I know that IC2 already has luminators, but, I find myself rarely using them due to the expenses and difficulty of hiding wiring while still making structures aesthetically pleasing. It's so much easier and cheaper to just use the old fashioned torch.
My suggestion:
A cheap modern light that doesn't require wiring. It should act just like a torch but without particle effects and you can place it on ceilings. Crafted with glass, redstone, and tin cable.
There are two ways to handle energy consumption.
A.) It's free, as the inherent electrical energy contained in redstone is enough to power a light. Maybe you would have to refine the redstone further to explain the greater light levels than a redstone torch.
B.) Wireless energy transfer using a similar system to teleport pipes. Select the power source(s) you want your lights to draw from and have them transmit on the same frequency as the lights. I understand you don't want energy teleportation, but we're trying to make these lights compete with torches.
Personally, I would love for my lights to use electricity and have torches burn out over time. This would make modern lights an obvious upgrade, but, with the threat of blackouts. But, I understand that would be much more difficult to implement than what amounts to a new texture and recipe for torches.
), if we had something like the fiber-optics someone else suggested - an block that could hide light sources like luminators for aesthetic reasons but with an variety of colours or even textures it would make them perfect for lighting any home!