Lighting The Way
Lighting does more than just illuminate a room; It shapes the way we live, work, and feel within our spaces. At CD Electrical, we’ve helped clients with their homes and businesses across Croydon, Coulsdon and the Surrey area upgrade their lighting with safe, energy-efficient, and stylish solutions. Whether you're planning a full refurbishment, switching to LEDs, or fixing a flickering light, this blog should help give some guidance.
💡 The Basics of Lighting.
Before jumping into fixtures and fittings, it’s helpful to understand the three main types of lighting:
Ambient Lighting – The primary source of light in a room, like ceiling lights or wall-mounted fixtures.
Task Lighting – Focused lighting used for specific things, such as reading lamps or under-cabinet kitchen lights.
Accent Lighting – Can add drama or highlights features, like spotlights on artwork or lighting within the garden.
A well-lit space usually blends all three types through separate controls.
🔌 Domestic Lighting Tips.
If you’re upgrading the lighting in your home, here are a few things for you to consider:
Go for LED: LED bulbs last longer and can use up to 90% less energy than traditional halogen bulbs. They’re available in a range of colour temperatures from warm white to cool daylight and even colours.
Dimmer Switches: Installing dimmer switches gives you flexibility with mood and function of light fittings—but make sure they’re compatible with your LED bulbs as not all brands are cross compatible.
Smart Lighting: Smart bulbs, switches and controllers allow you to control your lighting from your phone or voice assistant, and can also be used to set automatic schedules. Smart lighting gives endless possibilities of control.
💼 Commercial Lighting
For commercial settings, lighting isn’t just functional—it’s part of your image, brand and employee wellbeing:
LED Panels: Great for offices—clean, efficient, and colours temperatures can be chosen to be easy on the eyes when working all day.
Emergency Lighting: A requirement for most commercial premises. It ensures safe evacuation in case of power failure or in an emergency.
Display and Feature Lighting: If you run a shop or café, clever lighting can boost sales by drawing attention to products or creating an impression of the brand.
🌍 Outdoor Lighting
With our dark winters, outdoor lighting is essential for both security and usability:
Motion Sensors: Ideal for security and energy saving. They only come on when movement is detected.
IP Ratings: Always check the IP rating to ensure your outdoor lights can deal with the elements. Aim for IP65 or above.
Lighting Options: Outdoor lighting has a vast range of options from functional floodlights or wall lights, to mini LED spike lights and decking lights to add accents to any space.
Let CD Electrical help you to Light the Way
Whether you’re planning a full rewire, adding new lights, or just need some advice, CD Electrical is here to help. Based in Croydon, we serve Coulsdon, Sanderstead, and the surrounding Surrey area, offering our expert workmanship and free, no-obligation quotes. Why not get in touch with any queries or questions today.
