thanks dim4fun & homepro01. homepro01, to answer your question, yes, Fluorescent cans do count toward the high efficacy wattage in title 24. (Only the kind that take only fluorescent bulbs. You can't do it by plugging in fluorescent bulbs into incandescent fixtures.) I checked out Contrast Lighting on line but I'm not sure whether the cans (MR16s) would be considered high efficacy? Aren't they halogen? dim4fun, for those Juno lights, do I butt them up against each other to cover every linear inch under cabinets? If I stick with the non-cheating plan, and go with 5" cans, that gives me 6x26=156 watts in high efficacy watts in cans, plus about 120 watts in undercab Junos. I getting close...only 26 watts to go! How about one more can in front of the french door ? Is there a better place?

Do you have a specific piece that you will be using in the niche? It doesn't sound that way, as you said 'our hutch or furniture piece will probably be in the 6 ft range'. Having a little extra space on each side would give you some versatility in using the area, and piece that you might find to put there could end up being larger than you anticipate. If you have a hutch or taller cabinet, you could add some wall sconces on either side, or even art. It also depends on how it affects the rest of the room design. Does 8 ft of space compromise how you can use the rest of that wall, and the other space in the room?

How efficient is a heat pump? https://www.cooling-heating.org/ An Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) will typically produce around 3kW thermal energy for every 1kW of electrical energy consumed, giving an effective “efficiency” of 300%. It is thermodynamically impossible to have an efficiency of more than 100%, as this implies that more energy is being produced than is being put in. For this reason the performance is expressed as a Coefficient of Performance (COP) rather than an efficiency. The above example would be expressed as having a COP of 3. The reason that it appears that more energy is being produced than is consumed, is because the only “valuable” energy input is electricity used to drive the compressor and circulating pumps. The remainder of the energy simply transferred from a heat source that would otherwise not be used (such as the ambient air, ground or a river) so is not considered as an energy input. While the term Coefficient of Performance (CoP) is commonly used, it is important to understand the differences in order that the heat pump will work successfully, and to be able to compare different models that might be using different measures. Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (SCoP). Used mainly with ASHPs to give a measure of heat pump performance over the year, taking account of varying air temperatures. There are three climatic zones defined across Europe, defined in BSEN14825. Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER. Used mainly with ASHPs to give a measure of heat pump cooling performance over the year, taking account of varying air temperatures. There are three climatic zones defined across Europe, defined in BSEN14825. Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER). This is a measure of the ratio of delivered thermal power to total electrical power. This includes ancillaries such as any fans, pumps and controls. Seasonal Performance Factor (SPF). This is the most useful definition, as I gives a measure of the ratio of delivered thermal energy over the year, to total electrical consumption. But, as with other forms of “renewable” energy, where the source of fuel is virtually limitless and free, it is the total cost of generation rather than the efficiency that really matters. For comparison, other forms of heat generation have the following efficiencies: Condensing gas/oil boiler: 90-96% efficiency Conventional gas/oil boiler: 70-80% efficiency Direct electric heating: 35-45% efficiency (including losses in generation and distribution). As the temperature difference between input and output increases, so does the compressor pressure needed to power it, and hence the COP decreases. It is therefore important to understand the temperature at which it is rated, and the range over which it will be used.

Joanieponie here is a picture of the barn doors and track. They are mounted on the family room side. Someone suggested I could mount art to the doors and I think that's a very interesting idea that could look really great! Seems like everyone feels it makes most sense to keep the current entry and add a second one to the hallway. I'm on board with that and think it's the best option too. I sure am glad I received so many opinions because I was so tempted to close up the wall entirely and I probably would have been kicking myself later. I better call the GC first thing in the morning to let him know he doesn't need to bring drywall - just his hammer to bust out a second opening. He'll be thrilled since he thought I was off my rocker wanting to already Reno our new house he just built! Thanks everyone!