Tag Archives: Light-emitting diode

The LED Light Bulb Has Arrived

Posted on by
1

Compact Fluorescent Bulb

After a recent visit to a big box hardware store I had to explain to my 9-year-old daughter why we had to deposit our old compact fluorescent light bulbs in the big blue container with the skull and crossbones on it. I explained that this was a hazardous material and disposing it in here was good for the environment. So without missing a beat she asked, “If that was the reason, why was it safe to use this light bulb in my bedroom?” Great question!

As with most families we stretch our budget to its limit and try to save money where we can. We have only read about the day when a quality LED lamp (bulb) would be available to the masses. So for many of us waiting, we can finally exhale since that day has arrived.

Our family is now on a mission to replace our energy wasting incandescent and toxic compact fluorescent light bulbs to safe, long-lasting LED lights.

Businesses have seen the many benefits that LED lighting provides from saving energy and operating costs for the past few years, especially as the technology has improved and a variety of retrofit options hit the market.

LED Lighting Kitchen

In my own home, if I change my exterior light bulbs, which are on for 10 hours per night, and the interior light bulbs, (extremely high family room and kitchen ceilings) I should have my payback in less than 12 months!

Philips EnduraLED

Due to the long life span of LEDs, I won’t have to chase my family around the house shutting off lights in rooms where no one is sitting, or ask my neighbor to borrow his extremely high ladder to change those hard to reach light bulbs.

Cree LED BulbRecent industry predictions that LED lamp prices would be coming down were realized when a major LED manufacturer matched it’s cost to marketplace need with a reasonably priced, quality LED light bulb aimed squarely at the residential marketplace. Offering a line of LED light bulbs to replace the 40W and 60W incandescent, they have achieved the sweet spot for many household budgets – between $10 and $13.

We can now safely install a truly green product, which is safe to handle, offers a quality light source, all for the price of a combo meal at a fast food restaurant!

For LED lighting solutions, visit the experts at LED Source – 866.900.4533

Related articles

LED Lighting Adds Beauty, Consistency and Value

Posted on by
3

Ashley Furniture HomeStoreMy friends have been looking at me in a funny way for the last 7 plus years.  You see, I’m in the lighting business, so every place I enter, the first thing I do is look up.  It’s a habit now that seems to drive my wife crazy.  I’m curious how the lighting looks, if all of the color temperatures match, if they have the correct lighting levels, etc.  Until I started doing this, I didn’t realize how unbelievably hard it seems to be to make a clean, beautiful lighting plan work.

If you are the owner of a franchise location (or more than one), you know the importance of keeping the image of the brands you represent consistent.  With traditional lighting technology, the color temperature, hours of life and energy usage vary based on the technology you use, how old the fixtures are, etc.  That means if you open your first location one year and a second two years later, you may not be able to match the lighting between them.  What can you do to make everything the same?

Moving into LED Lighting Solutions is the key.  With the manufacturers we work with (including Philips, Cree, Toshiba, Lighting Science Group and others) we can give you a consistent lighting look across all of your locations.  Every lamp will match, the output will be the same and we can easily take the lighting you have now, convert it to LED and save you between 50 and 75 percent of your energy cost on lighting.  Add in the benefits of long life (50,000+ hours), long warranties (up to 10 years) and absolutely color consistency and you can see that LED is ideal for operators of franchise locations.  The lighting is a huge part of making your product, both the storefront and your merchandise, look the same in the best possible manner.

Hurricane Grill & WingsEvery day that you wait to move into LED is a day of savings lost.  There is absolutely no reason to wait, especially with our LouMan Money program.  Get in touch with us today to explore how LED Source can make your business shine like never before (and for a lot less money out of your pocket each month).  Our experience with brands such as Massage Envy, Starbucks, Marriott, City Furniture, Hurricane Grill & Wings and others, has taught us a lot about how to work with a franchisee and franchisor to make it happen.  LED Source, being North America’s only LED lighting franchisor, also provides us special insight into the importance of respecting both the unit owners and the corporate higher-ups.

For more information on LED Source and our franchise opportunity please call us at 866.900.4533 or www.LEDsource.com

Related articles

Bye Bye 75W Incandescent Light Bulb – Phase-out Continues

Posted on by
10

75W Incandescent BulbThe start of 2013 marked another year closer to the ultimate demise of the Incandescent light bulb in the U.S. and around the world. So what has changed since the U.S. Congress passed legislation in 2007 to ban the bulb that Thomas Edison created? The reason for the Act was to eliminate inefficient energy sources like the incandescent bulb and slowly phase-out the various high-wattage bulb types.

The Energy Independence and Security Act set the stage in 2012 for the banning of the 100-watt incandescent bulb. While this was not enforced since funding was pulled for the Department of Energy (DOE) to police, manufacturers quickly implemented their own program to ultimately stop production. So bye-bye 100-watt bulb.

Fast-forward to 2013 and what is the next plan in the common light bulb phase-out? Say goodbye to the 75-watt bulb as of January 1st and then followed by the 60-watt and 40-watt bulb in 2014.

What is the big problem with conventional incandescent bulbs? While they provide more than adequate lighting for each of us to light our homes, they are highly inefficient. An average of 90% of the energy used to light the bulb is converted into heat, hence the reason it is on the list. Their life span is also a problem when compared to other lighting sources.

The Act mandates that all light bulbs are requiring 25% greater efficiency by 2014. The second part of the law states that by 2020 all light bulbs must be 60-70% more efficient than bulbs used in 2007 and produce a minimum of 45 lumens per watt. Some compact fluorescent (CFLs) and most light-emitting diodes (LEDs) meet these requirements today, shaving energy usage by as much as 75-85%.

There are some exceptions regarding light bulbs being banned in the Act – appliance bulbs, colored lights, plant lights and 3-way bulbs are exempt, as well as light bulbs currently less than 40-watts.

Was the incandescent bulb the only one being phased out? The answer is No. Some fluorescent lights like the T8 and T12 are also on the list. Read more here.

So why did the United States pass this legislation? The goal is to move the Country towards greater energy independence and security, increase the production of clean renewable fuels and improve energy performance while increasing the efficiency of products.

A19 LED Lamp BulbBy now you have heard the entire buzz around LED lighting and consumers are starting to take notice of the benefits, efficiency and the longevity related to this state-of-the-art technology. On average LEDs use 75% less energy, last 15 times longer than incandescent bulbs, instantly turn on, are dimmable, produce little to no heat, perform well outdoors and in cold temperatures and are extremely durable. Many LED Lamps (the word ‘Bulb’ is not commonly referred to for LED Lamps) are Energy-Star Rated and contain no toxic chemicals or gases, unlike CFLs. It is as easy as taking out the existing 100-watt or 75-watt light bulb and screwing in an LED replacement.

The stage is now set for LED lighting to dominate the marketplace. It is estimated that by 2020 over 60% of general lighting will be LED. Isn’t it time you made the switch to LED lighting?

Related articles

Lighting the Empire State Building and Miami Tower with LEDs

Posted on by
Reply

Empire State Building LED LightingWhat does it take to light an iconic skyscraper today? Look no further than the recent LED lighting upgrades for the exterior of the Miami Tower and Empire State Building. Conventional lighting consisting of metal halide fixtures no longer can compete to the energy-efficiency and versatility of LED lighting. In the past for a building’s exterior to have color, expensive colored gels had to manually be installed to fixtures. This was not only costly to have maintenance crews perform the task; it also was very limited in the colors available, and forget about the possibility of changing colors on demand.

Miami Tower LED Lighting LED SourceNow with state-of-the-art LED lighting, color changing can now be done at the push of a button from an iPhone, and the color palette has increased from a handful to now over 16 million color combinations.

A trend is underway with city skylines being reinvented with LED lighting. Iconic buildings such as the Miami Tower, a 47-story building in the heart of downtown Miami, and one of the most famous buildings in the world, the Empire State Building, have been resurrected thanks to LED lighting.

Miami Tower LED Lighting LED SourceThe Miami Tower underwent a transformation with their exterior lighting in September as part of a broader initiative by building owner, Jones Lang LaSalle. The Tower was previously lit with 382 metal halide fixtures consuming 878,519 kWh annually. The new LED lighting system reduced the number of lights to 216 using Philips Color Kinetics ColorReach Powercore and ColorGraze Powercore fixtures. Energy consumption was reduced by 807,668 kWh annually, which represents a total energy savings of almost 92%.

Miami Tower ColorReach LED SourceWith the new LED lighting system, almost $260,000 annually in related energy and operating costs has been saved.  Even with these incredible benefits, what really sets it apart is the ability to use the building’s exterior almost as a canvas to create beautiful color changing transitions and images such as the American Flag. The possibilities are almost limitless with LED lighting.

Alicia Keys LED Lighting Empire State BuildingNot to be out done, the Empire State Building, the world’s most famous office building, recently changed its traditional fixtures to Philips Color Kinetics LED lights. It officially unveiled the innovative LED lighting system in a coordinated live 5 station on-air radio and internet broadcast, synchronized to the music of Grammy® Award winner Alicia Keys. The custom light show on top of the Empire State Building created a stunning event for all of New York, and the world, to see. From color changing transitions and cross-fades, to strobes and bursts of light, the new LED system delivered superior light and vibrancy levels in real-time, unlike the previous floodlights.

The dawn of a new era for architectural lighting is upon us. LED lighting is not only cost-effective; it allows buildings to stand out from the crowd with a range of colors only limited by imagination.

Watch the Empire State Building LED Lighting Event with Alicia Keys.

Watch the Miami Tower LED Lighting Case Study Video.

Reinvent a city skyline with help from the LED lighting experts at LED Source®.

Related articles

LED Lighting Versatility and Flexibility

Posted on by
1

As I started in the LED lighting industry, one of the things that really excited me is how energy-efficient and long-lasting LED lamps and fixtures are.  While that is still very important, I continue to be amazed by the many other benefits of LED lighting.  In certain environments such as retail, having the right lighting can make the difference of products selling or not. When I have compared LED lighting against traditional fixtures, the versatility and flexibility makes it the perfect choice for most applications. Now imagine using LED products where you wouldn’t normally think lighting, in the traditional sense, could be used.

LED Source Residential LEDAccent lighting with LED tape light is common, but the way you approach it can be unique.  Working with an interior designer at Interior Trends Inc. (ITI) here in Wichita, we used LED tape lighting to create the effect of ‘floating’ panels.  They had an electronic fireplace, two pieces of art and a headboard – all would be ‘floating’ off of the wall by several inches. They wanted an accent light behind those panels to enhance the effect. LED tape lighting was used because of its ability to be in tight spaces. It was cost-effective and provided just a subtle amount of light to create the perfect ‘glow’ around the panels and created the effect of floating.  An added bonus is that since it is all low-voltage, all they had to do was plug a transformer into a receptacle and attach some simple plug-and-play connectors.

LED Source Residential LED LightingWhat about using LED tape lighting to create a ‘crown-molding effect? On a recent project, a client built a small cove near the top of the room and the LED tape light made a beautiful angle of light around the entire room.  Simple, elegant and cost-effective, but more importantly, the effect was striking.

At LED Source®, we have a passion in challenging traditional thinking in the lighting industry.  We believe that by doing that, we can bring the greatest value to our clients!  Sometimes that can be as complex as engineering a complete solution for an entire facility or as simple and elegant as using a slick little product like LED tape light.

Travis Hettenbach is the owner of the LED Source® Wichita franchise.

Skyscrapers Going Green with LED Lighting

Posted on by
2

As power plants struggle to keep up with the demand of the world’s electricity requirements, it is essential that the biggest consumers of electricity, such as commercial buildings, find various way to reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprint. Retrofitting a skyscraper with energy-efficient LED lighting can seem like a daunting task, but the benefits and savings can certainly outweigh the initial expense. In many cases the ROI for an LED lighting upgrade is less than 3 years and “Green Buildings” can attract the most environmentally conscious tenants.

Miami Tower DaytimeWith lighting being responsible for 35% of energy consumption in buildings, finding ways for building owners to lower operating costs while being environmentally responsible has become a priority.

Solid state LED lighting not only provides better performance than most conventional light sources, it has the added benefits of increased durability and longevity. It also lowers the environmental impact especially when compared to incandescent, halogen, metal halide and fluorescent lighting.

Tenants and building owners looking to become more green friendly have also noticed that by upgrading to LED lighting, not only are they reducing their carbon footprint, they are also lowering operating expenses. Today, there are many tax benefits and rebates being offered by both federal and local governments for building looking to go green. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) even offers incentives to buildings looking improve their energy efficiency.

Miami Tower Metal Halide FixturesOne example of a skyscraper making the switch to LED lighting is the 47-story Miami Tower in downtown Miami, Florida. The building’s previous exterior lighting system consisted of 382 metal halide fixtures consuming 878,519 kWh annually. To achieve an ever-changing color effect, it required the manual changing of high-maintenance and expensive color gels for each fixture.

Miami Tower LED SourceLED Source® worked with the team at Philips Color Kinetics to provide a new LED lighting system using the ColorReach Powercore and ColorGraze Powercore fixtures. Using only 216 fixtures, new LED lights have a color palette of 16 million colors and can be changed at the touch of a button.

It is estimated that the Tower will have an annual reduction of 807,688 kWh – a total energy savings of 92%, equivalent to 1.2 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, Jones Lang LaSalle, the building’s owner and Management Company, would subsequently save nearly $260,000 annually in energy, maintenance and operating costs.

Miami Tower LED SourceThrough the use of LED lighting, city skylines are able to reinvent themselves while becoming environmentally conscious. If other skyscrapers around the globe took the same initiative as the Miami Tower, imagine the savings and benefits to the planet that would be achieved from LED lighting.

Miami Tower Reinvented with LED Lighting

Posted on by
3

When you look at buildings in your city’s downtown, are they just plain skyscrapers with little architectural design, or are they modern works of art? Many buildings throughout the world have just the basics when it comes to exterior lighting. But what if there was a solution that not only saved money for building owners and helped the environment, but also brought the building alive with color?  Through the use of energy-efficient LED lighting, reinventing a city skyline with almost limitless color possibilities, is a reality today.

In most cities there seems to be one building that stands out in the concrete jungle. The building design tends to separate it from the rest and most times, it is lit at night with some architectural lighting to enhance or highlight certain areas. Many times it is just in white and in some cases, a handful of colors are used through the use of colored gels. While the use of lighting on a building exterior adds a nice touch, it does come at a significant cost to building owners and conventional lighting systems are manually intensive.

Miami Tower Metal Halide To light a building, there are several different traditional fixtures that have been used in the past. This consisted many of 400-watt or 1000-watt metal halide fixtures and if color was required, maintenance crews added lens or gels. While these fixtures were the best solution in their day, times have changed and LED lighting has made a dramatic entrance.

Miami Tower LED SourceFor the city of Miami, the Miami Tower has been an icon since opening back in February 1987. The colorful lights illuminating the exterior of the building has made it a landmark for the city. In recent years, the aging lighting system, which consisted of 382 metal halide fixtures, had become highly inefficient and required constant maintenance to change lamps, ballasts and even the colored gels. To find a solution to their lighting problem, Miami Tower called upon the LED lighting experts at LED Source®. State-of-the-art LED lighting fixtures were chosen from Philips Color Kinetics that provided the versatility of color changing while reducing energy costs.

ColorReach PowercoreTo update the metal halide fixtures, 216 ColorReach Powercore and the ColorGraze Powercore LED lights were used. These fixtures are able to produce 16 million colors and offer hundreds of lighting effects. The new LED lighting system not only reduced lighting related energy consumption by 92%, it also allows the Tower to change colors at the touch of a button without any additional maintenance expense. The building owner will save nearly $260,000 annually and 1.2 million pounds of CO2 emissions.

What does it take today to create an icon for city skylines? Look no further than architectural LED lighting to add color to your building.

For more information on the Miami Tower LED lighting upgrade project, please contact LED Source.

Related articles

LED Lighting Improves Parking Garage Safety

Posted on by
4

HID Parking GarageParking garages equipped with LED lighting play a big role in the safety of our vehicle and person. The other day when I was parking my vehicle, the garage was dark and I asked myself “Do I feel safe and will my vehicle be safe?”

Garages with well-illuminated areas help to deter crime. However, dark areas, commonly associated with inefficient fluorescent or High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting, can signal a safety issue and prevent a motorist from selecting that garage.  Using LED lighting in a parking garage will not only help in providing a sense of safety, but will also lower operating costs.

LED Lighting Parking GarageWith the technological advances made in solid state LED lighting technology, retrofitting an existing fixture is easy. It is also one of the fastest ways to increase the bottom line and improve safety by eliminating premature outages and dark areas. A great example would be the C2D LED fixture by Lighting Science. It has no ballast, thus eliminating the buzzing sound commonly heard in HID fixtures, and has a life span of 85,000 hours, which means no relamping. The C2D uses up to 66% less energy than a metal halide fixture and provides a better illumination.

With LED lighting, property owners and managers can immediately lower their energy consumption and maintenance costs, while improving safety for patrons and vehicles.

FIU LED Lighting Parking GarageThe next time you have to park at a parking garage, remember to look for the one using LED lighting. The walk back to your car won’t be so scary.

For more information on retrofitting a parking garage, contact the LED lighting experts at LED Source®.

The Durability of LED Lighting Fixtures

Posted on by
3

Philips BayLyterOn a recent sales trip to Orlando, I was performing an LED fixture demo at a warehouse for a client. The Philips ExceLine 4-Pod BayLyter HighBay LED fixture met the client’s project goals and was the fixture selected.

As any good sales person knows, the best way to demo a fixture is to show the customer how it will work in their environment. At the warehouse, the client had a large gantry crane and the idea to lower the hook, connect the fixture and raise it to the ceiling. This way the BayLyter would illuminate the area at approximately the same height as the existing metal halide fixtures. Sounds like a good idea in theory right?

Philips ExceLine BayLyterAs I proceeded with the demo and connected the BayLyter LED fixture to the crane, at about 15 feet in the air, my worst fear came true. The cable on the crane broke right at the hook and the fixture came crashing to the ground. The BayLyter landed on the power cord, immediately severing it and making the warehouse go completely black. The existing metal halide lights in the warehouse were turned on, and after they warmed up in about 5 minutes, we went to survey the damage. The BayLyter LED fixture had landed on one of its corners and took a 5”x2”x1” deep chuck out of the concrete floor. The corner on the LED fixture was dented and one of the four pods on the BayLyter was knocked loose. To my amazement, the glass was not broken and the LED boards were still attached and intact. Needless to say I had to reschedule the demo, but that is only one part of the story.

Philips BayLyter LED SourceThe next morning at the office, I decided to see if the BayLyter still worked. After attaching a new power cord, I plugged it in and yes the fixture worked perfectly. All the LEDs from each board lit up, even though it dropped from about 15 feet. The only thing that needed to be fixed was the bracket that held in one of the LED boards.

All of us in the LED lighting industry love to speak about how durable LEDs are, but have you ever heard of a fixture being dropped from this height and still working? Could your metal halide fixture do this?

In the past, I have heard a story of an electrician on a ladder installing a Lighting Science LED lamp in a recessed can, loosing his grip, dropping it and still working, but nothing to this extreme. I too have dropped a Toshiba LED lamp from a second story balcony and it survived. I find it amazing to see that with all these similar stories involving an LED lamp or fixture falling, the end result is still the same – the LEDs continued to worked.

Imagine the above situation happening with a T5 High Output HighBay. I can guarantee the lamps would all be broken, and you would have to evacuate the area because of the poisonous mercury that was just released. When the dust settled and the area cleaned, you would find the fixture completely destroyed. The reflector would be bent and I am certain there would be a few sockets broken. Basically the fixture would be useless.

The next time you are thinking of upgrading the lighting in your warehouse, be sure to consider the many benefits and durability LED lamps and fixtures can offer.

For more information, contact the LED lighting experts at LED Source®.

Upgrade Your Gas Station To LED Lighting

Posted on by
2

Gas Station LED Lighting LED SourceIf you are the owner of a gas station, then the daily maintenance of your business is priority. Making sure garbage cans are not over flowing, lighting fixtures are working and fuel pumps are functioning, is a daily routine. Aside from convenience, fuel prices and necessity, do you know why some motorists choose to stop at your gas station and why others do not? Could it be your lighting? Should you upgrade your gas station to LED lighting? In most major metropolitan areas, you can usually find a gas station within a 5-mile radius and pass several stations on your daily commute. Knowing the factors that can influence a customer’s decision to visit your gas station can seriously impact the bottom line and affect the growth of your business.

One of the main factors is your lighting. After sunset, take a look at your gas station from across the street and ask yourself “Does my lighting draw the attention of passing motorists. Does it make them feel safe?” If your answer is “No,” then you may want to consider upgrading your gas station to LED lighting. For the past 10 years, most gas stations that operate 24 hours a day use expensive High Intensity Discharge (HID) fixtures for the lights in the canopy. HIDs consume 175W to 400W of energy, but lose lumen output over time while utilizing the same amount of power. In other words, they are a waste of money and energy for less performance. HIDs also require a ballast, which means more maintenance for you. Once you factor in the costs of replacing a broken fixture (labor and lift rental), daily energy usage and maintenance, it’s easy to see how HID lights have an expensive cost-of-ownership.

Now fast forward to 2012 and imagine an LED fixture that uses 80% less energy, lasts 20X longer, reduces maintenance, emits virtually no heat and comes with a warranty of up to 5 years. Allow me to introduce you to the next generation of gas station lighting – LEDs. Over the past several years LED lighting technology has been replacing traditional lighting fixtures and lamps because they last longer, save energy, illuminate brighter and require less maintenance than halogen, incandescent, fluorescent and metal halide lighting.

Mini 300 LED Gas Station CanopyPhillips innovative Mini 300 LED under canopy fixture is a retrofit solution for gas station owners looking to upgrade their existing fixtures without major modifications. This LED fixture can replace a 400W metal halide fixture, consumes only 110W, can be dimmed to 30% and last over 100,000 hours. Phillips estimates a Return On Investment (ROI) of less than 4 years and depending on where your gas station is located, you could qualify for an energy rebate from your local utility company, thus reducing the cost of upgrading and ownership. If you’re still unsure about making the switch to LEDs, consult with a gas station LED lighting EXPERT at LED Source®.