't think. Must go and check plans. I'm with you we are not having any down light i just hate them Not a big fan of them either. Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 28Mar 08, 2009 6:13 pm I do wonder as to why so many posters in this thread don't like LV downlights.
If it's to do with energy saving, I wonder of those how many have, or are about to purchase a plasma TV. Also how many leave TV's on when not actually watching them, plus how many leave their electronic devices in standby mode. IMO energy savings come in many forms, and providing your home has adequate natural lighting then the use of lighting during the daytime hours should be minimal. The current trend of having the kitchen in the middle of the house does IMO waste a lot of energy, because unless you put a skylight in you'll generally have lights burning during the day. Anyway my preferences for lighting are to have adequate lumens for the intended purpose of the area. I prefer lighting to set a mood without drawing attention to it. To the OP you can never IMO have too many lights, or powerpoints for that matter, the trick with the lighting is to get the switching configured in a manner that allows plenty of flexibility. Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 29Mar 08, 2009 7:05 pm Ok so now I think we have UNDER done our lighting.
We are building a house that is 373sq metres and have only allowed 35 lights in total. Building Thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=13002 Site start: 8th July 2009 Handover: 11/12/2009! 5 months total build time. 40 sqs of luxuary...Bliss! Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 30Mar 08, 2009 7:17 pm I like downlights for what they were intended for... feature lighting. I hate them when I'm watching TV, they tend to shine in the wrong places. I find they lack versatility and they lack character.
In the right type of home, they are the right choice, but in many, many homes they just make the place seem..... soulless. I think as part of a completely thought out lighting plan, and in the right home they are fine. But I personally think they are often the easy or lazy option. This is just my opinion though... and I certainly don't think that what I'm saying is right for everyone. As for saving energy, no plasma or LCD for me, and I turn appliances off at the switch when not in use. I leave you to fend for yourself, figure things out yourself. Terrence Malick Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 31Mar 08, 2009 7:18 pm kiwi056 I do wonder as to why so many posters in this thread don't like LV downlights. If it's to do with energy saving, I wonder of those how many have, or are about to purchase a plasma TV. Also how many leave TV's on when not actually watching them, plus how many leave their electronic devices in standby mode. IMO energy savings come in many forms, and providing your home has adequate natural lighting then the use of lighting during the daytime hours should be minimal. The current trend of having the kitchen in the middle of the house does IMO waste a lot of energy, because unless you put a skylight in you'll generally have lights burning during the day. Anyway my preferences for lighting are to have adequate lumens for the intended purpose of the area. I prefer lighting to set a mood without drawing attention to it. To the OP you can never IMO have too many lights, or powerpoints for that matter, the trick with the lighting is to get the switching configured in a manner that allows plenty of flexibility. Maybe people think that it is an easy way that they can cut down on their electricity bills w/out changing much else 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 32Mar 08, 2009 7:24 pm BuildingACT Casa2 I've got 66 power points and 134 lights!!!! (118 of them are downlights) Also, I've forgotten that I want a couple of lights in the roof and a couple of GPO in the roof too. Ok, now I feel a little bit better - thanks Casa!!! I spent the morning going through and trying to cut down on number...but i think I actually ended up with more! haha Can I ask, will you be putting most of your downlights on dimmers and/or using any sort of central lighting control system (e.g. Clipsal/Dynalite)?? Only some over the kitchen benchtop, which will be halogen, will be dimmable. All the others will be non-dimmable CFL. I'm getting the house wired normally. Later I will substitute the wall switches with Clipsal Saturn wireless switches. Not only do they look great but they open up all sorts of possibilities. When you first install the Clipsal wirelsss switches they behave like any normal switch. We'll call this Stage 1. Later you can reassign switches and perform some functions, all without a PC. Stage 2. Finally, you can get a wireless gateway that will connect to your PC and now the sky's the limit. http://www.clipsal.com/consumer/product ... s_wireless BTW, for downlights, the recommended number of downlights is one for every 4 square metres of floor space. So, if you have 200 square metres of living spaces, that would translate to 50 downlights. Oyster lights are generally one for every 12 to 16 square metres. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 33Mar 08, 2009 9:20 pm I was wondering the same thing about people not liking downlights Downlights seem to be very popular in Display Homes. I know that they use the halogen type (with transformers), however the warm white CFLs will run on 240v and produce similar light density to the halogen.
So the Pros of the CFLs are, 1. Energy efficient 2. Run on 240v so need for transformers 3. Come in warm and cool white 4. Long life Cons, 1. I think 2-3 CFLs will be equivalent in lighting intensity to the normal light builb 2. They're not dimmable. Can someone clarify why people opting out for downlights if they can provide such great lighting environment and energy efficiency at the same time ? Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 34Mar 08, 2009 9:25 pm iTalk Can someone clarify why people opting out for downlights if they can provide such great lighting environment and energy efficiency at the same time ? i've never lived in a house with them and while I don't mind the light they give, they do use more power and I would prefer a more powerful light on the roof and then have softer lighting provided by lamps - best of both worlds that way 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 35Mar 08, 2009 10:15 pm pinkfairymagic Ok so now I think we have UNDER done our lighting. We are building a house that is 373sq metres and have only allowed 35 lights in total. well yeah seems so...unless you've gone for all batten fixes...which seems pretty rare these days l'd say?? Your house is about the same size as ours...our builder allowed us 1 light point per square ....yeah right as if that was gonna be adequate! Thankfully BIL is a sparky so we (and he, lol) could've gone nuts with our electrical plan, although in the end we didn't and still ended up with 69 light points... I think you need to re-think your lighting plan mate....how's your power point situation? Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 36Mar 08, 2009 10:34 pm iTalk I was wondering the same thing about people not liking downlights Downlights seem to be very popular in Display Homes. I know that they use the halogen type (with transformers), however the warm white CFLs will run on 240v and produce similar light density to the halogen. So the Pros of the CFLs are, 1. Energy efficient 2. Run on 240v so need for transformers 3. Come in warm and cool white 4. Long life Cons, 1. I think 2-3 CFLs will be equivalent in lighting intensity to the normal light builb 2. They're not dimmable. Can someone clarify why people opting out for downlights if they can provide such great lighting environment and energy efficiency at the same time ? Yup, virtually all the new display homes l've seen have downlights everywhere, l like them but when they are used sparingly. Our last house we rented had downlights throughout (halogen), to me it made the house seem less homier looking and the level of light they gave off was ordinary l thought. We are only having downlights in the kitchen (between the benches, we'll have pendants on the island and undercupboard flouro's), the HT/Lounge, Hallway and Entry. I'm not sure if my BIL is putting in the CFL ones or halogen. Am thinking that CFL for the hallway and entry as these will be used alot and halogens for the rest that won't be needed as often or require a bright level of light. And Casa...we are having the Saturn switches too *drools*...originally only to the kitchen, living, bathroom & ensuite.....but now the whole house will have them .....not the wireless ones though. The Cbus system looks awesome but, but was waaayyy out of our budget. Your right, the possibillities really are endless...lucky you! Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 37Mar 09, 2009 8:58 am lisanne iTalk Can someone clarify why people opting out for downlights if they can provide such great lighting environment and energy efficiency at the same time ? i've never lived in a house with them and while I don't mind the light they give, they do use more power and I would prefer a more powerful light on the roof and then have softer lighting provided by lamps - best of both worlds that way I'm not against the idea of having one powerful light bulb in the roof. As a matter of fact, I prefer having both on the roof. Downlights can be used when you have visitors, and the single light bulb when you're at home by yourself. I, myself, prefer my house to be kind of dark. I like the romantic/calming feel of a not so bright house, but my partner thinks otherwise Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 38Mar 09, 2009 9:59 am Well, glad to see I got some interesting discussion going!
We've basically come to the conclusion that we're happy with the number of powerpoints (actually more now ) and lights we'll have in the house - and going to be thinking very carefully about how we group/switch them so that we can have as much flexibility as possible!! We'll have plenty of glass in all our living areas, including the kitchen, so really don't intend to be using any form of lighting during the days and we're not big fans of having overly bright rooms - except occasionally when lots of people are around! Thanks for all the comments and advice! Re: 68 p'points & 86 lights...oh just make it 100 each! ;) 40Mar 09, 2009 10:13 am iTalk BuildingACT, what software did you use to mark up your electrical plan ? The one that I posted on here? It's a pretty specialised piece of high tech software...called Microsoft Paint Not unless you have managed to put it as a special condition into the contract somehow. 1 6155 That sucks! Hope it all works out. Good to move away from steel anyway for all your reasons, but it's also thermally poor. 16 17879 As is per usual for many of the past failed RWH regulations, it is probably traceable to a bureaucrat who's ego overrode the need to seek the appropriate expert… 1 1016 |