Recessed Light Bulbs: What’s Your Best Option
When it comes to buying and installing recessed light bulbs, there are several options you can choose from.
In fact, the most difficult part is finding the right light bulb for your lighting needs. After that, deciding on things like trims, recessed lighting kits, and finishes are all fairly simple. So, what are your options when it comes to recessed light bulbs? And, how exactly should you go about the complex, process? Well, it’s basically a two step process. First, you figure out what size and type of recessed light bulb you need based on your fixtures and lighting needs. Next, step two involved deciding on a lighting source. This step is dependent upon your own budget as well as your energy efficiency goals.
Recessed light bulbs come in four main sizes and types: PAR’s, BR’s, MR’S, and R’s. While all of these bulb have a common goal of illuminating your rooms with recessed light, they all do this in their own unique ways. First, let’s discuss PAR’s. These bulbs are the best out there when it comes to projecting light with a reflective effect. They are also the brightest recessive light bulb on the market, and can be used in high moisture areas. On the other hand, BR’s are meant to emphasized brightness in any area they are installed in. However, this option has one major drawback. BR bulbs are far longer than any of the other recessed light bulbs out there. So, it is possible that they will be visible from beneath your lighting fixture.
More option for recessed light bulbs, and which lighting source is the best for recessed lighting.
The last two types of recessed light bulbs are MR’s and R’s. MR’s are better equipped to reflect light in a concentrated manner. There are several different models of MR’s, so choose your model based on how wide a path of reflection you want. Some common models are: spotlight, flood light, and narrow flood. R’s are the simplest recessed light bulb out there. They do an adequate job of projecting light in a downward manner, and will work for any basic recessed lighting situation. One final note on choosing the right recessed light bulb. Recessed light bulbs are numbered based on the diameter of the bulb. So, an MR30 bulb has a diameter of 30/8, or 3 and 3/4 inches.
All recessed light bulbs are available in LED, CFL, and Halogen light sources. The source you need is determined on your unique circumstances and your recessed lighting goals. Halogen is most commonly used for recessed lighting situations, because it is both cheap and produces high quality light. LED’s are also used in recessed lighting instances where energy efficiency is a top priority. LED will cost you more up front compared to Halogen, but save you money each month on your electric bill. Finally, CFL’s are another energy efficient option for your recessed light bulbs. However, CFL’s come with a shorter lifespan than LED’S. Plus, this light source can take awhile to fully power on and light up. An alternative to avoid this issue is a CCFL.