Waukesha County Home

(StatePoint) — The average home has 45 light sockets which means you probably have more light bulbs than just about any home product, and yet the lighting aisle can still be a daunting place. With the right knowledge, you can save money, protect the environment and bring the best features of your home to life. Here are four quick tips to get you started: ■ Opt for LED. By 2020, half of all resi- dential sockets will have converted to LEDs, which is good news, as LEDs can last over 10 years and use up to 85 percent less energy than the traditional lighting you may use today. Available in a variety of shapes, sizes, wattages and color temperatures, they are becoming increasingly affordable, too. Just a few years ago, LEDs topped $40, but today you can find a high-quality LED for less than $5. To help people make the commit- ment to LEDs, GE is asking the public to take the pLEDge to swap just one tradition- al bulb to an LED bulb. Visit gelighting.com/pledge to take the pledge and earn a coupon toward an LED pur- chase. ■ Pay attention to color tempera- tures, wattages, shapes and quality of light. A few lighting facts can help you make useful purchases. For example, an average 60-watt replacement bulb would require about 800 lumens. The higher this number is, the brighter the light will be. And remember: when you invest in an LED that's expected to last more than a decade, you want one that's going to reliably live up to your expectations, so brands that have been around for a while and have proven their commitment to quality truly matter in this space. ■ Identify how you use each room and the mood you'd like to create. Use com- fortable, soft white light in cozy places like bedrooms, family rooms and dining rooms. Active spaces like laundry rooms and play- rooms can benefit from an energetic day- light bulb. Feature pure, clean lights in kitchens, bathrooms and craft and hobby spaces that tend to benefit from light that delivers exceptional color contrast and brightness. Today, select manufacturers such as GE, are taking the guesswork out of the equation by listing whether each bulb has a warm or cool tone and by offering room and use recommendations on the packaging. A warm white light will have a lower K (Kelvin) number, while a cool day- light will have a higher K number. ■ Put your home in its best light. Even with the right colors, perfect accessories and trendy furniture, a home can look lack- luster. Look for new options, such as GE's High Definition LED light bulbs which are engineered with a higher color rendering index for greater color contrast and bold- ness over an average bulb. This means the colors and features in each room can look even better. Just imagine a room makeover in five minutes simply by changing your light bulbs. AUGUST 2017 HOMES PLUS 3 3G VACUUM 2005 Silvernail Rd. Pewaukee 262-349-4809 Vacuum Sales and Service www.3gvacuum.com 256223004 It's No Longer a Secret! Tell Your Neighbors, Friends & Congregation • Push Brooms • Electric Brooms • Light Weight Vacuums • Full Sized Vacuums • Free Repair Estimates • Trade-In Welcome • Central Vacs • New & Refurbished FREE ESTIMATES on Vacuum Repairs ★★★★ TRADE-IN SPECIALS StatePoint Use the right LED lighting to set the mood and bring home features to life, whether it's in the kitchen or any other room in the house. The number of watts as well as the shape, distance and quality of light make a determining difference in helping create the setting in each room. Flipping the switch to a more beautiful home

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