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What is the most effective form of lighting to be be used in the kitchen area. I visited countless Charlotte area homes and I have found lighting applications ranging from extremely traditional to ultra modern. Most homes in the outlying areas of Charlotte like Weddington, Wesley Chapel, Matthews, and Mint Hill many of the Charlotte residents choose to use a more traditional form of lighting for their lighting needs.

Traditional lighting usually tends to be service amount lighting fixtures or hanging lighting fixtures that do not require a low voltage transformer. This style of lighting is very practical because the only thing the owner has to worry about, as far as maintenance is concerned, is changing light bulbs. When you get into the more modern style light fixtures, most of them are surface mount like the traditional lighting styles; however, many of them are installed on a track style rail system that requires a low voltage transformer. These low voltage transformers do burnout approximately every two years. This can be a nuisance and is one of negative sides to the more modern style light fixtures.

That having been said, you certainly don't want to base your lighting installation preferences on the fact that you may have a transformer that needs to be changed out. That alone certainly is not enough of a deterrent to force you to opt for traditional style light fixtures. There are many alternatives in the recessed lighting spectrum to going with a low voltage light fixtures. Service amount lighting fixtures that are on a rail system always incorporate a low-voltage transformer or ballasts.

Recessed lighting fixtures are available in both low-voltage in-line 120 V models. While the smaller light fixtures do tend to incorporate a transformer , there are small recessed lighting fixtures that do not incorporate a low-voltage transformer. Lighting Charlotte area homes in the decades to come will require more and more modern style light fixtures. At the same time that people are changing their preferences to a more modern style light fixture, the government and eco-friendly forces are pushing for the advancement and application implementation of highly efficient florescent lighting fixtures. These two forces seem to be at odds with each other.

The modern rail style light fixtures always incorporate halogen bulb. These halogen bulbs tend to be very hot so they burn out quite often. As well they are not very energy efficient at all. That having been said a light quality is extremely high. There is a standard of measurement for lighting quality called the color rendering index. This is not something that you hear very many people speak about especially if they are pushing for the more environmentally friendly bulb. However, it is something that most people intuitively know about. You hear them say things like, "I just don't like the look of florescent lighting or the feel of florescent lighting." This is a translation of their experience based on real factors in the quality of the light they are observing. They are not aware of the real facts, but intuitively know the light quality is not as good.

On the color rendering Index scale, light fixtures that incorporate halogen type bulbs produce a light quality that is equably to 99% of actual daylight. Most florescent light fixtures that incorporate cool white and warm white or bright light bulb put out a light quality on the color rendering index of about 25% of actual daylight . What this means is that many of the colors that are present in actual daylight are not present in the light produced from a florescent or compact florescent light bulb. The new modern style light fixtures do not accept large base style compact florescent lighting bulbs.

Usually when a person is considering lighting for their home in Charlotte, they already have the style of lighting fixture that they want in their mind before they go to any of the lighting stores in the Charlotte area to pick out fixtures. The following is a list of certain lighting stores in the Charlotte area and the type of lighting fixture you are likely to find at each store.
 
http://www.efirdsinteriors.com/search_result.asp?params=Installation:9;Description:168;
Traditional
3300 Monroe Rd # B
Charlotte, NC 28205-8002
(704) 376-5648

http://www.lightsonline.com/entry-lighting/styles/contemporary-modern
Contemporary and Modern
11600 Carolina Place Pkwy
Pineville, NC 28134
(704) 540-5878

http://www.lbuonline.com/productlistclassic.aspx?k=0,1=modern 
Modern and Ultramodern
1300 S Tryon St
Charlotte, NC 28203-4248
(704) 926-9391

When considering what type of lighting to use you should always consider the type of room that you're lighting. Many Charlotte area homes opt for traditional lighting fixtures. Where condo dwellers and urban dwellers in the uptown area gravitate more towards the modern and ultramodern style fixtures. Each room is distinct in the type of lighting that should be used. If your lighting in the kitchen area, you should always use multiple sources of light such as, cost, lighting service, amount, fixtures, under cabinet lighting, and recessed lighting.

No one source of light should be the primary light source for the kitchen area. The kitchen is best lit and the lighting utilized best when there is multiple lighting sources. Each lighting source being on a dimmer will allow for creativity and ease of use for different tasks in the kitchen area. The xenon under cabinet lighting is at this time the best lighting source for under cabinet lighting. It incorporates the best of both worlds having a light quality is high on the color rendering Index scale, and having long bulb life, and decreased energy costs. Using different types of light sources is also advantageous for the Charlotte home dweller who is trying to properly light any specific area.

In a kitchen area where much light is needed it may be advantageous to use florescent lighting above the cabinets. I would recommend a bright light bulb for this application. This will give you a overall luminescence of the area. The fixture of choice for the main lighting of the ceiling area is recessed lighting with standard incandescent bulbs or halogen bulbs. They should always be installed on a dimmer so that you have control as these type of lighting fixtures for the Charlotte area can use a decent amount of electricity and put out quite a bit light. There may be, of course, times when you don't need so much light so a dimmer is always a good bet. That of course for your counter top areas such as, over an island or Peninsula you would want to use hanging pendant lights. Again in this type of fixture you can install halogen bulbs on a dimmer. This gives you extremely high light quality but the ability to go green and save electricity by having them installed on a dimmer.

If you have florescent lighting above the cabinet, xenon lighting under the cabinets, and halogen lighting in the ceiling and independence, you a well-rounded lighting application that can be both energy-efficient and extremely practical for everyday tasks that are performed in the kitchen area .