Choosing the ideal current wattage for indoor lighting

After wiring, many house owners pay less attention to the number of watts and amount of light they need where and why. However, it is important to pay attention to the amount of light for your room.  
Joseph Kayiwa, an electrician says, every room needs to have a blend of lighting depending on the purpose it serves.  The right levels of lighting give a beautiful interior to the house especially at night.
  
For any homeowner, it is important to know exactly how much light you need in a room.  However, this will depend on the size of the room and its purpose.
Lighting can completely transform space and affect emotions as well.  It is, therefore, crucial to understand how many watts are needed.

Sitting room
 For many homeowners sitting rooms serve a number of purposes, to some they are used for reading, doing homework, watching TV and relaxing.   These different tasks give you a clue on the type of lighting fixture to use and the number of watts.
Cissy Nakato, a dealer in light fixtures in Kiyembe says pendant light fixtures are suitable for living rooms especially for individuals that need the room bright enough.

“When well installed with morewatts, pendants give off enough light to brighten up space.”
She says 20 to 25 watts are ideal for a living room.  However, she recommends dimmers to help lower and increase brightness depending on what one desires.
She goes on to suggest that an addition of wall lights to the sitting room   also helps in highlighting corners.

Dining room
 Other than Nakato’s suggestions about the living room, Desire Lubega, a resident of Zana, says  her dining room is the place where the right lighting can make all the difference. Because her dining doubles as a workspace for homework, her personal work, it’s here that they share meals and gather for meetings. That is why she prefers her dining with sufficient level of light.
 However, while hanging any light of your choice, the table should be the focal point of your dining room. A central low hanging pendant would be ideal.  

Kitchen
The kitchen is also a multifunctional space, which can be used for cooking, washing dishes and because of that it needs plenty of light. Kayiwa advises 25 to 30 watts.
When it comes to the kitchen, you need direct, targeted light above the areas where you work, such as the cooking area, sink, cupboards.   And a single pendant light, or a row of pendants, look great above a kitchen ceiling. Shelf lights or wall lights can as well make the interior of your kitchen beautiful.
 
 Bedroom
 Nakato says when it comes to lighting your bedroom, you will also need to accommodate a range of different needs. In most bedrooms, the main source of light normally comes from the ceiling light.  However, choosing a bedside light with a shade  provides a soft warm glow that is perfect for bedtime and will also not disturb anyone else who may want to enjoy their sleep.  
“For tasks, such as dressing or applying makeup, you may need table lamps,” she recommends.
  
However, Michael Ssozi, an interior designer, says when fitting lights you should consider the colour of the bulbs you are using. Blue and white light are known to be attentive and hinder sleep, while yellow is relaxing, that is why they are the perfect choice for a bedroom.
 To Kayiwa, 60 watt will be good for the bedroom, but this also depends on the type of light you will be using and the size of your bedroom.
 
Bathroom and Corridors
“No one would enjoy taking a bath in a dark room, as we all want to see what is taking place; where the soap is, toothbrush, toilet paper. That is why you will need enough light in the bathroom,  but not coloured lights,” Kayiwa says.
However, this does not stop you from making your bathroom lighting beautiful.

For corridors different lights can be combined to help create the right mood. Using wall lights with dimmers will help you to control the lighting depending on your needs. “If you corridor is not so long and wide,  dim wall lights are good because they create a welcoming mood. But if it is long, a brighter light is better especially if you suspect intruders or your neighbourhood is not safe enough,” Lubega suggests.   

  Caution
Kayiwa cautions home owners that before the installation of lights, ask the electrician to measure the length and the width of the room.  To help you know how much light you may need and the type of light fixtures as well.

Planning
Lighting should be planned to complement your lifestyle. So, first you need to develop a home lighting plan that suits your individual needs and those of your family. When planning your lighting, look at the activities that occur in each room, the atmosphere you want to create and the decorative elements you wish to emphasize. Keep in mind that light can be absorbed and even wasted in dark-coloured rooms, or reflected and used as additional illumination in light-coloured rooms.