What year did recessed lighting come out?

Whether you’re decorating a new home or overhauling your existing interior design, selecting the right lighting fixtures for the space is critical. Lighting plays a central role in setting the mood and ambiance inside your home, which means both fixture selection and placement design require careful consideration.

But with the vast number of lighting fixture options on the market today, selecting the best lights for your unique space and design vision can feel overwhelming. To help you in your decision-making process, the electricians at Harrison Electric discuss the pros and cons of recessed lighting below.

What Is Recessed Lighting?

Recessed lighting’s first appearance was in Detroit, Michigan, in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Recessed lights differ from traditional lights by the method of installation.

As you may know, traditional lights install onto the ceiling and protrude down. Recessed lights install directly into the ceiling wall or any other surface, saving space while giving your area a unique design.

Where to Use Recessed Lighting

You might like the idea of recessed lighting but are asking yourself one question: where should I install recessed lighting?

The most straightforward answer is: anywhere in your home you desire!

Living Room

Install recessed lighting in your living room to provide a subtle yet comfortable lighting design that doesn’t disrupt the flow of your space.

Home Office

Maybe you have an office space at home that is smaller than you’d like. The traditional lighting may hang down too far, making your already small office even more cramped. Recessed lighting will help give your home office more breathing room without sacrificing the amount of illumination it receives!

Accents and Trophy Cases

Do you have a bookshelf full of your favorite books? Maybe you have a trophy case of you and your family’s accolades and accomplishments you want to show off?

Recessed lighting helps you show off smaller parts of your home! You can install recessed lighting on any surface, allowing you to draw attention at any angle you desire.

Recessed Lighting Advantages

One of the significant advantages of installing recessed lighting fixtures is that they’ll never go out of style. Recessed lights have been around for decades because they’re sleek, unobtrusive, and can be placed virtually anywhere to enhance the ambiance of a room.

Plus, they’re not a one-size-fits-all type of light. They might all look relatively the same, but recessed lights (also known as pot lights or can lights) are available in multiple sizes to suit various needs.

Aside from the fact that they’re timeless and aesthetic, recessed lighting fixtures offer several other advantages.

Detailed Illumination

Recessed lighting fixtures provide a broad swath of illumination with the proper placement rather than only lighting specific areas of a room.

Rooms With Consistent Moisture

They’re ideal for areas that regularly get wet, such as showers, porches, and decks, since they don’t protrude from the ceiling.

More Visual Space

Recessed lighting can help create the illusion of a larger room by keeping the ceiling free of protrusions.

In addition, recessed lighting takes up less visual space, allowing more freedom when decorating the rooms.

Minimum Maintenance

Recessed lighting fixtures require very little maintenance and can last for decades when properly installed.

Great for Focal Points

Recessed lighting can help you illuminate the beauty of certain art pieces in your home that you want to show off.

Many Styles to Choose From

Recessed lighting comes in a plethora of styles and colors to help match the design of your current setup.

If you’re considering recessed lighting, installing these light fixtures anywhere you have low ceilings is usually best. Basements, shower stalls, and kitchens are some of the most popular locations for these lights, but they can sit virtually anywhere — get creative!

Recessed Lighting Disadvantages

Despite their many advantages, recessed lighting fixtures don’t come without a few potential drawbacks too. Perhaps the most prevalent disadvantage of these unobtrusive lights is that they’re not the most efficient choice for massive rooms or those with high ceilings.

Since lights can deliver a unidirectional stream of light, you’ll need to install several of them in a large room with a high ceiling to achieve adequate illumination and a warm ambiance.

Other notable drawbacks include the following.

Proper Installation Is Imperative

Recessed lights can overheat when they’re not properly installed. That said, hiring a licensed and experienced electrician to handle the wiring and lighting fixture installation will ensure the units are installed safely and according to code.

They Don’t Stand Out

Recessed lighting is pretty generic in terms of its design. While they come in various sizes, they’re not always the best lighting fixture for making a statement or displaying your unique taste.

They certainly add ambiance to a room, but if you’re looking for charming lights that are fun to look at, recessed lighting doesn’t precisely fit the bill.

It Can Take Many Lights to Get the Right Configuration

Recessed lighting gives you a highly customizable light configuration at the cost of more light bulbs you will need to install and run.

Your Wiring Might Need an Update for Recessed Lighting

You may have to reconfigure your electrical wiring for proper recessed lighting installation. If you need to upgrade your home’s electrical system, it’s best to contact a trusted professional.

Considering Installing Recessed Lighting? Contact Harrison Electric

If you’re considering installing recessed lighting to enhance your interior design, get in touch with our team at Harrison Electric. Our licensed electricians specialize in installing light fixtures of all types and can assess your home’s electrical system for potential service upgrades that can boost energy efficiency.

For over 30 years, we’ve proudly served Twin Cities homeowners, and we’d love to help you with your project too! To learn more or get started, feel free to call our Minneapolis office at 763-544-3300 or request a quote online. You can also send us a message with your question, and we’ll be in touch.

Recessed lighting fixtures go by a few names including housings, cans, high hats, or pot lights. These are all names that refer to the part of a recessed light that sits above the ceiling. It’s what provides the structure to attach the wire connections, the trim, and lamp or LED module. In this post we’ll briefly look at the basics of recessed fixtures including:

• The basic components that make up a recessed light fixture.
• The most common sizes.
• The types of fixtures available including line voltage, low voltage, compact fluorescent, and LED.
• New Construction vs. Remodel fixtures.
• The various ratings that apply to recessed lights and what they mean.

Recessed Light Fixture Components

A recessed light fixture is made up of the following components:

• Housing – The housing (commonly referred to as the can) is the metal container that houses all of the other components. Most are made from aluminum or galvanized steel.
• Junction Box – The metal enclosure where the electrical connections are made to each fixture.
• Socket – The socket is the connector that the lamp screws or plugs into. It can be a threaded base, pin base, or plug depending on the type of fixture being used.
• Thermal Protector – A small safety device wired between the junction box and the socket in all UL listed fixtures designed to turn off the lamp if the fixture gets too hot (usually caused by installing a lamp that uses more power than the fixture is rated for).
• Ballast (fluorescent fixtures only) – Dedicated fluorescent fixtures require an electric ballast to regulate the current flowing to the lamp.
• Driver (Dedicated LED fixtures only) – Dedicated LED fixtures require a driver to regulate the voltage/current flowing to the diode.
• Transformer (Dedicated low-voltage fixtures only) – Low Voltage recessed fixtures use a step-down transformer that converts the incoming 120V line voltage down to either 12 volts or 24 volts.

New Construction vs. Remodel Fixtures

• New construction housings are installed prior to the drywall in new construction projects. They have adjustable arms that attach to the ceiling joists.
• Remodel type housings are used when installing lights in a finished ceiling. Remodel housings use special clips that secure the fixture to the ceiling itself, rather than the ceiling joists. They are designed to be installed from below the ceiling.

Fixture Sizes

The most common residential fixture sizes are 4-inch, 5-inch, and 6-inch. These sizes refer to the diameter of the opening in the housings where the trim fits.

Types of Recessed Light Fixtures

• Standard Line Voltage (120V) – The most common type used for general and task lighting. They do not use a transformer, ballast, or driver, which makes them inexpensive and the most trouble-free.
• Low Voltage (12V or 24V) – Most often used for accent lighting. Their compact lamps allow for a wide variety of adjustable trim options. 12V is the most common.
• Compact Fluorescent – Commonly used in kitchens and bathrooms, especially in newer homes due to energy efficiency requirements. Each fixture contains an electronic ballast and uses a pin base fluorescent lamp.
• Dedicated LED – Each LED fixture contains a driver which regulates the current/voltage to the diode. These should be matched with the specific LED modules that they are designed for by the manufacturer.    
• Retrofit LED – These are universal line voltage housings that have a LED plug connector rather than a screw base socket. They are to be used specifically with “LED Retrofit” modules which combine the LED, driver, and trim together as one unit that plugs in to the fixture.

Most Important Fixture Ratings

Ratings labels will be found on the inside of the fixture housing. The following ratings are the most important with regards to energy and safety:

• IC Rated – An “IC” rated fixture is rated to be installed in direct contact with insulation or other objects inside the ceiling. As a general rule, always use IC rated fixtures in an insulated ceiling.
• Non-IC Rated – A “Non-IC” rated fixture must have a minimum of 3″ of clearance from insulation on all sides and above.
• Air Tight Rated – An “Air-Tight” rating on a recessed fixture refers to an energy code first introduced in Washington State which requires recessed fixtures to be manufactured in a way that restricts air leakage (energy loss) through them. Air-tight fixtures prevent energy waste and their overall quality will be better.
• UL Listed – Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is an independent, non-profit organization that tests and certifies products for safety. While there are similar organization out there, UL is globally recognized as the standard. Using fixtures that are UL listed ensures that they have been tested for safety when installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• CA Title 24 – California’s Title 24 is an energy code that applies to both residential and nonresidential buildings. Its purpose is to reduce energy consumption. In order for a recessed fixture to be labeled “Title-24 Compliant” it must meet the current efficiency guidelines mandated by the California Energy Commission, which are updated periodically.

Energy Codes

If you are pulling a building permit for the installation it is important to note that many states have adopted various energy codes (such as California’s Title 24) that apply in addition to the local building codes. These energy codes restrict the types of light fixtures that you install to ensure that they are energy efficient. Most cities will provide you with a list of the current requirements, but if not it would be a good idea to ask.

Recessed lighting fixtures go by a few names including housings, cans, high hats, or pot lights. These are all names that refer to the part of a recessed light that sits above the ceiling. It’s what provides the structure to attach the wire connections, the trim, and lamp or LED module. In this post we’ll briefly look at the basics of recessed fixtures including:A recessed light fixture is made up of the following components:The most common residential fixture sizes are 4-inch, 5-inch, and 6-inch. These sizes refer to the diameter of the opening in the housings where the trim fits.Ratings labels will be found on the inside of the fixture housing. The following ratings are the most important with regards to energy and safety:If you are pulling a building permit for the installation it is important to note that many states have adopted various energy codes (such as California’s Title 24) that apply in addition to the local building codes. These energy codes restrict the types of light fixtures that you install to ensure that they are energy efficient. Most cities will provide you with a list of the current requirements, but if not it would be a good idea to ask.