this is about our residence which we are working towards turning into a rental.

Going to go shopping for new lighting. 60 yr. old house has most f the original stuff. Will be buying 5/6 inside fixtures.

We replace a couple a few years ago from the "big-box" store and have been underwhelmed with the amount of light given out by this "new & improved?" stuff, which admittedly is still incandescent and has [I thik a max of 60w per bulb.

They are in the entryway, a dining & a hallway area which are pretty dark . One is a windowless bath, [likely a bar & a combo [?] exhaust fan.

At the same time there will be gfi's installed in appropriate areas & I am thinking some outlets for room size a/c's as we do not have central air.

Thanks for all your help. OH....am thinking that a sub panel for the a/c's would be a good thing. waddya think?

I've been running home runs from the panel to the outlet where the AC would be plugged in.

Why are you suggesting the sub panel? I often thought that I could set up a home run which would run electric baseboard and AC.

(So my teni would trip the breaker if they attempted to use both together).

If you rent out your home, Where will you live?

In a van traveling out to Oregon for Descend on Bend?

On a boat moored at Kapilina next to Ewa Beach?

Hi Smoke & thanks for your input. As to yer last pernt: I resemble that remark. PS: My ancestor ran a funeral parlor in town for over 125 years & a refuse collection service for almost 50, …..which makes the lady from AZ and her puny shovel an amachoor.

I suggest sub panel from ignorance and the fact that for personal reasons it would not be wise to do anything to the existing panel. The heat is FHA and now that you mention it I might help things out by installing an electric baseboard or two.

As to the other question, we hope to fully ensconced in my "family home" about a mile up the road. Mom's estate is closing [hopefully & finally] this month and my sis has agreed to comply with the long term 'family plan' for me to stay there as "long as I pay all the bills.

My better half & I have been working our #'s and expect that all is do-able, though not a cake-walk.

I'm not sure what you mean by "new and improved." A lot of newer fixtures have integrated LED bulbs. I stay away from those. If the LED component fails, you have to replace the entire fixture. I also find that some LED lighting is too harsh/cold for my liking.

I'd suggest sticking with fixtures that accept standard base bulbs. That way, as LED technology improves, you can swap out what you have for the latest and greatest. The good news is that you can put an LED bulb that is much brighter into a 60-watt max fixture, since the LED uses much less energy than an incandescent bulb.

Robin: Thank you.

That is the type of input [with no complaints as to the gentleman from MD].

I am not really considering what finish/style as my better half will be the chief engineer on that, but I was concerned with integrating new tech into an older house and being able to brighten things up.

My prices were off.

Cans from Amazon - $10 each

Sunco Lighting 6 Pack 4 Inch Remodel Housing, Air Tight IC Rated Steel Can, TP24 Connector Included for Easy Install - UL & Title 24 Compliant

Bulbs from Amazon - $6 each

I’ve added long LED fixture in three kitchens, Well, Sparky added them, I don’t do ‘lectricity. Really made a great change. Nice and bright, tenants loved it.

In our own home, we have about 9 LED cans in our kitchen, under cabinet LED strips, and dimmable LED lighting in the upper cabinets that have glass doors. Had the kitchen lighting for about ten years now; love it. My kitchen is very brightly lit when cooking or cleaning, then we use the dimmable lights for evening. Problem with the can is since they were earlier technology, some are fizzing out. Replacements have different levels of ‘warmth’.

Any lighting I add to my rentals is LED now., except for the Dual Brite front porch lights. Those require incandescent. My tenants appreciate the lower energy bills, and so far, I haven’t had to replace any fixtures (4-5 years since I started putting in rentals.)

I also have electrician run circuits for a/c under the appropriate bedroom windows. I’m still trying to find a handyman to cut the openings for through the wall A/C that will go in the living rooms. I also tend to have a lot of extra electrical outlets in places I’d want them, and at least one outside outlet. I don’t want tenants using extension cords if possible, and I don’t want them tripping circuits, so my panels are all newer.

I agree with robin.

Buy regular fixtures. If you have not had enough light. You have not been buying ones with enough bulbs.

We use 2 or 3 bulb fixture. Then you can put in whatever watt bulb you want. If LED bulbs it is easy to change from 100 watt equivalent all the way down to a 40 watt.

So it is easy to adjust amount of lighting as long as you have a fixture with enough bulbs. And of course you can adjust color to what you like by using a warm white or daylight. Test and see what looks best in your situation.

Would never by a LED fixture so you have to replace the whole fixture instead of just a bulb. Half of the companies making these will no longer be around for parts in a few years.

And yes LED is suppose to last for up to 20 years. But plenty of people are already finding out that is not the case.

I recently replaced several w/ Ikea "octopus" style fixtures that had multiple 35w halogen mini spotlights that were aimable, on moveable arms. Everybody likes them who has seen them.

LED really is the way to go, whether you use bulbs or fixtures. Bulbs allow you to get the color and lumens you want. Almost all light bulb packages will have something called a Kelvin scale. The lower the number the softer the light, the higher the number the brighter, whiter and harsher the light.

The lumens is the actual light output also listed on the package. Watts is the electric used, so if they say 60 watt equivalent it can really have a range of lumens. But those lumens tell you the light output so chose accordingly.

I would stay away from any fixture that requires a light bulb other than a normal or candelabra base. They become specialty lights and are harder to find and more expensive.

I have a few integrated LED fixtures in laundry rooms and workshops. They are pretty good, it actually isn't that hard to install or switch out and again you chose the Lumens that you want for the brightness. Since these lights are made of multiple LEDs it is unlikely they will all die at the same time.

I have been installing the Parmida (12 Pack) 5/6” Dimmable LED Disk Light Flush Mount Recessed Retrofit Ceiling Lights, 15W (120W Replacement), 3000K (Soft White), ENERGY STAR, Installs into Junction Box Or Recessed Can, 1050lm From www.amazon.com/dp/B01MTAFXZ9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_vV0nCbE9848D9

I have installed over 150 of them in the last year. We have them throughout the new construction, and we are using them to replace burnt bulbs in can lights.

The soft light ones are a decent color and brightness. Even my lighting guy at the U was impressed. Amazon beat the price of the electrical supply store by a third.

For outside, we used Parmida LED (2 Pack) Wall Pack Light, 26W (75W MH/HID Replacement), Dusk-to-Dawn Photocell Included, 3000lm, Waterproof, 5000K, 110-277VAC, ETL&DLC, Outdoor Wall-Mount Area Security Lighting (Black) www.amazon.com/dp/B079FFLYSL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_XZ0nCbQGTSZN0

They provide decent lighting without being too bright.

All of these are simple to replace when the LEDs dim too much to use. We needed one per closet, one in the laundry room, one over the shower paired with an over the mirror vanity light,

Thank you all for the time and attention you provided with all the great info. we will be looking hard this weekend and try to decide by the first of next week.