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LED Lights for Apartment Living: Improve the Look and Energy Efficiency of Your Property

Whether you own or manage an apartment building in New York City, you certainly know the market for rental properties can be competitive, especially if you want to get top dollar for your units. One way to wow prospective tenants is by using LED lights in apartments. Not only will this improve the look of the property, but it will also save you and your occupants money.

Why LED Lights for Apartments Are More Efficient

Make your bulbs last longer and use less electricity

LED lights use a different mechanism for emitting light than old-fashioned incandescent bulbs do. Rather than heating up a filament, they use a process that’s not all that different from a laser. Because they don’t generate heat, they use far less electricity, making them more economical over time.

Additionally, LED light bulbs last much longer than incandescent models – up to 30 times longer, according to the US Department of Energy! That’s a huge savings in bulb supply and manpower, even if you’re only paying for bulbs and electricity in the public spaces of your building. You’ll know what we mean if you have even one large fixture, like a chandelier-type light, with dozens of small bulbs.

If your tenants pay their own electrical bills, or if you’re trying to ease them into electrical submetering, LED bulbs are the way to go. Consider providing some bulbs free to your tenants to help them experience cost savings that also benefit the environment.

Where to Use LED Lights for Visual Punch

Focus attention on a central fixture

If you want to call attention to a beautiful entry or living room, a central ceiling fixture will draw the eye. And since neither you nor your tenants will be replacing bulbs as often when you use LED lights, it’s a practical decision that can make properties look more luxurious and contemporary.

Install task lighting in kitchens

Kitchens are one of the best places to add LED lighting. Think about where occupants will be working, such as the sink, stovetop, and cutting boards or counters. Add lights there to illuminate tasks and create a welcoming atmosphere. Your tenants will enjoy how great their food presentation looks under LED lights that reveal the natural colors of every dish. Under-cabinet lighting is ideal for darker kitchens or when you want an alternative to overhead lights for nighttime.

Enhance small baths and powder rooms with sconces

It can be tough to light a small bath, and overhead lighting can seem too bulky or jarring. Using LED lights in sconces can be the perfect solution. Try a slim sconce on either side of the mirror.

Add LED strip lighting all over

If adding permanent fixtures isn’t in the budget right now, or if you want to experiment with LED lights before committing, LED strip lighting is now available in many forms. Typically, LED strips can be cut to the length you desire to fit under cabinets, along kick plates, above shelves, or around mirrors.

They are plugged into an outlet, and a transformer reduces the voltage from 120 volts to 12 or 24. The lights are usually held in place by some type of small, unobtrusive clamp. A controller lets you adjust the lights remotely, including from a mobile device.

Strip LED lights are terrific for creating mood lighting, and they come with options for many colors. Some folks like them around the ceiling to create different types of ambiance. They’re wonderful for making bedrooms more cozy, and kids love them as night lights.

You can use LED strips outdoors, too, as long as they’re rated for outside use. You will even find LED solar strips that need no electrical connection – fantastic to make steps and railings more visible for tenants and visitors.

Tips for Making the Most of LED Lights

Use multiple fixtures in every room

One light fixture in a room can leave dark spots and uneven lighting, which is less attractive and less functional. Do your best to balance the lighting in your units. For example, complement a ceiling fixture with wall sconces, recessed lighting, track lighting, floor lamps, and table lamps.

Professional interior designers use a “lighting triangle” rule, where you employ at least three main sources of light to form a triangle, offering the most coverage of the room. As a general rule, fixtures with no shades or white shades provide the most light, whereas fixtures with dark shades or coverings offer less. Mirrors can also be installed to reflect and bounce light to increase brightness in dim corners.

Make sure bulbs are compatible

Not every LED light bulb can be used in every fixture. Make sure the bulbs you select are compatible with your lamps, which should be indicated by the manufacturer’s specifications. One place where we see compatibility issues most frequently is with dimmer switches. Some signs your bulbs aren’t compatible include:

• Light fixture doesn’t work at all
• Light flickers or dims/brightens erratically
• Dimmers don’t function properly or won’t shut off completely
• Bulb provides insufficient or too much light
• Circuit breaker is triggered

We’re happy to look at your light fixtures in advance and recommend bulbs for you to ensure you’re getting the right match.

Choose bulb tones that flatter

It used to be that LED lights were harsher than incandescents, but now they come in a range of tones, including warm white. This is often the most flattering hue for indoor use. It’s inviting, and it makes everyone look more natural than starker bulbs that have a lot of blue or green in them.

Try photocells outdoors for greater ease

When using LED bulbs outdoors, you may struggle with how to time them coming on and going off. You want to make sure your lights are operational for security and aesthetic reasons, but you don’t want to be wasting energy by running lights during daylight hours.

A great solution here is to use a photocell light fixture. Photocells use the light of the sun to automatically trigger their on/off function, meaning you don’t have to adjust them for a change in seasons or worry about using a timer.

Switch all your bulbs at once

We always recommend that our clients swap out all their old incandescent bulbs for LED versions simultaneously. It’s easier to do it at one time. Plus, it makes it simple to track how long the bulbs last and monitor energy savings with your electric bills.

If you would like to explore adding new light fixtures, replacing your old bulbs with LED models, or installing LED strip lights, call Bolt Electric. As licensed electricians, we will make sure the job is done safely and cleanly, and you will appreciate the results. Call us today at 212-434-0098 or use our online form to schedule a service call at your convenience.