Undercabinet Lighting Application Guide

Task Lighting Juno undercabinet luminaires place bright lighting onto the work surface from a source that is located in close proximity to the task being performed. This placement is optimal, as general lighting is often blocked by a body shadow or a shadow from upper cabinets. In addition, undercabinet lighting provides the increased light levels required to accurately,quickly, and safely perform tasks.

Recommended Illuminance Levels

20–50 footcandles is generally perceived as adequate toperform kitchen undercabinet tasks such as food preparation or paying bills. More detailed tasks such as sewing or craftwork require 50–100 footcandles. Tasks that are very small, haveintricate detail, or involve very dark surfaces may require even higher illumination levels

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Accent Lighting Cabinets and shelves create dark cavities that can detract from the aesthetics of a room. Juno undercabinet fixtures illuminate these cavities, to create visual interest and a sense of spaciousness, and/or to highlight objects of interest.

Recommended Illuminance Levels Accent lighting usually requires 20 footcandles or less.

Cove Lighting

Indirectly lighting over cabinets or in architectural coves can increase the sense of spaciousness and add drama and pleasing warmth to an interior.
Incorrect Age As age increases, so does our need forlight. A typical 65-year-old needs 10 to15 times more light than a teenager to experience equal visual acuity. Recommended Illuminance Levels Cove lighting usually requires 20 footcandles or less. High Ambient Light Levels The apparentbrightness of a lighted countertop, cabinetinteri-or, or cove will also vary depending on theamount of general room illumination. If the general ambient lighting is 30 footcandles,than a cabinet interior illuminatedto only 20footcandles will not appear illuminated.Conversely, in a darkened room,20 footcandleswill appear brilliant. A minimum 3:1 ratiobetween the focus area and background is recommended to have visual impact. Dark Interior Finishes The amount of per-ceived light from undercabinet, accent, andcovelighting will vary greatly depending onthereflectance value of surrounding surfaces. A darkcountertop and backsplash will absorb light fromundercabinet fixturesand diminish the appearanceof the counterbeing illuminated. Likewise, indi-rectly illuminating a dark wood paneled ceilingfroman architectural cove will be much less dramatic than illuminating a white ceiling.Allowing for increased levels of illuminationcanpartially offset light absorption of dark surfaces. Shiny Work Surfaces For high-gloss countertops and backsplashes, place the fixture at the front edge of the cabinet tominimizeglare reflecting back into the eyes ofsomeone working at the counter. Keep in mindthat shiny dark surfaces act like a mirror, andwill reflect any source of light that is placed above them. How the reflected image of one fixture appears vs. another is subjective. Halogen and Xenon The specular “point-source” nature of both halogen and xenon lampscreates sparkle and highlightstexture, color, and3-dimensional definition of displayed objects.These lamps are excellent choices for task andaccent lighting. In addition, they may bedimmed to create a warmer appearance and/or lower-level mood or night lighting.
120-volt halogen lamps, as used in the LineVoltage Halogen series, produce a warmertone than low voltage halogen, and offerlower initial fixtures cost, as they do not require a step-down transformer to operate.

Selecting the Best Type of Lamp for Your Application Special Design Considerations

Fluorescent The diffuse quality of fluorescentlamps, as used in the Fluorescentseries, makethem ideal for providing shadow-free task illumi-nation in kitchens, home offices, and other work areas. Long life, very low energy consumption,and cool operating temperatures are importantconsiderations for applications with long burninghours. The Fluorescentseries uses the latest gener-ation of high efficiency, high color rendering T5 lamps which approximates the color of halogenand has a 10,000 hour rated life. These fixtureshave earned the Energy Star certification.
12-volt xenon lamps, as used in both Xenonseries, produce a slightly warmer light than low voltage halogen. They also have a long 10,000-hour lamp life. 12- or 24-volt xenon lamps, as used in Trac12, have a slightly warmer color temperaturethan halogen, and offer the most flexibility to achieve custom lighting effects such as undershelf, internal cabinet, and indirect cove lighting. Like fluorescents, they also have along 10,000-hour life when operated at therecommended 11.5 volts. 12-volt halogen lamps, as used in the Pro-Halogen series, produce the whitest and brightest illumination with best color render- ing using less energy and producing less heat.

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