Brightening the Heart of Your Home

The kitchen has long been the heart of many homes; we prepare meals there, some people eat there, we congregate and share news of the day there, and we enjoy the company of our loved ones in the space between the stove and the counter. For many of us, the kitchen is where life happens in our homes, and if the heart of your home is dim and dingy, you’re missing out on a bright, clear, crisp experience with LED kitchen lighting.

Spotlight on the GU10 LED Bulb

Meal preparation in a dim or dark kitchen isn’t just a hazard it’s a travesty! Who wants to dice onion on a counter where the only lighting comes from a yellow overhead light or a flickering fluorescent tube? If you have recessed lighting or are considering installing recessed lighting in your kitchen, your best bet for a safe and well lit kitchen is the GU10 LED spotlight bulb. This bulb provides a bright, crisp white or warm white light at a 90º angle. That means you can see and enjoy your kitchen with lighting that fills every shadowy space and shows off any modern kitchen to perfection. The GU10 LED spotlight bulb is also cool to the touch so you never have to worry about fires in your ceiling.

 

High Bright Thermal Plastic Milky Cover smd 3w GU10 Led Spotlight

Lighting the Nooks and Crannies

There are nooks and crannies in every kitchen but none as frustrating to light as that area under your counter where the overhead lights cannot reach. Well, with LED strip lights or under cabinet lighting fixtures you can fill your kitchen with cool white or warm white light from ceiling to bottom shelf.



LED strip lights are easy to install; they can be fastened into place with the self-adhesive backing on each strip, and each kit comes with simple instructions for placement.





If you prefer larger lights with replaceable bulbs you should consider installing under cabinet light bars like the Lightwell Lightbar. Its low profile allows for installation under the lip of cabinets, inside display cases or in classic dining room hutches.

Overhead spotlights and under cabinet LED strip lights are compatible with dimmer switches which means you control the intensity of the light; bright for when you’re cooking or warm and cozy for evening chats around the bar.

LED lighting, while a little more expensive than incandescent, halogen or fluorescent lighting, is a much better option. Traditional bulbs consume far more energy than LED bulbs but the energy consumed only gives off 20% light and 80% heat - which is why all traditional bulbs are dim and hot to the touch. LED bulbs use less energy and give off 90% of that energy as light and less than 20-10% as heat - which is why LEDs are brighter and cool to the touch.

Because LEDs consume less energy, they can save you 90% on your yearly energy costs, and that’s money you can use to create large, wonderful meals for your friends and family in your well lit, energy efficient kitchen.

Living Well with LEDs

Your home is where you truly LIVE, and the living room of your house is where life happens; kids playing, family movie night, marathons of your favourite shows and long conversations topped off with a glass of wine.

If your home is your oasis, your living room is the fresh spring of delicious water that feeds your soul. What happens when your living room lighting casts a dingy yellow glow, or when the bulbs you’ve installed flicker or burn out?

Traditional filament, halogen and fluorescent bulbs are part of a dying breed of home lighting. Incandescent bulbs and halogen bulbs burn hot, give off yellow, headache-inducing light, and burn out in a few months (if not days). While fluorescent lights offer brighter light, they tend to take longer to “warm up”, flicker and still burn out regularly. Consider investing in the eco-friendly, money-saving, long-lasting LED bulb.

Recessed Lighting

 

Whether you currently have or plan to install recessed lighting in your living room, the Lightwell GU10 bulb is the best bulb for your spotlight fixtures. The GU10 LED bulb offers downward lighting with up to 90º of angle coverage. Not only that, this bulb is “warm” in colour which means it’s perfect for lighting your home living spaces.

Reading Lamps

 

Your living room reading lamps could use the golf ball type LED bulb which fits most lamps. This bulb offers bright, crisp light so you can read for hours without the headaches and burning eyes you get from the poor quality light and flickering of halogen and incandescent bulbs.

Pendant Lighting

 

For pendant lights with shades the classic shape B22 and E27 are recommended. These LED bulbs provide light in a wide scope which allows you play a board game or deep clean your rugs without worry of missing a speck of dirt or a precious moment. These bulbs come in warm and cool colours but “warm” is best for living rooms.

Sconce Lighting

 

If you have sconce or chandelier lighting fixtures in your living room, the E14 candle LED bulbs offer a good looking, brighter alternative to the traditional incandescent or halogen bulbs that often flicker and burn out, leaving the unsightly singed area at the bottom of the bulb. Just because it’s made to look like a flame doesn’t mean it should appear burnt and yellow.

You’re in Control

 

LED bulbs and fixtures often come with dimmable capabilities—that means you can control the intensity and brightness of your living room lighting. Brighter for family fun, very dim for movie watching, and warm and cozy for nights alone with your special someone; with LEDs YOU choose how you use your lighting.

Living well with LEDs is simple when you know the bulb you need and where to get it. Exportimes has a wide range of LEDs for every socket in your home. Visit the website for product information or to learn more about the technology behind the LED.

How an LED Uses So Much Less Energy

• Energy-saving LEDS are the result of some bright and innovative ideas

  

  With incandescent bulbs, lighting magic happens before your eyes: Electricity heats the metal filament until it becomes hot, producing light. But with LEDs, technology and sophisticated engineering are carefully packed into the lightbulb.
  Inside an LED Bulb
  The interior of an LED bulb reveals a digital revolution up close, according to John Banta, the engineer who oversees Consumer Reports’ lightbulb tests. Electricity passes through semiconductor material, sparking up light-emitting diodes, while a heat sink absorbs and releases the small amount of heat produced. Unlike with incandescents, most of the energy used by an LED creates light. (Ninety percent of the energy used by incandescent bulbs escapes as heat.)
  While LEDs do not get hot the way incandescents bulbs do, their heat must be drawn away. Known as thermal management, it’s probably the most important factor for an LED to perform well over its lifetime, according to Energy Star. Otherwise, the light fades faster, so the bulb won’t be bright enough to use for as long as the manufacturer claims.
  Shifting Shapes
  LED bulbs come in various shapes as manufacturers work to improve efficiency and light distribution, help manage heat, and lower costs. Among LEDs that are bright enough to replace 60-watt incandescents, theFeit Electric LED is shaped like an incandescent and surrounded by fins that help prevent heat buildup. ThePhilips SlimStyle is a flat bulb that doesn’t need a heavy heat sink, so it weighs less. Both LEDs are CR Best Buys and cost $7.
  One of the more unusual-looking bulbs we've tested is the Nanoleaf One. A tangle of vines cover this odd-shaped LED, along with uncovered yellow diodes that aim to provide more light. It costs $35 and was the least impressive of the 75-watt-equivalent bulbs in our Ratings.
  

  Pros and Cons of LEDs

  LEDs do not burn out like other bulbs do. Instead, they fade over time, and when the light has decreased by 30 percent it’s no longer considered useful. (Manufacturers' claimed life is a prediction of when the 30 percent decrease will happen.)
  LED Advantages 
  

  • Use about 80 percent less electricity while providing the same brightness of the incandescents they replace.
  • Use slightly less energy than CFLs.
  • Brighten instantly.
  • Lifespan not shorted by turning them on and off frequently.
  • Some dim as low as incandescents do.
  • Most claimed to last 20,000 to 50,000 hours when used three hours a day (about 18 to 46 years).

  LED Disadvantages 
  

  • Typically cost more than other bulbs.
  • Not all A-type bulbs (the kind used in lamps and other general-lighting fixtures) are good at casting light in all directions.
  • Most are good but not great at accurately displaying the colors of objects and skin tones.
  • Some are bigger or heavier than other bulb types.

  We've tested dozens of LEDs and CFLs. Before you spend a dime, check our website(http://www.exportimes.com/lighting-bulbs-tubes_2685_1.htm) to find the brightest energy-saving bulbs.
  

5 myths about the light bulb ban

No, government officials won't break down your door if you have incandescent light bulbs. They will be phased out gradually, with plenty of alternatives.

When the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) was signed into law in 2007, among its provisions was the eventual phasing out of an icon of 20th-century life: the familiar (but notoriously inefficient) incandescent light bulb, which wastes 90 percent of its energy use as heat, not light.

In response, conservative pundits howled in protest, claiming the law would destroy the free market, bankrupt consumers and unravel the very fabric of American life. The destruction and mayhem hasn't happened yet, but that hasn't stopped the grumbling from certain hidebound commentators.

As a result, many people have heard a number of ill-founded stories about the effect of the phasing-out of incandescent bulbs, which use a heated tungsten filament to produce light, and the dangers of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light-emitting diode (LED) lights. Here are a few facts that shine a light on some of the more odious myths being circulated today. [Light Bulbs: Incandescent, Fluorescent, LED (Infographic)]

Myth 1: Incandescent bulbs will become illegal.

No, armed government agents will not smash down your front door to confiscate your light bulbs, despite what you may have read on a fire-breathing conservative blog. The ban only applies to the manufacture and import of incandescent bulbs, not their use by consumers.

In fact, incandescent light bulbs will still be available in stores after Jan. 1, until supplies run out. And some specialty incandescent bulbs — appliance bulbs, rough service bulbs, marine lamps, three-way bulbs — are exempt from the ban and will continue to be available for purchase.

Myth 2: No light bulbs besides CFLs will be available.

There are several options for consumers after Jan. 1: Not only can you buy CFL, LED or halogen lamps, but next-generation, high-efficiency incandescent bulbs will also be available.

EISA doesn't favor one energy-saving technology over any other; it simply requires that all light bulbs sold meet basic efficiency standards. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), light bulbs that traditionally use between 40 and 100 watts of energy must use at least 27 percent less energy by 2014.

Myth 3: Consumers will lose money buying expensive new light bulbs.

It's no secret that newer, high-efficiency light bulbs have a somewhat higher price tag than old-fashioned incandescent lamps. But that argument fails to take into account the high electric bills that accompany older, inefficient lamps.

About 12 percent of the average household's power bill goes to lighting, according to the EPA. A CFL bulb, which uses about 75 percent less energy than a comparable incandescent while lasting 10 times longer, will save consumers more than $40 over the lamp's lifetime.

Additionally, as lighting companies invest more in research, lighting technology will continue to improve, resulting in a wider array of inexpensive, high-efficiency alternatives.

Myth 4: CFLs will fill the world with toxic mercury.

Mercury is a hazardous material that's dangerous for human health and the environment. And it's true that CFLs contain a small amount of mercury.

But coal-fired power plants are the main emitters of mercury in the United States, releasing about 50 percent of all human-caused mercury emissions, according to the EPA, and lower energy demands overall will result in less mercury in the environment, not more.

Nonetheless, if a CFL breaks, the cleanup procedures are onerous (remove all people and pets from the room, air out the room for 10 minutes, do not vacuum, etc.) and CFLs usually must be taken to a recycling center — not thrown in the garbage — at the end of their life span. For that reason, many people are now choosing safer LED lights or other lamps instead of CFLs.

Myth 5: You can't use dimmers with energy-saving light bulbs.

There are some CFL and LED light bulbs that aren't compatible with dimmers. However, there are also CFLs, LEDs and halogen lamps that can be used with dimmers, provided the dimmer is the correct kind of dimmer for the bulb. Older styles of dimmers might damage the bulb, so make sure you're using a dimmer that's designed to work with high-efficiency lamps.

Slimmer, lighter, cheaper, brighter: Meet your new favorite LED bulb

With its latest consumer release, constantly innovating LED heavyweight Cree hits the under-$10 mark.

Back in the spring of 2013, the unstoppable LED train otherwise known as Creelaunched a series of PSAs that not-so-subtly declared the incandescent light bulb effectively dead and that any nostalgia felt over Edison’s energy-guzzlers was “dumb.”

However, it’s those wistful-over-obsolete-light-bulb types that the North Carolina-based lighting manufacturer appears to be targeting with its latest release: a no-frills, high-quality 40- or 60-watt replacement bulb that sports the non-threatening, reassuring A19 shape of an old-school incandescent.

As for the price tag, Cree’s newest offering, itself a third-generation re-tooling of thegame-changing Cree LED, rings in at $7.97. While still more spendy than most (inferior) CLF bulbs or the incandescents that they're designed to replace, Cree’s new budget bulb is the most affordable LED bulb of this caliber we’ve seen to date. The last-generation Cree LED started at $9.97 for a 40-watt warm white replacement while a 60-watt day light replacement bulb retailed for $13.97.

The new Cree LED — in addition to the 40/60W warm white replacement for $7.97 and a 40/60W day light replacement which is available for one dollar more — boasts most of the same perks as its best-selling predecessor. It offers energy savings of 85 percent compared to its incandescent equivalent; a lifespan of 25,000 hours; Energy Star-qualified design to help further drive down the cost once rebates kick in; dimmability; and more. Basically everything that rendered the original Cree LED matchless in an increasingly crowded budget LED playing field is carried over to the new bulb.

Aside from being 20 percent cheaper, the main difference between the revamped Cree LED and the one before it is, as mentioned, its appearance. While last year's bulb boasted incandescent-y looks, the new bulb is slimmer and significantly more lightweight with a profile that even more closely mimics the familiar counters of an incandescent. " ... You see the future, in glorious déjà vu," says Cree of the bulb's "timeless" design.

Cree achieved this by doing away altogether with the bulb’s metal heat sink and replacing it with patented cross-flow convection technology called 4Flow Filament Design. Essentially, the less hefty bulb is kept cool through ventilation openings located both at its top and bottom. Cool air is drawn in through the slits at the bottom of the bulb and after the air passes over the bulb’s heat-generating LED components, the warm air is released through the top of the shatter-proof, plastic-encased (also a new feature) bulb.

I had the chance to give the new Cree LED a test drive and it is indeed significantly lighter than last year's release. That absence of a heat sink really does make a huge difference. In addition to its incandescent-like weight of just under 2 ounces, the durable new bulb was super-easy to screw into my fixture. It was, well, just like changing a light bulb circa 1995.

In terms of light quality, it was difficult for me to discern between the new and old models (both 60-watt equivalents) although the last-generation bulb appeared to emit a slightly warmer omnidirectional light.

So how’d Cree manage to drive down the price of the bulb with all these design improvements? One key difference between the two bulbs lies in the warranty. A new three-year warranty replaces the older bulb's 10-year warranty. This, along with the absence of costly heat sinks, enabled Cree to pass the savings along to consumers. 

Aside from the warranty, there's another caveat worth mentioning in the form of decreased efficiency in the next-generation bulbs. While the new 40-watt replacement bulbs still consume a mere 6 watts like the bulbs that came before them, the 60-watt replacements have jumped from 9.5 watts to 11 watts. A one-and-a-half-watt bump might not seem like much but in terms of overall energy consumption for heavily used bulbs it's indeed a sizeable leap.

So is the decrease in efficiency enough to render the price drop totally moot? In the end, will the new-generation of 60-watt Cree LEDs wind up costing consumers pretty much the same amount of money?

It's hard to say but is something worth considering before you decide between old and new. For those concerned with looks alone, the newer option is the obvious choice.

The new Cree LED, in both soft light and day light models, will hit Home Depot stores nationwide early next month. And while I do hate to break out the “H” word — holiday — in October, I’m thinking that this beautiful bit of lighting innovation is the perfect stocking stuffer for the watt-conscious home improvement junkie on your list. 

Do lightbulbs need a health warning label?

LED maker cites a possible link between lighting and health

Cigarettes and alcohol come with a health warning label—straightforward reminders of the hazards that may result from using the product. Now a lightbulb manufacturer is adding a health warning to its LED packaging. The new label, which will begin appearing on all Lighting Science LEDs in August, reads “Exposure to certain electric lights may cause biological effects, some potentially disruptive.” As warnings go, this one’s a bit vague and scary, so why add it?

Almost as soon as the first electric lights were introduced, scientists, doctors, and sociologists expressed concern about its impact on human biology. (If you’re interested in reading further, check out “Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light” by Jane Brox.)

Consumer Reports’ medical experts say that studies have shown that exposure to light at night is clearly associated with an increased risk of sleep problems as well as mood disorders. Additional research has linked light at night with an increased risk of breast cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, however, much more research remains to be done to determine just how significant that risk may be.

So, why single out LEDs? LEDs do emit more blue light than CFLs, and incandescents emit very little. And while any light can suppress melatonin, the hormone that facilitates sleep, research has shown that human eyes are especially sensitive to blue (which is also emitted in higher levels by most of today’s indispensable electronic devices).

Getting the message out

Fred Maxik, founder and chief technology officer of Lighting Science, says that in contrast to the older incandescent bulbs, LEDs and CFLs have significantly changed the impact light has on human health, affecting our circadian rhythms. He believes the effects can be beneficial, such as promoting alertness or enabling natural sleep hormones to be released. But “there’s a growing amount of evidence that light can also have negative biological effects,” he says. And that’s why the company created the label. Maxik is also encouraging other lighting manufacturers to make consumers aware of the effects of light on health.

Lighting Science has hired former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., as a consultant. “The fact is that the wrong kind of light can be disruptive on sleep patterns,” he says. “I think this label gives interesting information to the public so they can decide, particularly for people with sleep problems.” 

Lighting Science has offer health information and functions as a marketing tool by including links to purchase some of the company’s specialty LEDs, such as the $60 Good Night bulb, which we found does have significantly lower blue light levels than other LEDs we’ve tested. For our tests results, read "LED lightbulbs that promise to help you sleep."

Whether consumers start seeing similar voluntary warning labels popping up on other brands remains to be seen, according to Terry McGowan, director of engineering and a spokesman for the American Lighting Association. “Information reporting on light and human health research is certainly helpful to consumers,” he says. “It’s likely that each company will interpret the research and the performance of their products in different ways, so they will choose different ways to provide the information.”

What you can do

Minimize your exposure to all sources of blue light a few hours before turning in by shutting off smart phones, TVs, and other electronics. The blue light in the backlit screens of electronic devices fools the brain into thinking it’s daytime. And the smaller the screen, the closer you hold it to your eyes, which concentrates the light.