Learn Barn Lights
- The Advantages of LED Barn Lights
- Comparing LED Lights to Halogen Lights
- The Right Style for the Right Task
- The Origins on Vintage Lighting
- The Evolution of LED Lighting
- What is MET Listed?
1. The Advantages of LED Barn Lights
For that classic rustic charm in your interior design, you can’t do better than the look of a stylish barn light. Whether lighting up large areas with vintage flavor or working on detailed projects at a work bench, LED barn lighting provides a reliable and cost-efficient way to get any job done.
2. Comparing LED Lights to Halogen Lights
Halogen lights are more delicate in their operation in comparison to LEDs. Vulnerable to extreme heat and cold, dust and dirt, and even wind, halogen bulbs crack and dim when not in optimal conditions, and are known fire hazards when they reach a certain temperature. LED bulbs, on the other hand, are nearly unaffected by the elements, having no filaments to crack, and remain relatively cool to the touch, casting the same amount of light at a cooler temperature.
In addition, LED barn lighting also outdoes halogen lighting in energy efficiency: LEDs operate on a fraction of the electricity of halogen lights and last for an average of 22 years longer. Hanging barn light fixtures from a ceiling can make changing a bulb a real chore. LED bulbs shorten the frequency of switching bulbs in hard-to-reach areas down to once every couple decades.
And where halogen bulbs have a tungsten filament that’s filled with halogen gas and requires a warm-up period before full illumination, LED lighting reaches full illumination instantly and directs it light without any heat waste. Dark shadows are immediately whisked away as soon as an LED barn light powers on. Direct light brings LED lighting to its fullest potential with a bright spectrum of focus, versus the weak dispersal of light that halogen bulbs provide. Whether it’s your living room or patio that requires light, barn light fixtures are a popular and, more importantly, safer alternative to halogen lighting.
3. The Right Style for the Right Task
Selecting the best light to use outdoors almost requires more thought than how you light your interiors. The light’s casing must be tough enough to withstand the weather, yet still provide enough light that you’re not stumbling around in the dark. Patios that host intimate dining functions need an adjustable pendant light, in order to best complement cloudy or sunny days. Bars and sitting areas, on the other hand, need a more focused kind of light, which gooseneck barn lights are perfect for providing. Workshops can also benefit from gooseneck wall lights for the durability, versatility, and convenience they bring to the detail-oriented craftsmanship that goes on there.
Living with inadequate lighting and inconvenient bulbs that burn out are a thing of the past. With the options today of LED lighting and adjustable light fixtures, there are no outdoor areas that can’t be filled out with rich lighting. If you’re thinking of an outdoor kitchen, updating your patio, building a garden shed, or improving the lighting in a literal barn, be sure to the durability and stylishness of gooseneck barn lights in mind.
4. The Origins of Vintage Lighting
It’s only been 150 years since electricity took over from the short run gas had lighting people's houses. In that time the evolution of lighting styles—from what we now call “vintage lighting” to modern interior design lighting—has changed the way people think about designing their home décor. Today, as vintage lighting comes back into vogue, let’s look back at a short history of lighting styles.
Originally, when houses were first wired for electricity, lighting fixtures were mounted to the wall, done in the same style as classical the gas and oil-powered lights. The reason for this wall-mounting was simple: electricity was so new an invention that there wasn’t really anything to plug in, let alone any actual electrical outlets. All the wiring was contained within the walls of the home, and electricity-powered lights could only be installed through the means of direct wiring—the convenience of a power outlet was yet years down the line.
Once the full potential of electricity was unlocked, however, and electric-power became more commonplace, patents flew fast and thick. The race was on to create a mass-produced lighting system suitable for homes everywhere, in a more cookie-cutter approach to interior lighting design.
Vintage lighting, however, still lives on today in the form of wall-mounted sconces and classic barn lights. As much as technology changes, the elegant sophistication of vintage lighting never goes out of style.
5. The Evolution of LED Lighting
As lamp design evolved, so did the bulbs that were going into them. Over the years, the biggest change to light bulb design was the filament: scientists experimented with tungsten, bamboo, carbon thread, whatever they thought would burn the longest and brightest. Ironically, however, even though so much research was being performed, scarce little attention was being paid to the actual bulb itself.
A traditional light bulb is a notoriously inefficient piece of hardware. Upwards of 95% of the energy used is wasted through heat, leaving only 5% of electrical input for actual light. Over the last fifty years scientists have been working on ways to improve it, and today the best option by far is LED lighting.
Almost all modern lighting today is designed to work with LED bulbs. Not only are these bulbs far more efficient in their use of electricity, but they have a much longer lifespan as well, a single bulb lasting tens of thousands of hours. Many people who use LED bulbs in their homes also see a significant savings on their electricity bill, making LED lighting truly the best solution for lighting your home.
6. What is an MET listing?
Also known as a UL499 listing, it is a series of test ran on products to verify that they meet the standards for electrical connections, temperature ratings, failure status, and more, to ensure that the product meets minimum safety standards. In the rating logo, a "c" indicates that it meets Canadian standards, and a "us" indicates that it is tested to meet US standards as well.