Your garage is probably the last place in the house that you remember to upgrade, but if you think about it, your garage probably serves a lot of functions. In addition to being a place to store your vehicle, it’s probably a storage space for many other things as well, and perhaps a work area too. Many homeowners use the garage as the primary point of entry for the house, and it may even function as a social area. When a part of the house is serving all of those functions, it deserves the occasional upgrade, and lighting just might be the place to start. If your garage is currently light with a single incandescent bulb, you may want to consider upgrading to smart lighting. Take a look at some of the things you should think about before you decide to make the change.
What Is Smart Lighting?
First, it’s important to figure out what is meant by the term, “smart lighting” Smart lighting could be anything that improves the efficiency of your lighting system. That could mean anything from changing from incandescent to LEDs to installing a system that turns the lights on and off automatically. You’ll need to decide how far you want to go with your lighting system before you do anything else.
Pros of Smart Lighting for the Garage
Automatic lighting can be a real money-saver in the long run. If you’re like many homeowners, your garage is unused for hours at a time every day – in some cases, perhaps, for a few days at a time. If you’re too busy to work in your garage, you may only need a light for minutes at a time, as you leave or enter the house. It’s very easy to forget to turn off a light when you’re not using the space that much, and a forgotten light could really cost you.
On the other hand, when you do need a light in the garage, you need a good one. If you use your garage as a workshop or do your own mechanical work on your cars, you need to be able to see exactly what you’re doing. And if your garage is doubling as a storage space for unused furniture, holiday decorations, and other miscellaneous items, then you need good lighting to make sure that you can find your items in a hurry. Switching to brighter LED lights can help ensure that you have the lighting you need, while saving you money at the same time – LEDs cost far less to run than incandescents. In some cases, they can be set up to run off solar power for free.
Cons of Smart Lighting for the Garage
Setting up an automatic lighting system could come with a high initial cost. If you’re generally good about remember to turn lights off when you’re not using them, you may not save enough money with an automatic system to justify the cost (though you may still prefer one for convenience’s sake.)
LED lights are generally affordable, but it’s worth noting that they can be affected by extreme temperatures, since the garage is not normally a climate controlled area. LEDs tend to put out more light in cooler temperatures and less light in high temperatures. Blue, green, and white LEDs are less affected by the ambient temperatures than red and yellow lights, so the colors that you’re interested in may affect your decision.
To find out more about upgrading your garage, contact us for a Free design consultation and estimate.{{cta(‘4e0ca529-46da-44c8-acce-dd815d6ec4bc’,’justifycenter’)}}
