LEDs That Look Like Candles

LEDs That Look Like Candles

All I wanted to do this evening was read.  At least for a little while until my guys got home.  But then they got home and it was bye-bye peaceful evening.  Our son started wanting my attention from the minute he walked through the door and my husband had had updates about what happened during the day.  I had intended to start the blog earlier, but they just wouldn’t leave me alone.  My husband just saw me writing here and said “LEDs, LEDs, LEDs, Woot woot!”  He’s silly like that.  And of course, now that he knows I’m writing he’s decided to listen to music while he works.

Sometimes I wish we didn’t have all the technology we have today.  We’re so dependent.  I think whoever thought up the design of the bulb I’ve decided to talk about today thought so too.  It’s the Philips AccentLED ™ 15W Replacement Candle with Bent Tip LED Light Bulb with Candelabra (E12) Base.   The bulb itself is shaped like a candle flame, and, when lit, has the same glow.

They’re meant to be used in fixtures like chandeliers, pendant lights and wall sconces, but can be used anywhere.  But its unique shape is meant to be shown off without a shade.  I have seen incandescent equivalents in many homes and places with large chandeliers.

It, like other LED products, lasts up to 20,000 hours while never producing flicker.  That’s 20 times longer than an incandescent bulb and twice as long as a fluorescent bulb.  

http://www.agreensupply.com/philips-accentled-tm-15w-replacement-candle-with-bent-tip-led-light-bulb-with-candelabra-e12-base-soft-warm-white/

Philips EnduraLED Dimmable Bulb Steals Spot Light

Philips EnduraLED Dimmable Bulb Steals Spot Light

Just as I was getting ready to sit down and write yesterday’s blog entry, my phone rang.  It was my shift coordinator taking advantage of the new, correct, phone number I have listed to call me in early.  Or, as she said, as soon as possible.  So instead of sitting down to write, I jumped in the shower and was out the door and at work in less than hour.  As I’ve said before, sadly, the only LED light in my workplace at the moment is a co-worker’s personal work light at her desk.  I did some proofreading last night and really wished I had one of my own.  The glare of the fluorescent light bounces off my semi-clear ruler and bothers my eyes.

My office won’t be installing LEDs any time soon (again, sadly).  Even if they did, what I’ll talk about today probably wouldn’t be the ideal candidate.  But it would be around the house or in other spaces where atmospheric lighting – like an art gallery – is needed.

The Philips EnduraLED ™ Dimmable 50W Replacement (10W) MR16 LED with GU5.3 bi-pin base comes in warm white and soft white.  Its companion, the 35W replacement (7W) comes in bright white and soft warm white.  The MR16 emits direction spot light.  It performs best in open flood, recessed, or track lighting fixtures.  Its light output is 445 lumens, comparable to a 50W halogen bulb while using only 10W of power.

The bulb is dimmable and works exceptionally well when connected with top-of-the-line dimmers.  Like other LEDs, it produces a high-quality light without the flicker of a fluorescent and lasts 2.5 times longer than the fluorescent alternative.  It is at least 80% more energy efficient and has an operating life 25 times longer than a traditional incandescent bulb.  

http://www.agreensupply.com/philips-enduraled-tm-dimmable-50w-replacement-10w-mr16-led-light-bulb-with-gu5-3-base-warm-white-3000k/

Philips AmbientLED Dimmable 65W Replacement BR30 Flood LED Light Has People Cornered

Philips AmbientLED Dimmable 65W Replacement BR30 Flood LED Light Has People Cornered

Whenever I think of floodlights I think of two things: working late into the night in a dark space or catching a neighborhood criminal as he approaches.  I’ve never thought about them begin dimmable, since both of those applications call for bright light covering a large area.  Another, and probably just as common, application for floodlights is in recessed or track lighting in the home or in public spaces.

In homes, I generally see floodlights in the kitchen or, if you’re lucky enough to live in an area of the country where there are basements, in one or more areas down there.  Here, I can see the need for a dimmable floodlight like the Philips AmbientLED ™ Dimmable 65W Replacement BR30 Flood LED Light Bulb.  Its warm white casts over your space at a 60 degree angle while producing 650 lumens of light with just 13W of power.

In the house I grew up in (in Michigan), we had a finished basement.  When my brother and I were young, the finished area was the “play room”.  As we got older, it became where the computer, family TV and video games and movies were kept.  There was even a pool table for a while.  The space was lit by an overhead fluorescent light fixture in the area where the pool table was and then by two tabletop lamps on the “media” side of the room.  There was also a spotlight in the corner by the record/tape player/radio which made for a little atmosphere while listening if all the other lights were shut off.  The fixtures on the media side, since it was the 1980s and 90s, were powered with traditional incandescent light.

The incandescent bulbs didn’t flicker much, but every time the fluorescent was turned on there was the usual delay/flicker.  Philips LED products come on immediately without any flicker and have a life 2.5 longer than fluorescent and 25 times longer than incandescent lights.  Added to that, the dimming feature of the BR30 Flood LED helps conserve even more power and helps the bulb last even longer.  It fits standard light sockets and is compatible with 110 to 120V AC power.

If you’re looking for a way to warm up your special space’s ambiance this bulb will be a great addition to any area.  It’s just another type of bulb to add to my shopping list for my LED upgrade! 

Photo: agreensupply.com online catalog

http://www.agreensupply.com/philips-ambientled-tm-dimmable-65w-replacement-br30-flood-led-light-bulb-warm-white/

Making Holidays Greener

Making Holidays Greener

It’s no longer Christmas, but my 5 year old doesn’t seem to care.  He likes playing the Christmas with the Chipmunks album on the PlayStation3 while he plays video games.  He wants to decorate a tree.  For some strange reason both last year and this year he wanted Christmas in February and March.  Some campgrounds (which are usually only open in the spring, summer and part of fall) offer festivities like Christmas in July or Christmas in August.  The lots are decorated with Christmas décor and lights and there’s even a parade where Santa is the final “float”.  It’s fun and the younger kids get a kick out of it, especially when it happens so close to the 4^th of July parade and activities.

So, given my son’s recent obsession with a holiday that’s still more than 9 months away, I’ve got Christmas on the brain.  What better time to talk about Christmas lights?  (Actual Christmastime, right?)

LED Christmas lights are getting more and more affordable.  For Christmas 2010 we invested in some for about $30/box (300-light strand).  For Christmas 2011, for the same product, they were nearly half that!  When looking for “stocking stuffers” at Walgreens a couple nights before Santa’s arrival, I saw a box of 50 for just $5.  The LED revolution is in full-force, I thought.  LED holiday lights come in various colors including multi-color strands and single-color strands.  Plus, they can be used for more than just decking the halls at Christmas.  The color varieties lend themselves to Halloween, birthdays, weddings and just another way to light up a small space.  Our friends go “all-out” decorating for Halloween and Christmas – lights, spooky ghosts and skeletons for Halloween and Santa’s sleigh and reindeer, among other things, for Christmas.  I think I’ll be suggesting they make the switch to LED this year.

Many light strands, including the one featured here, have several settings such as “waves”, sequential, slow glow, chase flash, constant on, and others.  The LEDs are great, since, like all other LED products, they consume less energy.  The ones featured here take only 1 to 5 watts, depending on the sequence mode being used.  They stay cool during and after operation, so there’s less fire hazards than with traditional lights and you won’t be replacing them every year, since they last for at least up to 25,000 hours.

Most people usually wish for a white Christmas, but I’ll be looking for a “green” one this year!

http://www.agreensupply.com/under-10-sale-led-string-lights-green-color-10-meters-or-32-8-feet-long-no-extended-plug/

Philips AmbientLED Dimmable 60W Replacement Great for Your LED Home Makeover

Philips AmbientLED Dimmable 60W Replacement Great for Your LED Home Makeover

I was in a dark place yesterday.  Not emotionally – I had an eye appointment, which always takes place in a dark room.  I saw spots for a moment when the doctor turned the light back on.  It’s also very bright, harsh, fluorescent light in the exam room.  I notice that few LED lights I already have around my house that I never get this quality after being in the dark and then turning the light on.  Plus, they don’t have that added flicker or large delay or make that little popping, crackling noise that makes me wonder if it’s going to explode the next time I turn it off and on.

My husband and I are big on product reviews when it comes to buying new things.  We’ll research not only to find the best product but also the best price for that best product.  Sometimes it’s a website that has a better deal – sometimes it’s the store.  Then we weigh “extra costs” like shipping and handling and the lag time of delivery versus the gas, time and sales tax of going to buy it at the store.  We haven’t faced buying many electronics recently, but the electronics store across the street has a banner that announces the store’s new online-price price matching guarantee.  Should we find the electronic device we want and the store has it, we may opt to go with the store since we can walk there.  So now that we’re looking to fully upgrade our home to LED, we’re looking for the best of the best.

The Philips AmbientLED ™ Dimmable 60W Replacement A19 LED Light Bulb in soft warm white may be one solution.  It might look weird from the outside, but it gives off a wonderful warm, soft white (but kinda yellow, given the outside of the bulb) light that no incandescent can match.  I couldn’t find a customer review that didn’t speak highly of it.

It’s only 12.5 watts, but gives off the same light and more as the 60 watt incandescent bulb it replaces.  It’s Energy Star ® rated and is great for use in floor and table lamps, pendants, ceiling fixtures and other places around the house.  I have many places in my home I need to replace bulbs – the living room, mine and my husband’s room, my son’s room, the kitchen, our office – everywhere, and this bulb fills the bill.  It’ll last up to 25,000 hours – 25 times longer than the incandescent lights we have in our bedroom and office and 2.5 times longer than the fluorescent light in our kitchen and over my workspace in our office.

Now to figure out what we’ll do with all the savings we’ll experience when we replace everything!

Photo courtesy of lighting.philips.com

http://www.agreensupply.com/philips-ambientled-tm-dimmable-60w-replacement-a19-led-light-bulb-soft-warm-white-energy-star-r-qualified/?revpage=2#reviews