Thursday, March 29, 2012

LEDs Could Be Very Beneficial In Healthcare Field


LEDs Could Be Very Beneficial In Healthcare Field

It’s been an interesting couple of days.  Tuesday my son had a dentist appointment for a procedure the dentist called a “baby root canal”.  They used a topical gel to numb the area before the dentist injected the Novocain into his gum.  He got freaked by the needle and then the fact that the dentist had to go in a second time to inject more.  Now he has to have the procedure somewhere else where they can put him under.  Then on Wednesday our daredevil boy went head first into one of our glass lamps and we paid a visit to the emergency room.  So I haven’t been thinking about LED lighting much.

Neither of these venues looked like they use LED, but it would be beneficial, given the kind of work they do.  Eliminating glare while still getting brighter, whiter light is a definite plus when it comes to the healthcare industry.  Many of the lighting devices used (I think) use floodlight type bulbs.  The dentist office utilizes track lighting fixtures in many areas, and the product I discuss today is perfect for track and so-called “downlight.”

The GE Energy Smart® Dimmable 65W Replacement (12W) BR30 LED Light Bulb in warm white is Energy Star® qualified.  It’s perfect for recessed-can and downlight applications and is most frequently used in the hospitality, property management and restaurant sectors.  But because medical professional facilities utilize a lot of recessed-can and similar light, I would love to see such products make their way into the healthcare industry.

Since it’s an LED, this 65W replacement bulb uses only a percentage of the wattage of an incandescent bulb (12W versus 65W) while still producing the same output (750 lumens).  It fits standard sockets with 110 to 120V AC power.  The bulb, like all LEDs, has the instant-on quality that eliminates flicker.  It lasts, like nearly all other LEDs, for 25,000 hours.  I wonder how many patients that is.  Now I’ll just have to talk at least the dentist in to giving LED a chance.

http://www.agreensupply.com/ge-energy-smart-r-dimmable-65w-replacement-12w-br30-led-light-bulb-warm-white-energy-star-r-qualified-led12dbr30-tp/

Monday, March 26, 2012

Our LED Makeover Could Include “Dimmer” Bulbs As Well


Our LED Makeover Could Include “Dimmer” Bulbs As Well

The product I discussed yesterday has a “little brother”.  The GE Energy Smart® Dimmable Replacement Omni-directional A19 LED light has a 40W/9W version as well.  The LED bulb only uses 9W of energy, but replicates the output of a 40W incandescent.  I don’t know many people who use anything below 60W for everyday use, but in some places a little bit dimmer light is necessary.

As stated in a roundabout way above, the new bulb uses just 9W of power but is rated at 450 lumens of output – similar to a 40W incandescent.  Its “full brightness” is similar to that of both incandescent and halogen lamps (but like all LEDs, comes on immediately and without flicker).  Also like many of the LEDs we discuss, it has a 25,000 hour lifetime – 25 times that of an incandescent bulb and 2.5 times that of a CFL.

The bulb is good for most indoor applications, including the living room, bedroom, family room, kitchen, or wherever your lighting needs may be.

Once we find our new home, we’ll have to figure out just how this bulb fits in. 

http://www.agreensupply.com/ge-energy-smart-r-dimmable-40w-replacement-9w-omni-directional-a19-led-light-bulb-warm-white-energy-star-r-qualified-led9da19-830-tp/

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Our LED Makeover Could Begin Soon


Our LED Makeover Could Begin Soon

My husband is really on-board the LED “train” so to speak.  He looked over at the “shop” page of the website and saw some of the really cool stuff we have.  Then he started peppering me with questions and comments like “if you can find me a really good 60 watt replacement I’d be happy; I need that to feel like at least I don’t live in the dark.”  So I scrolled through some of the products to show him the many 60W replacement bulbs.  Then he commented on the LED string lights listed for less than $10 and we began talking about decorating and the pros and cons between string lights and strip lights.  I felt like a bobble-head doll nodding my head the whole time and saying “I know, I know.”  Then I noticed the newest products under the “New Products” list.

Since my hubby’s interested in 60W and above, I’ll talk about the new 60W replacement bulb today.  The new GE Energy Smart® Dimmable 60W Replacement (13W) Omni-directional A19 LED light bulb in warm white (LED13DA19/830/TP) is Energy Star® qualified.  This bulb is shaped like nothing I’ve seen from the LED world so far.  When I first saw it, I thought it looked a lot like an incandescent bulb being held in the claws of a monster.  But that was before I read the description.

As stated above, the new bulb uses just 13W of power and is rated up to 800 lumens.  Its full brightness is similar to that of incandescent and halogen lamps, but comes on instantly and without flickering.  Like just about all the LEDs I talk about, this one is already rated to have a 25,000 hour lifetime, which means savings, savings, savings.  The voltage is a traditional 110-120V AC and the bulb boasts a standard E26 screw-in, the kind that fits most fixtures.

My husband later continued on to talk about the fact that people are slow in accepting LED, since they don’t realize the long-term value – that they last longer and produce a better quality light – but rather focus on the high initial cost.  This, of course, also means less waste.  The energy-efficiency and long-lasting qualities of LEDs mean fewer bulbs are thrown away versus incandescent, halogen, and fluorescent bulbs (don’t forget to add in the approximate $130 energy bill savings).  The lights also contain no lead or mercury, meaning they’re totally recyclable.  The new bulbs are also RoHS compliant.

I sent my hubby the link to look around the website.  Maybe our LED makeover will finally start!

http://www.agreensupply.com/ge-energy-smart-r-dimmable-60w-replacement-13w-omni-directional-a19-led-light-bulb-warm-white-energy-star-r-qualified-led13da19-830-tp/

Saturday, March 24, 2012

How Philips is Bringing LED to You


How Philips is Bringing LED to You

A couple of emergencies kept me from here the last two days.  Things are better, however, and I’m back.  A lot of the products we carry on the website come from Philips, and since I’ve already reviewed the newest products listed, I thought I’d turn to the Internet to find some news on what Philips is doing right now.  The company is currently on a nationwide tour called the Philips LED Light Experience.
The company rolled its mobile exhibit into the Miami Home Design and Remodeling Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center this weekend (March 23-26).

The exhibit provides hand-on mini-exhibits that allow visitors to explore just exactly what LED lighting can do for the home.  They can learn how an LED bulb is made, what makes them so different from incandescent and fluorescent bulbs and get tips on how to brighten up and green up their homes.  It focuses mainly on Philips’ line of AmbientLED and EnduraLED bulbs.

AmbientLED bulbs can be used all around the home – in the kitchen, bedroom, office, indoors or outdoors – just about anywhere inside or outside the home where there is a standard fixture and outlet.  I admit, when I first saw the line of LED bulbs, I thought the shape looked a little funny, but as I researched the line more closely, I found the odd shapes help improve the quality of the light the bulb produces.

Since I haven’t been to or seen the show, I don’t know exactly which bulbs are being showcased, but their current pride and joy – the EnduraLED™ Dimmable 60W Replacement (10W) A19 LED light bulb, winner of the DOE’s L Prize® - must be one of them.

The mobile exhibit travels a whopping 20 miles to its next tour stop in Hollywood, Florida on March 27.  Other cities on the tour include Atlanta, GA; Seven Corners, VA; Gaithersburg, MD; Norwalk, CT and Queens, NY.

www.marketwatch.com, www.usa.lighting.philips.com, www.agreensupply.com

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Philips Wins L Prize for Latest 60W LED Replacement Bulb


Philips Wins L Prize for Latest 60W LED Replacement Bulb

I almost forgot about you all.  It was not a good day to be a mom for me – my son had a major meltdown this afternoon which resulted in me sending him to his room.  I’ve only sent him to his room once before and he knows it’s the ultimate punishment, so he was as angry as I was.  But I stayed strong and didn’t break down when I heard his pitiful whining and crying from behind the closed and locked bedroom door.  Shortly after, I heard the door unlock, but not open and a while after that I didn’t hear a thing – he’d passed out.  I know if I had given in and let him out or gone in to talk to him, he would have continued to be cranky and difficult, so I gave myself a pat on the back and went in to read for a while – and fell asleep myself.

Many companies that manufacture LED products are getting a pat on the back as well.  Especially Philips.  Recently, it’s EnduraLED™ Dimmable 60W Replacement (10W) A19 LED Light Bulb was the winner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s L Prize®.  It’s the first of its kind (an A19 60W incandescent replacement) to win the award.

What is the L Prize®?  It’s a DOE-sponsored technology competition that challenges lighting manufacturers to test the limits of energy efficiency to develop a high-quality solid state (LED) lighting product to replace traditional incandescent light bulbs.  The L Prize® was established in response to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 with the hope of finding the best replacement for the most widely (and inefficient) light bulb – the 60W incandescent.

Why did it win?  Well, pretty much because it’s an LED.  It provides more light than a standard bulb while consuming only 10W of power – an 83% energy savings compared to the 60W incandescent it replaces.  It also boasts a whopping 94 lumens/watt efficacy and a 92 CRI (color rendering) light quality rating.  It even lasts longer than most LEDs, with a life of 30,000 hours.

Like other LEDs, it has an “instant-on”.  It is dimmable down to 10% of full brightness and emits virtually no UV/IR light in the beam, meaning colors around the bulb will not fade.  The bulb contains no mercury or other hazardous wastes and is completely recyclable.  Another perk: it’s made right here in the USA.

http://www.agreensupply.com/philips-enduraled-tm-dimmable-60w-replacement-10w-a19-led-light-bulb-winner-of-l-prize-enduraled-10w-a19-led-winner-of-the-l-prize/