Is your media room ready to host football fans? The American Lighting Association (ALA), has great tips for lighting your media room efficiently.
Reduce Glare on More Than Your TV
Brent Protzman is the manager of energy information, analytics and marketing for Lutron Electronics Company Inc. He says that Lutron conducts extensive research into how lighting and shading control affect visual entertainment. Many people enjoy watching football on their smartphones, tablets, and laptops while also checking their fantasy teams.
Protzman says, “Glare from the amount of daylight can be overwhelming on these devices. The trick is to lower shades and dim overhead lights to make it easier to do tasks.”
Joe Rey Barreau is an education consultant at the ALA and an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky’s School of Interiors and College of Design. Rey-Barreau says, “Using different lighting layers is always the best option for media rooms. A single lighting layer could be fixtures that are of the same type. For example,”He explains. “one layer could be recessed lighting in the media room, another layer could be wall sconces, a third layer could be an integrated architectural lighting system such as a cove or niche.”
The homeowner has the most control over the lighting in their home by using dimmers and three layers of lights. The room is effectively lit without too much glare.
Adjust the brightness to your preference
Pendants and glass globes can cause bright spots in a space, which can pose a problem for television viewing due to the direct glare and reflections. Protzman recommends dimming light fixtures at a low level to create the ideal viewing environment. “Your eyes will be able to quickly adjust and adapt to the changes in light levels,”He said.
Protzman suggests that people are more sensitive to small changes in the light level than they really are. You can dim the brightness of a light by 30 percent, but it will actually decrease its light level by up to 90 percent. Light dimmers not only allow you to make a media area that suits your needs, but they also save energy.
Visit your local branch to get the best products and expert advice. local ALA-member retailerFor media room lighting options.
For a list of ALA-member showrooms, please visit AmericanLightingAssoc.com
