It’s more than “Keeping the Lights On.”

Indoor lighting maintenance contracts are becoming a popular option nowadays. It’s by no means new because businesses have been using them for years. Now that home lighting systems are getting so sophisticated (and complex) our home customers have started to request them, as well.

Of course, we’re famous for our fabulous designs of stunning indoor lighting, award-winning architectural lighting, and breathtaking landscape lighting. That is where it began—with outdoor lighting—and people requesting maintenance service after installation. It wasn’t long before they wanted someone to change all the burned out bulbs in their massive chandeliers, update older fixtures, and then review the entire installation. We were indeed up to the challenge.

Fresh Start

When you move into a new home or business, it is often the perfect opportunity to relamp the entire building. First of all, it is just stunning how cheap some people can be. While moving out, they’ll take the time to remove their high-quality LED bulbs and replace them with horrid little energy-consuming incandescent bulbs from the local dollar store.

Even if they don’t do such a petty thing, there’s a good possibility that the lights, controls, fixtures, and sockets are mismatched anyway. Have you ever noticed a chandelier with different color and brightness of bulbs?

High-voltage systems that have been relamped with low voltage bulbs waste energy. Replacing older fixtures with appropriate units for modern bulbs will pay for itself in energy savings.

Built-in projector lights for light effects, phantom lighting, or art illumination also deteriorate with age. As an example, consider a typical halogen bulb used for art lighting. They are very strong in the infrared part of the spectrum, which could damage your artwork. Instead of direct exposure, these bulbs are often set up to obstruct the source with an opaque shield and redirect light with dichroic reflectors, which are designed to absorb the harmful part of the spectrum and emit only safe light.

Alternately, dichroic filters permit direct illumination, but the filter itself allows only a very narrow band of harmless light to pass through. With both types, however, they degrade over time because that filtered light is turning the heat. The older they get, the more harmful radiation is permitted to escape. The nasty part is that you see them every day, and the change is so gradual; you don’t see that they are turning either red or green as they age.

If you want to keep your Claude Monet flowers looking fresh, or your Salvador Dali clocks looking as perplexing as the day they were painted, we have tools to measure the state of the bulbs, so you know they’re safe. More importantly, a maintenance contract will keep your art from deteriorating, when inspect or replace your lights.

Sounds Expensive

In truth, with a maintenance contract, any bulbs, fixtures, or equipment are significantly discounted over the direct purchase cost. As a bonus, modernizing your equipment reduces electrical costs significantly, provides a more aesthetically pleasing ambiance, and eliminates dangerous overloads. This makes your home (or business) both more comfortable and safer.

Besides, do you want to climb all over your balconies, parapets, roof underhangs, or overhangs trying to service a lighting system you might not even understand?   Of course not! This is a job for professionals; people with design sense, experience, and knowledge.

For that matter, do you even own a ladder tall enough to reach your more extreme ceiling lights safely? Think about locations such as a vaulted living room, or a high-ceilinged stairwell?

The Takeaway

Your home or business is a direct reflection of you, your personality, your values, and your sense of style. It’s the first thing that people see and defines the message you want to send your visitors, guests or clientele. Periodic inspection of each light makes sure that your aesthetic is presented correctly, and doesn’t slip under the radar because you have acclimated to any defects that have arisen.

At ILD, we are delighted to be located in beautiful Houston, Texas, serving River Oaks, Memorial, West University, Bellaire, Southside, Heights, and Royal Oaks. But don’t forget that we provide expert Electrical Contracting in Austin, Beaumont, College Station, Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio, and Midland as well. We’re here for you!

Call us today at 713-863-1133 and experience peace of mind and excellent service as we contribute to your new home dream. Take a moment to schedule a design consultation or visit us on Facebook to learn more about our lighting and electrical services. We’d love to hear from you!