Bad Ideas - Lighting
Things to Avoid Doing!
500w Halogen Lights
Unless you have half a football field to light up. 150w lamps are better suited to most yards. To light a large area effectively with one light requires mounting it very high up rather than using high power.
Dimmed PIR Lights
Just one can waste thousands of pounds on electricity in its lifetime (Compared to better designed lighting that does exactly the same thing).
Bare Fluorescent Lights with random tube
A recipe for ugly lighting. See Fluorescent Lighting for how to do it decently.
Halogen downlighting
Long list of downsides, though ultimately its a matter of preference, with some people being happy with its issues.
Lights high up out of reach over stairs
A perfect recipe for serious injury. Its normally possible to site lights more practically. Old inaccessible lights can sometimes be extended to be more accessible.
Halogen Uplighters
- A recipe for house fires.
- Often excessively power hungry.
Plaster half-bowl uplighters
The only uplighter that manages to have none of the usual advantages of uplighting, and makes walls look terrible to boot.