Decorative Puck Lights For Kitchens

 Kitchens being the primary location for family activities and parties, it is the social center of the home. Many important activities are carried out in the kitchen. Typically, it includes mincing and dicing meats and vegetables, where use of light becomes very crucial.

Smooth and uniform illumination of under cabinet lighting is also used to read the recipes. It also displays vibrant colors of the food. It enhances the kitchen art.

The best puck lights for kitchens provides the necessary amount of light with its evenness on the work surface in the kitchen. With a variety of under cabinet lighting options available, it becomes hard to choose the best out of it.

It is easier to work under uniform lighting, as it produces constant illumination on the entire surface. Dark areas and pools or spots must be avoided.  This makes the overall appearance unattractive.
Improper spacing of lights or poorly designed fixtures creates uniformity problems.
Mounting of puck lights can be done using 2-sided tape, adhesive tape, screws or magnet type.

Main types of Puck lights include incandescent Halogen & Xenon pucks, fluorescent and LED pucks.  Below mentioned


Parameters Considered To Decide Overall Economy of Puck Light

Electrical power consumption per cabinet

Purchase cost of light

Installation cost

Replacement cost for lamps

Halogen lamps need frequent replacement

1.       Electrical power consumption per cabinet – About 300 – 300 lux light intensity is considered as comfortable for under cabinet activities in the kitchen.  One lux is equal to 1 Lumen per square meter (lux = Lumen/m2).
Lumen per Watt of power consumption is best in LED lamps. This means, LED lamps consume less power to produce the same Lumens as compared to Halogen or Xenon pucks. Xenon pucks consume slightly higher power than Halogen. For critical tasks, 500lux may be considered.
Hence, annual energy cost will be least in LED pucks and higher in Xenon lights.
2.       Purchase cost of light – Halogen pucks are cheapest in initial purchase cost. Compared to LED, Xenon pucks are cheaper.
3.       Installation cost – This does not differ much in Halogen & LED pucks, however it is slightly higher in Xenon.
4.       Replacement Cost for lamps – Xenon pucks may have lower cost than Halogen. LED lamp initial purchase cost is high, but it lasts longer. It may be necessary to check the cost of replacement of the entire puck fixture, as puck light uses several LED lamps inside one fixture. In such a case, one LED lamp can’t be replaced.  Typically, LED lamps do not burn out. They get dimmed over many years. LED fixtures last for about 20 years with good design.
5.       Halogen lamps need frequent replacement – Xenon puck lamp replacement frequency is much lesser compared to Halogen. LED lamps are considered the best. Being relatively the latest technology, its performance is also improving on a regular basis.

Special Features To Be Considered

·         Color of the lamp determined by Correlated Color temperature (CCT) referring to White, Yellowish white or bluish white

·         Dimmable lights – Adjustable light can create a required transition from bright clear visual environment to quiet & relaxed setting. LED lamps can be dimmed easily.

·         Remote control  to change percentage illumination

·         Color – Clear, white or multicolor

·         Finish – Black, White or Silver

·         Material for lens

·         Rated for damp or dry weather

It may be noted that the countertop color and finish plays an important role in selecting the right lighting. Fixture producing more lumens is needed for Dark-colored counter. Lens over the light source minimizes reflections from glossy surfaces.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Best light Color temperature For Reading At Night

Factors for Best Outdoor Floor Lamps