Find the best in outdoor lighting, as well as fabulous light fixtures for the kitchen and bath.  Visit a Capitol Lighting showroom to view outstanding arrivals to welcome the new season.

From kitchen island light fixtures to mini-chandelier lighting, there is something for everyone with stupendous seasonal savings on Artcraft Lighting…

Enriching the Kitchen with lighted pot racks that are functional, beautifying and surprisingly affordable.  Don’t miss Artcraft’s  “Contessa” collection!

Reach for the Stars and add a little contemporary flair with new collections including Artcraft’s “Eclipse,” “Aquarius,” Aurora,” “Rocket,” and “Shuttle” series.

Enjoy Time-honored Design and traditional elegance with Artcraft’s “Heritage” collection featuring outdoor lighting superbly finished in dark oil rubbed bronze.

Treat Yourself to a Little Romance with the latest mini-chandelier lighting fixtures perfect for powder rooms, bedrooms or small foyer areas.  Especially attractive additions include the “New Castle” collection from Artcraft.

Meet the Latest Technological Turn Ons with Artcraft’s LED “Radiance” collection of Energy Smart bath vanity lights. Also brilliant are Energy Star ceiling fixtures in Artcraft’s “San Diego” collection and Energy Smart chandeliers and island light fixtures featured in the “Berkeley” collection.

Artcraft has set the standard for quality lighting featuring hand applied finishes and distinguished glassware for nearly fifty years. The chandeliers are breathtaking and styles are available in a range of sizes, including mini-chandeliers and pendant lamps, to accommodate home decorating schemes from cozy corners to master bedroom suites.

Whether you need to update the light fixtures in your kitchen with new island light fixtures or brighten a gloomy nook with mini-chandeliers, you will always find a complete selection of home lighting and accessories at Capitol Lighting.

Revere the Dark Sky and Welcome the Fall Season with Wisdom and Light

Fun Fact: Certain municipalities throughout the United States have passed laws and ordinances requiring outdoor lighting fixtures on newly constructed homes be “Dark Sky” compliant. These ordinances are intended to protect our view of the nighttime sky from being obscured by “light pollution” inherent in poor artificial lighting design.

Light emitted from Dark Sky compliant fixtures is shielded to purposely focus illumination in a downward direction over designated areas where it is needed. Dark Sky compliant lighting also leads to energy savings. Whereas an outdoor sconce with openings on the top and the bottom may call for a 100-watt bulb, you may switch to a 40-watt bulb in a Dark Sky fixture that emits light only from the bottom for similar lighting effects.

Visit a Capitol Lighting showroom for more information on the latest outdoor lighting applications.  Enjoy promotional discounts on innovative designs from Artcraft Lighting.

Not to be missed-Artcraft’s stately outdoor post lamps in the “Aspen,” ”Denver,” and “Seattle” collections.  Your home will stand out with class and style, while respectfully illuminating your environment for safety and security.

For great value and top quality designs in outdoor lighting, you can count on Artcraft. Capitol Lighting is proud to showcase outstanding new designs from Artcraft Lighting.

Summer is right around the corner, which, for us here in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., generally means extreme humidity, unpredictable weather patterns and, in recent years, rolling blackouts. Although we have all undoubtedly been looking forward to warmer days after this volatile past winter, summertime is not without its headaches.

It was just last summer that a massive blackout left millions along the Atlantic Coast without power after devastating thunderstorms downed tree limbs and power lines across the region on June 30. Shortly after the power outage, the state of Maryland ordered a heat advisory, warning elderly and infirmed individuals to stay indoors. However, because of the blackout, millions were left without the air conditioning they relied upon to make temperatures indoors more tolerable. As a result, area hospitals that were already crowded following the storms were flooded with even more patients suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Light dimmer switches are now common in most modern homes. Lighting affects the mood and comfort level of any given room. A bright halogen lamp just doesn’t help you wind down after a long day’s work, and a candle doesn’t work when you’re trying to make dinner. Dimmers can solve this problem.

If you use your dimmer often, however, you may notice it getting hot. Understandably, this can be disconcerting to a homeowner. If a dimmer gets too hot, it can actually melt the plastic plate or degrade  the electronic components.

Reasons for a Warm Dimmer

Basically, modern dimmers use a triac—a semiconductor—which works like a transistor. This allows the dimmer to control the amount of electricity going to your lights. This also means, however, that there will be a buildup of heat, which needs to be dissipated. A metal mounting plate is generally where the heat is distributed and then dissipated through the switch plate cover..

If your dimmer is running a single 100-watt bulb, you probably won’t notice any excess heat. However, if the wattage being controlled is in excess of  300 watts or more, you may start having issues. It’s not dangerous to run wattage that high (or higher), but you need to be using a system that is rated for that wattage, which is often not the case.

Dimmer ratings apply if the dimmer is mounted in a single gang box – meaning it is mounted alone.  If a dimmer is mounted in a box with other switches or dimmers, some of the heat fins must be removed resulting in a de- rating of its current carrying capability.

What You Can Do

First, you want to see if your dimmer switch is rated high enough for the amount of lighting it is running. You could also try using lower-wattage bulbs to reduce the overall amount of heat going through the switch.

In some cases, the actual casing and/or trim plate could be the culprit. Today, most electrical boxes are plastic, but metal is a much better conductor of heat. Changing from a plastic to a metal box will help, as well as replacing a plastic trim plate with a slightly larger metal one.

Dimmer Switch Help in Denver