Lovin’ Those LEDs

April 13, 2012 by 1 Comment

If you are still hanging on to those Edison bulbs, it is time to let go my friend. I understand; you just couldn’t embrace those compact fluorescent bulbs. The CFLs lacked the warmth and fire you desired, I get it. You were concerned about mercury in your home, disposal and radiation.

Now you have a new way to do good for the environment, have the warm glow of the sun, be free of mercury spilling in your home and have no guilt of tossing a bulb in the trash. The new LEDs are here and better than ever.

Now, brace yourself, they are not cheap. Think of replacing those old incandescent bulbs with an LED like you think of replacing your drafty, old, inefficient windows; not cheap, but worth the investment. LEDs can last up to 20 years, yes, years. LEDs cost pennies to run compared to dollars to run the old-time bulbs. The new LEDs can be dimmed almost as well as an incandescent and there is no buzzing like you get from even a dimmable CFL. We even had some LEDs that were labeled dimmable, but flickered terribly.

Philips AmbientLED lit.

My favorite new bulb is the Philips AmbientLED. I have replaced many bulbs, including CFL bulbs, in our house with this new bulb. I know, it does look a little funny, but most of the time you don’t see the bulb or notice it. It is very bright. It seems brighter than what is stated on the package. I love the warm glow from it. I love that it does not flicker or buzz when dimmed. Although these bulbs are no where as cheap as an incandescent at the register, they cost far less than LEDs from just a year or two ago. Not only that, but an incandescent is about 90 percent inefficient. Literally, it makes a better heater than a light.

There is a very good reason that governments decided to phase incandescents out, it is technology from over a hundred years ago. Do you get in touch with friends with telegraphs? No, you call them on your phone, probably your cellular phone. Do you beat your clothes on a rock next to a river? No, you throw them into a washing machine, maybe even a super efficient front loader. Do you go and turn the crank on your automobile engine? No, at this point you may not even turn a key, but instead push a button to start your car.

Come on, join the 21st century. Let go of your incandescents and embrace LEDs; your wallet, energy bill and planet will thank you.

Filed Under: Energy Efficiency, Home Toxins, Recycling, Reduce and Reuse, Sustainable Energy, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Green Ways to Beat The Heat

July 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of NASA

It is hot! Where you live is most likely hot too. There are ways to beat the heat and not crank up the A/C. Think back to the winter, that may even help a bit, and remember the tricks of keeping the cold out.

Use those curtains and shades. Window treatments keep the sun and heat out. Yes, your house will be darker, but it will keep your home cooler. Even if the sun is not hitting the window, curtains and shades will insulate against the heat.

Keep your lighting to a minimum. Even efficient bulbs kick off some heat. If you haven’t switched from incandescents, now is a great time to do it. Using fluorescents, LEDs or ESLs will put less heat into your home. Incandescents are like turning on a small heater. I know some folks are fighting the switch, but it is time. It is old technology, like the telegraph.

Ceiling fans help to create a windchill, so that you do not have to have your A/C set so high, or not on at all. Ceiling fans in your main living areas and sleeping areas will keep you more comfortable, but just remember to turn it off when you leave the room. If you leave a fan running in a room with no one in it, energy is needlessly wasted.

Think out of the box when it comes to cooking. Use your outdoor grill, if you have one. Even a microwave is a better alternative to turning on the oven. If you really want to be green, then use a solar oven. Try to open your fridge or freezer as little as possible, even though it’s temping to crawl into both of them. Keeping the doors closed will keep the cold air inside, so the motor won’t have to run as often.

Save your energy using chores for after sundown. Even a vacuum cleaner creates heat, and that is what you want to avoid right now. Take advantage of the heat and hang your laundry outside, hopefully it will dry with this humidity.

Head to the water to cool off, if you can. Remember to drink a lot of water as well. Keep those reusable water bottles handy so that you don’t have to buy bottled water.

Landscaping can make a big difference in keeping your home cooler. It is probably too late to make a difference for this heat wave, but you can make plans for next season.  In inner cities, having a green roof will reduce the heat island effect. Planting deciduous trees on the south side of a house can keep the hot sun off the house and temperatures down inside it. Plus, it’s always a good idea to plant more trees. Avoid using stone next to your house, especially the south side. Stone absorbs heat and then radiates it back onto the house.

I’m almost ready to take a cue from my pets, and lay on our tile floor. This heat wave does make me understand why most of Florida has tile flooring instead of carpeting. Remember, think cool, eat cool and chill.

Filed Under: Energy Efficiency, Environment Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Vu1 Bulb Update

February 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Image courtesy of Vu1

Image courtesy of Vu1 and Destination Lighting

I have an update to my blog on the Vu1 Bulb. The bulb will be available on February 21, 2011 from Destination Lighting‘s online store. Destination Lighting will not have a minimum purchase amount, so people can buy one or more bulbs.

One other attribute I’d like to point out; the Vu1 has a CRI of 85, which is considered good, over 90 is considered excellent. CRI stands for Color Rendering Index. The CRI is based on a scale of 0 to 100, 100 being the best. CRI is how the light source makes things appear to the human eye, or how true colors look. To compare; many of the old style fluorescents have a CRI in the 60s, and sunlight has a CRI of 100.

The Vu1 R30 produces the equivalent of 65 watts, but uses 19.5 watts. This is much more efficient than an incandescent. It is about as efficient as a CFL. It is not as efficient as some LEDs, which can use as little as 8 watts for similar light output. As I wrote yesterday, the Vu1 does not contain mercury and is fully dimmable. I am looking forward to trying this bulb out for myself. Once I do, I will write a review.

Filed Under: Energy Efficiency Tagged With: , , , , ,

A New Light Bulb on the Horizon

February 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Image courtesy of Vu1

Image courtesy of Vu1

Not long ago I wrote about the death of the incandescent bulb in the imminent future.  In that blog I also wrote about the alternatives to incandescents; CFLs and LEDs.  Soon after writing about those two bulbs I can across another bulb that will start to be available sometime early this year, the ESL bulb.  ESL stands for Electron Stimulated Luminescence.  Up to now, I thought that LEDs were the cats meow.  Granted, LEDs still needed some improvements, but those improvements were coming.  I just purchased some LEDs that have wonderful light quality; warm and bright.

The ESL bulb is made by the Vu1 Corporation, and could be even better.  This new bulb is mercury-free, like LEDs; highly efficient, like LEDs and CFLs; fully dimmable, like incandescents (I’ve yet to find a CFL or LED bulb that thrilled me with its dimming capabilities); full spectrum and environmentally friendly, according to Vu1′s website.  This bulb is also an instant on bulb without the warm up time associated with CFLs.  Vu1 manufactures bulbs in the Czech Republic.  The company plans to make the bulbs available for sale early in 2011.  Another benefit to the ESL bulb is the price.  The r30 costs $19.95, and has a 10,000 hour life.  The downside is that right now you would have to order 8 bulbs.  The company plans to offer different styles in the near future.  Sometime soon we should be able to replace the bulbs in our homes and work places, and save energy, without giving up the qualities that we love in incandescents.  Here’s to innovation and the green movement!

Filed Under: Energy Efficiency Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

The End of the Incandescent

January 10, 2011 by 1 Comment

Photo courtesy of Petr Kratochvil

The end is near for the incandescent bulb.  By 2014, incandescent bulbs will not be completely banned in the United States, but almost.  There is a good reason for this, they are incredibly inefficient; 90 percent of the energy used creates heat, not light.  Think about that.  What if the average furnace was only 10 percent efficient?

I know there are concerns about mercury in compact fluorescent bulbs or CFLs, but manufacturers have worked to lower the mercury levels.  In a side-by-side comparison, a CFL only has 1.6 mg of mercury in it (many are now lower) and an incandescent bulb will cause 5.5 mg of mercury to be released into the atmosphere.  The EPA has direction for cleaning up a mercury spill from a CFL in your home.  By-the-way, an old fashioned mercury thermometer has about .5 grams of mercury or 500 mg.

Courtesy of Earth LED

The newest kid on the light bulb market is the LED.  LEDs have no toxins or heavy metals.  LEDs are unbelievably efficient.  A 7 watt LED is the equivalent to a 50 to 60 watt incandescent.  LEDs are still very expensive, but they are much cheaper to run.  LEDs are suppose to last 50,000 to 100,000 hours, and cost $6.00 a year to operate.  There are some dimmable LEDs too.

Both CFLs and LEDs are improving in color.  It used to be that both types of bulbs were very cool or bluish hued, but now there are warm spectrum bulbs.

These are just a few of the places you can find LED light bulbs:

EarthLED

LEDbulb

Amazon

Make the switch today from incandescents to efficient bulbs.  It is another switch which will benefit your wallet and the environment.

Filed Under: Energy Efficiency Tagged With: , , , , , ,