Living room lighting new building

We are currently also starting to deal with this topic.

However, we are not fans of spotlights. How many ceiling spots would you need to illuminate a room of 38.5 sqm if the LED spots only have a punctual effect? I think this will not be particularly cheap (40 euros per spot plus the LED bulb). Although the individual LEDs consume only a little electricity, when you multiply the total number of LEDs by the consumption, the follow-up costs will probably add up. Sorry – I often just consider it from this aspect (the woman is responsible for beauty and I might have to grit my teeth).

In general, I find the discussion about light bulbs very interesting/funny. Some time ago, the regular incandescent and halogen lamps were discredited. The energy-saving lamps were great at that time. When these were then bought en masse (and sales probably declined as a result), it was said that the energy-saving lamps do not give nice light and contain toxic substances that are released when broken. So it was best to move away from energy-saving bulbs. Now LEDs are getting more popular and are bought more and more. Promptly, OLEDs are being developed, which are supposed to be even better and will be market-ready in 3 years. In addition, (WDR "Household Check" from Monday) halogen lamps are being dug up again because they supposedly provide much better light than LEDs and energy-saving lamps anyway. Personally, I feel that the lamp industry's marketing works very well and the buyer is repeatedly being fooled.

In our current rental apartment, we also have a living and dining room of about 38 sqm. There we have two ceiling lights with two energy-saving globes each hanging above the dining table and the living room table. The rooms are fully illuminated when everything is on, and in the evening only one is turned on (either the one directly above us if you still have to work [living room lamp] or for indirect light the dining table lamp). Our friends (spotlight fans) often ask us how we manage to keep our electricity consumption so low (2,400 kWh per year), even though we have older appliances (some > 13 years) and a household of 4 people with small children (intensive washing). I think the lighting also contributes its part here.

BUT – we will also partially switch to LED in the house. The main reason for me here is the toxic substances that can be released in case of breakage. The globe lamps will then be reused in rooms that are not used as often (e.g., office-guest room). For living room and hallway/corridor as well as stairs, it will definitely be LED lamps. But which ones? Most likely ceiling lights (in the end, I did come back to the subject after all).

By the way, we were advised that with LED lamps one should pay attention to whether the LEDs are replaceable. Often such lamps are sold with non-replaceable LEDs. Then you have to accept a defective LED or dispose of the entire lamp.

We also had long discussions about the lamps. Spots, we agreed, were never an option. I feel uneasy pushing those things into the insulation, hoping nothing ever happens there.

So I would have liked to switch to LED for energy-saving reasons and also because we have an energy-efficient house. But... we needed 14 new lamps in the house. You can quickly calculate how high the costs for the fixtures alone are if you assume €10 for each bulb.

So then we went out to buy lamps... we were stunned at the prices called out here... lamps we liked were around €100-500 per lamp. UFF. Most of the LED lamps were built-in. I had read up on it a bit and have already soldered SMD LEDs myself. I am convinced that the LEDs last forever, but not of the electronics behind them. A solder joint breaks and that’s it, because most lamps are built in a way that you can’t reach the solder joints. If the EU regulates everything already, it should require manufacturers to make all devices openable.

So LED lamps were out of the running. We then bought regular Q4 or Q2 halogen lamps. On the one hand, they look very sleek, simple and modern, and on the other hand, a 20 watt halogen lamp does not consume so much that it really hurts (at least if you factor in the price savings when buying here). We struck in a clearance sale and paid between €25 and €50 per lamp.

Above the dining table hangs a long pendant lamp (7x20W) which was a bit more expensive, but I want it bright at the dining table. In the living room hangs a 6x20W ceiling lamp... it should also be bright here when the light needs to be on. However, the light is mostly off, and we at most switch on background lighting in the shelf or behind the TV. Similarly in the bathroom and hallway, it has to be bright here... In the bedrooms, the designer construction sockets are still hanging. Eventually something will be bought here too, if we suddenly feel like going to furniture stores again... although that desire is gone...

The halogen bulbs currently cost just over €1 at A...zon and since moving in not a single one has gone kaput.

So on funkelhaus you will surely find something, it's a huge site.