Lighting
Natural light is as important to your body as proper nutrition, sleep and exercise. It nourishes our physical well-being and lack of it can severely affect our psychological and emotional balance. Designers tend to make the best use of natural light in a space, especially as so many of us spend a vast proportion of our days indoors and out of natural daylight.
Once we move indoors there are many choices of lighting solutions now available. Technology has moved on a lot since energy saving light bulbs were first invented, and so has the way they look. Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) and Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs have revolutionized energy-efficient lighting.
CFLs are simply miniature versions of full-sized fluorescents. They screw into standard lamp sockets, and give off light that looks just like the common incandescent bulbs - not like the fluorescent lighting we associate with factories and schools.
LEDs are small, solid light bulbs which are extremely energy-efficient. New LED bulbs are grouped in clusters with diffuser lenses which have broadened the applications for LED use in the home.
Energy saving light bulbs have always been a bright idea - for your pocket and the environment. They use up to 80 per cent less electricity than a standard bulb, but produce the same amount of light. Energy saving equates to less carbon dioxide production: one of the major causes of climate change.
Most energy saving bulbs aren't fully compatible with dimmer switch circuits at the moment. A standard dimmer switch will simply make the bulb flicker: annoying for you and not good for your bulb but there are energy saving bulbs that can be used with 'staged dimming'. This requires a special sort of dimmer with three separate settings - high, low and off.
There is a proposal for a voluntary phasing out of traditional bulbs between now and 2011. This will give manufacturers and retailers enough time to develop additional products that will take their place.