Remodel Kitchen

If the occupant sensors you are using are not good at sensing occupants, then treat them as a timer. Behind the faceplate, the occupant sensor I am using has a dial that adjusts the shut-off time. Basically, the light will shut off a certain number of minutes after it last senses someone [...]

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Title 24 is absolutely the bane of homeowners. I’ve griped about Title 24 before. After a year of using occupant sensors in bathrooms, I’m ready to proclaim them a complete failure. When guests come over and stay the night, I have to train them on how to use the bathroom lights, as [...]

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In a previous post, I griped about a fluorescent bulb that expired before its time. Well, I finally got around to changing it and what did I discover? The bulb had a meltdown. Yes, that is a burn mark around where the bulb meets the base. And, the heat did melt [...]

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Despite their faults, Home Depot and Lowe’s are incredibly convenient. Most of the time, I can find what I want at either of the two stores. But what happens if Home Depot or Lowe’s doesn’t stock an item? Then, instead of heading to the one-stop shop by default, I have to do [...]

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Supposedly, the “great” thing about fluorescent lighting is their long life span and low energy usage. The Energy Star web site tells us that compact fluorescents use 2/3rds less energy than standard incandescent bulbs, last up to 10 times longer, and save $30 or more in energy costs over each bulb’s lifetime.
Well, last up [...]

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In California, lighting in bathrooms must be high efficacy, or must be controlled by a manual-on occupant sensor. The 2005 Residential Compliance Manual further states, “At least one high-efficacy luminaire should be installed so that it can be left off the occupant sensor circuit to ensure that all of the luminaires don’t switch [...]

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For hallways, dining rooms, family rooms and bedrooms, California requires that permanently installed luminaires shall either be high efficacy or shall be controlled by an occupant sensor or dimmer. Here’s the problem with this rule. If the ceiling or wall light that you like only comes in an incandescent, what do you do?
The [...]

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No one. A year after California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards became effective, take a look at the selection of fluorescent lights available at Home Depot and Lowes. Even if you wanted to buy a fluorescent light, there’s almost no selection to pick from. I think the folks in Sacramento are well-meaning, but [...]

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If you are planning to remodel a kitchen or bath, or build a new house, you should read the 2005 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards:

during the design stage when you are working with an architect, and
again during the construction stage before you head out to the lighting store to pick your lighting fixtures.

Here’s all you [...]

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