EcoRenovator - View Single Post - Help me install better garage / shop lighting

eNeufenergy · 12-11-14, 02:37 PM

I took a slightly different approach to lighting my garage/workspace/storage/shop. My house, built in the 1970's seems to have the worst of all possible solutions relative to energy and adaptability. The garage is no different.

It seems to have had two Edison 26 sockets, which were then replaced with two 4' twin Fl fixtures, neither "solution" really solving the issue of lighting a double garage.

When we purchased the house @10 years ago, the CFL's were coming down in price, Fl tubes seemed to still be popular and LED was far away, but promising.

My solution was to spread the lighting out around the entire garage to eliminate as much shadow, offer flexibility in lighting options and hopefully be adaptable to what future lighting technology might become available.

So, I spent a day in the attic rewiring the lighting. I opted for two light circuits, one switched 4 linked Edison sockets, the other switched an additional 8 sockets spaced fairly evenly over the approximately 400 sf. floor.

As I recall, the sockets themselves were on the order of about $1.50 each, the round rough in boxes about the same, and the CFL's were @$3.00 bucks apiece. Since then the price (CFL's) has come down considerably, but then adding up the initial cost of 60' of 14ga. wire, two switches, plate. Total was about $125. Today the cost would be maybe slightly under $100 - CFL's dropped considerably but copper wire has gone up.

My own labor cost hasn't changed one damn bit.

I screwed in different wattages which allowed me to tune in the light where I thought I would need it most; the same issues I read about like trying to light an area around a car hood.

I'm very pleased with the outcome. The CFL's are clear of the overhead door when it comes up. I broke a couple initially, mostly because my muscle memory thought about where the old lights were, rather than my new reality.

And the good news is I can change them out to LED's as their price is now coming down. I did change them in the house, which lowered my Kwh usage by about 1.5K per day, but also has been mentioned by others my garage lighting is not on that much. But the thing is, when you want to work, I can now have a little - like fetching a dust pan - or alot, when I'm trying to fix some rusty broken thing with a magnifying glass.

My labor X less capitol cost = more flexibility. Or to put it another way - What I have X what I don't have = what I want.

12-11-14, 02:37 PM	#30
eNeufenergy Lurking Renovator Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Oregon Posts: 4 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I took a slightly different approach to lighting my garage/workspace/storage/shop. My house, built in the 1970's seems to have the worst of all possible solutions relative to energy and adaptability. The garage is no different. It seems to have had two Edison 26 sockets, which were then replaced with two 4' twin Fl fixtures, neither "solution" really solving the issue of lighting a double garage. When we purchased the house @10 years ago, the CFL's were coming down in price, Fl tubes seemed to still be popular and LED was far away, but promising. My solution was to spread the lighting out around the entire garage to eliminate as much shadow, offer flexibility in lighting options and hopefully be adaptable to what future lighting technology might become available. So, I spent a day in the attic rewiring the lighting. I opted for two light circuits, one switched 4 linked Edison sockets, the other switched an additional 8 sockets spaced fairly evenly over the approximately 400 sf. floor. As I recall, the sockets themselves were on the order of about $1.50 each, the round rough in boxes about the same, and the CFL's were @$3.00 bucks apiece. Since then the price (CFL's) has come down considerably, but then adding up the initial cost of 60' of 14ga. wire, two switches, plate. Total was about $125. Today the cost would be maybe slightly under $100 - CFL's dropped considerably but copper wire has gone up. My own labor cost hasn't changed one damn bit. I screwed in different wattages which allowed me to tune in the light where I thought I would need it most; the same issues I read about like trying to light an area around a car hood. I'm very pleased with the outcome. The CFL's are clear of the overhead door when it comes up. I broke a couple initially, mostly because my muscle memory thought about where the old lights were, rather than my new reality. And the good news is I can change them out to LED's as their price is now coming down. I did change them in the house, which lowered my Kwh usage by about 1.5K per day, but also has been mentioned by others my garage lighting is not on that much. But the thing is, when you want to work, I can now have a little - like fetching a dust pan - or alot, when I'm trying to fix some rusty broken thing with a magnifying glass. My labor X less capitol cost = more flexibility. Or to put it another way - What I have X what I don't have = what I want.