Video: Vacuum Tubes Lit With Tri-Colored LEDs

Philips teams up with mayors to power city LEDs

Washington, D.C. is following in the footsteps of a bunch of cities that have — or are in the process of — switching their lighting to LEDs. But unlike the other cities, Washington isn't paying the high costs of making the switch — it is taking advantage of Philips Lighting's (which manufactures the LEDs) first foray into offering a "lighting as a service" model. While the model is commonly used to finance building retrofits, it hasn't been used for lighting. Philips will pay the upfront costs of installation and be compensated through a performance contract — the energy savings the retrofit produces.

A hand-made solar lamp from Uganda

Last week, I got notification that there was a package waiting for me at our corporate headquarters in Times Square. The customs declaration announced that it was a solar-powered lamp. That on its own didn't surprise me. A variety of organizations have been promoting these as indoor lighting for places that aren't on the grid, and I'd covered just how significant the health benefits of this lighting can be since it would displace fuels that create lots of indoor air pollution.

The great LED lightbulb rip-off

Many energy-efficient LED light bulbs failed before their advertised lifespan, tests have found. Some did not even reach the EU’s new minimum of 6,000 hours which comes into force in March. LED bulbs from Ikea and Technical Consumer Products (TCP) performed worst, according to Which? The consumer watchdog and European partners tested five samples of 46 types of bulb. New EU regulations say that from March 1, 90 per cent of any batch of LED (light emitting diode) bulbs should last at least 6,000 hours.

Thomas Edison and the Electric Lamp, Patented Jan. 27, 1880

Benjamin Franklin may be the most famous American inventor, owing to his dual role of world famous inventor and Founding Father and Statesman, but the most prolific and influential American inventor of all time was undoubtedly Thomas Alva Edison. 134 years ago, on January 27, 1880, Thomas Edison received U.S. Patent No. 223,898, which was simply titled “Electric Lamp.” Truth be told, however, Edison didn’t really “invent” the lightbulb, but rather he improved upon the technology by developing a light-bulb that used a lower current electricity, a small carbonized filament, and an improved vacuum inside the globe.

When will consumers realize the 60-cent light bulb wasn't a bargain?

The deadline is approaching slowly, stealthily. You may not even realize it until the shelves of your local hardware store are void of 40-, 60-, 75- and 100-watt standard incandescent light bulbs. Congress ordered them phased out in 2007, and manufacturers stopped making them as of Dec. 31, so when they run out depends on your store's inventory and the continuing allure of Thomas Edison's 135-year-old invention. What will be different is the incorporation of costlier energy-efficient light bulbs into the showcase. At Home Depot, for example, their prices will run from $2.19 for a 60-watt-equivalent compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) to $64.98 for a 40-watt-equivalent light-emitting diode (LED).

Light bulb attack sheds more heat than light: Our view

There are two ways to look at the great debate over light bulbs. One is that government regulations meant to save energy by filling the nation's roughly 4 billion light sockets with vastly more efficient light bulbs are an outrageous offense to personal freedom. The other is summed up by a funny Internet spot last year for Cree's superefficient light emitting diode (LED) bulbs: "The light bulbs in your house were invented by Thomas Edison in 1879. Now think about that with your 2013 brain. Do you still do your wash down at the creek while your eldest son stands lookout for wolves?"

Light Bulb Angst: Grow Up

We are told that the world as we know it will end when an overreaching government phases out incandescent lights and forces consumers to purchase more efficient bulbs. Those to the right of center claim that the government should get out of the way and let consumers make their own choices. The government cannot pick winners and losers; only the magic of the market can do that. We hear claims that this is the worst case of governmental intrusion and excessive regulation.

Is it time to change over to LED light bulbs?

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve noticed incandescent light bulbs have been disappearing from store shelves. The phasing out of traditional bulbs means we’re seeing more compact fluorescents (CFL) and, lately, more LED bulbs. Today we’re looking at the LED offerings I could find locally. I set out last week to Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target, Best Buy and Wal-Mart to see what was available as an LED replacement for a 60-watt bulb. Watt’s a lumen?

LED local dimming explained

The term "local dimming" gets used frequently in LED LCD marketing. It's one of the few such terms that can actually denote improved picture quality, but not all local-dimming methods are created equal. Here's the difference. One of the top buzzterms in LED LCD marketing is "local dimming." Ostensibly, local dimming can dim the area of the screen that needs it, while keeping the bright parts of the screen bright. This technology can really increase the contrast ratio to make a better image. But not all local dimming works the same, and certain types of local dimming work better than others.

An LED Bulb Is Both Dimmable and Affordable

Here’s a bulb you might think about licking rather than lighting. Philips’s cut the weight of its new SlimStyle lamp down to about three ounces by eliminating the heat sink found in most other LED lamps. The bulb looks unlike any that has come before — more like a lollipop than a lamp. It has the ability to dim and gets only warm to the touch even after a few hours of illumination, eliminating two shortcomings of LED bulbs. It’s priced under $10 at Home Depot.

Soraa GaN LED lamps knock out halogen drawbacks

The California headquartered firm has launched what it says are the world's first high colour rendering, line voltage GU10 230V LED lamps. California based gallium nitride expert Soraa has launched its first line of high colour and white rendering, high light output LED GU10 230V dimmable lamps. The company says it has released a 10 degree spot version, not available in halogen or from other LED manufacturers, as well as a 25 degree version that has a peak intensity higher than halogen and all other LED GU10 products.

Plug-and-Play LED Replacement Tubes

Electric lighting accounts for 21% of the energy used in the commercial sector, and most businesses use fluorescent tubes as their light source. LEDs use 40% less energy than fluorescent lights for the same amount of light production. Unfortunately, LED tubes can’t simply be placed into fluorescent fixtures. Well, they couldn’t, until now.

First a little background: A fluorescent light requires a high start-up voltage in order to overcome its large initial resistance. A fluorescent fixture includes a ballast - an inductor, similar to the ignition coil in a car - to produce this high starting voltage. Once the light is on its resistance decreases and the ballast simply prevents large changes in current, in effect, regulating the current through the tube.

Favourable Government Policies Drive the Global LED Lighting Market

LED, the technology that until recently provided backlight for flat panel television sets, mobile phones, tablet PCs, among others, is all set to dominate the global lighting market in the next few years. Key benefits of LED bulbs that are driving its mass adoption include lesser consumption of power, longer lifespan and lower environmental pollution throughout its lifecycle. Supported by stabilizing macro-economic conditions, reduced prices and favourable industry standards, the market is fully set to enter the era of a golden period beginning from 2014. Despite their current dominance, fluorescent lamps are soon expected to give way to the rapidly growing popularity of LEDs. The pressing need around the world for conserving energy encourages the natural shift to LEDs. LED Bulbs enjoy greater adoption rates in countries where power costs are high. In countries where power is cheaper, penetration is expected to be relatively slower as there would be no urgency to shift to energy saving lamps.
Steady decline in average selling price, owing to shrinking manufacturing costs, will play an important role in future penetration and growth of LED lighting. LED chip prices are falling steadily resulting in close to 30% annual reductions in LED bulb pricing, transforming LEDs as an impressive general lighting choice. Demand for all LED lighting types, including LED spot lights, streetlights, luminaires, residential use light bulbs, and LED fluorescent tubes is set to increase manifold in the next few years.
Government policies banning inefficient lighting technologies represent a strong growth driver for LED adoption. The Korean government announced plans to increase the share of LEDs in the nation’s lighting source mix to about 30% by 2015. The Chinese government also plans to increase LED usage while the US government phased out sales and production of the most used fluorescent bulb in the nation, the T12 bulb. Penetration of LED lighting is expected to be the fastest in outdoor and commercial lighting segments. Streetlights, spotlights and downlights are expected to witness high adoption of LED lighting in the next few years. Street lighting enjoys immense support from favourable government policies and by the end of 2015, LED penetration for streetlights is expected to reach more than 90%.
LED fluorescent tubes are all set to witness increased adoption riding on the feature of significant power savings of up to 50%. Particularly, the tubes will find increased usage in such applications where electricity is a major expenditure. Organic LEDs (OLEDs) represent one of the most important future growth areas for the LED industry. However, this much awaited technology is still in development stages for general lighting and its current use is limited to monitors, televisions and smartphone displays. Home automation represents another potential growth driver for LED lighting, where the technology is making the automation process easier and faster by incorporating personalized lighting in automated smart homes in an economical manner.
As stated by the new market research report on LED Lighting, Asia-Pacific represents the largest as well as the fastest growing market worldwide, driven primarily by China. Other major markets include the Europe, the United States and Japan. China represents one of the largest markets for all types of lighting including LED lighting mainly because of its huge population and a fast growing economy. The country is expected to witness accelerated LED adoption supported by government policies. China is also expected to subsidize LEDs to become the leading producer. Beijing has already set a goal of achieving 30% LED penetration in general lighting by 2015.
Major players covered in the report include Acuity Brands Inc., Bulbrite Industries Inc., Cree Inc., Crompton Greaves Ltd., Dialight plc, Feit Electric Company, General Electric Company, Havells India Limited, Koninklijke (Royal) Philips Electronics N.V., Larson Electronics LLC, LG Electronics, Lighting Science Group Corporation, Litetronics International Inc., Megaman, NVC Lighting Technology Corporation, OSRAM GmbH, Panasonic Corporation, Revolution Lighting Technologies Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Standard Products Inc., Toshiba Corporation, Ultra LEDs Limited and Zumtobel Group.

How to Buy a New Energy-Efficient Light Bulb

You may have heard by now: the classic incandescent light bulb is on its way out. Because incandescent light bulbs are some of the least efficient on the market—wasting up to 90% of electricity as heat instead of light—they are being phased out of production and what’s on the shelves and in warehouses now is all that’s left. To be clear, only “standard” bulbs need to meet the new requirements. Plenty of bulbs are exempt from the new standards—including appliance lamps, rough service bulbs, 3-way bulbs, colored lamps, stage lighting, plant lights, candelabra lights under 60 watts, and outdoor post lights less than 100 watts.

The future of lighting

Lighting. An important part of life that most of us take for granted, except when streetlights go off or power fails. Take note of the fixtures and fittings in your house, offices, malls, etc., and realise that so much has changed in the way we use light in the 21st century. Natural light is missing from our routine and surroundings. Incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and the like will be passé by the next decade. Changes are afoot. Lighting is not a mere utility now; it is a fashion statement in the tricity, with the Elante Mall and the new property, The Lalit, leading the way. Each light at Elante, for instance, would have cost a minimum of `2,000 each and there are more than 600 of these at the property.

Could BeeWi Smart Color LEDs be the Hue competitor we've been waiting for?

Lighting that changes color on demand is nothing new, and if you've read our review of the Philips Hue Starter Kit, then you know that we're at least somewhat charmed by the idea. Unfortunately, the costs of these kinds bulbs have put them largely out of reach for a wide number of consumers. The Philips Hue kit will set you back $199, while slow-to-emerge competitors like iLumi and LIFX each cost over $80 per bulb -- if you can even get your hands on one. That's why BeeWi's new Smart Color Light -- which the company plans to sell for less than $40 per bulb -- has us intrigued. Announced amid a wide slate of other Bluetooth-enabled smart home

Clay Center curator has bright idea with LEDs in gallery

The Clay Center is putting lots of work into its art gallery, but curator Arif Khan hopes no one will notice. Workers started last week replacing the gallery's old lighting with new, highly efficient LED, or light-emitting diode, fixtures. Lighting in an art gallery is a lot like the orchestral score in a movie: If it's executed correctly, nobody should pay much attention.

Yakima to replace 4,000 streetlights with LEDs

Yakima is finding a new way to shine the light. Thousands of streetlights are on tap to be replaced. The plan is to switch older bulbs to LEDs. KIMA learned it will take a lot of money upfront, but save in the long run. You might have seen them already. LED streetlights in downtown Yakima and other parts of the city. About 400 so far. This year, Yakima's taking LEDs citywide. The city plans to replace some 4,000 high pressure sodium streetlights.

High-tech LEDs turning NYC skyline into a lightshow

The city’s skyline is becoming a rainbow of dancing colors as more tall towers add programmable LEDs to their tops and antennas. What was once stagnant and mostly white or a primary color is now alive with tint and effect heretofore only seen on the Broadway stage. Soon the nightly dance led by the Empire State Building will include the top of One World Trade Center, where the hues and swirling lights may be coordinated with those enlivening 4 Times Square and One Bryant Park — all owned in full or in part by the Durst Organization.

Congress offers glimmer of hope for incandescent lightbulb

The House's passage of a $1.1 trillion spending bill Wednesday that dictates the budgets for all federal agencies may be a desperately needed lifeline for the lightbulb. The bill includes a prohibition on funding for “the administration’s onerous ‘lightbulb’ standard,” as Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., described it, which had sought to dramatically improve the energy efficiency of ordinary incandescent lightbulbs but ultimately spelled the end of the road for the century-old technology.

Monument to Thomas Edison switching from incandescent to LED bulbs

This summer, when the monument to Thomas Alva Edison on Christie Street reopens after two years of renovations, a small but symbolically significant change will take place. The 14-foot-tall glass replica light bulb on top of the 118-foot-tall tower will no longer burn with an array of incandescent bulbs, Edison's signature invention. The project calls for changing the lights to the new LED bulbs, a lighting-tech leap that came well after Edison's time. "Edison was all about innovation," said Kathleen Carlucci, the director of interpretation at Edison's museum in the town named after him. "This is just another innovation."

End of incandescent bulb presents big opportunity for Cree

The curtain is coming down on the iconic, standard incandescent bulb. And that can do nothing but help brighten the future for local LED designer-manufacturer Cree. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 raised minimum lighting-efficiency standards by 25 to 28 percent, explained Mike Watson, vice president of product strategy for Cree in Durham, N.C. That effectively stopped the manufacture of the standard, screw-in incandescent bulb. The 100W bulbs were outlawed at the start of 2012 and 75W bulbs last January. As of this Jan. 1, the 40W and 60W bulbs follow the other two into extinction. When stores are sold out, they’re gone.

LEDs: Light Pollution Solution or Night Sky Nemesis?

You may have noticed a change underway in your city lighting. High pressure sodium lights, with their familiar orange glow, are quickly being replaced by new, energy efficient blue-white LED (light emitting diode) lighting. Is this the beginning of a new assault on the night or an opportunity to use light more wisely? Many of us first became aware of LEDs in amplifiers, computers and the flashlights we use for seeing our star charts at night. More recently, LEDs became a big hit with Christmas lighting. And why not?

Power mini-LEDs

Vishay Intertechnology announces the release of a new series of power MiniLEDs in ultra-compact 2.3 mm by 1.3 mm by 1.4 SMD packages. Utilizing the latest advanced AllnGaP technology, the Vishay Semiconductors VLMx234.. series provides exceptional brightness with a typical luminous intensity of 3500 mcd and maximum luminous intensity of 4900 mcd at 70 mA while delivering improved thermal performance compared to previous-generation LEDs. The high-intensity LEDs provide low thermal resistance junction/ambient of 325 K/W and power dissipation up to 200 mW, which in turn enables high drive currents up to 70 mA. The devices' small size and high luminous intensity make them ideal for automotive applications.

Art world adjusts to lighting switch from incandescents to LEDs

Barbara Jones decided to put the new LED lights to the test. When officials at the Westmoreland Museum of Art debated replacing its halogen bulb fixtures with a more efficient but expensive LED system, Jones, the museum's chief curator, wondered whether the bulbs would provide the same quality of lighting. So she instructed staff to hang several oil-on-canvas paintings, including George Hetzel's “Two Young Fishermen in a Summer Landscape,” and bathed them in LED light.

For visitors and staff accustomed to seeing the paintings under halogen bulbs, Jones said, “the response was incredible.”

Going Online with LEDs and the First Li-Fi Smartphone

For a few years now, engineers and scientists have tinkered with an alternative to wi-fi that utilizes not radio waves, but light: specifically, light from light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. Yeah, it's an internet of light, or maybe LEDnet, as if we needed another buzz phrase. This quietly gestating technology, li-fi—unlike wi-fi, it's an actual abbreviation, for light fidelity—may be ready for a serious look. Not only did a recent New International market forecast predict that the li-fi industry would be worth $6 billion in less than five years; li-fi devices debuted at CES this year allowed users to both establish an internet connection via light waves, and, in an arguably more intriguing application, to use an app to transmit data directly from lights outfitted with the technology. And now, for the first time, there's even a li-fi smart phone.

Separating Myth From Fact on CFL and LED Light Bulbs: Five Concerns Addressed

A recent post on the U.S. phase-out of 40- and 60-watt low-efficiency incandescent light bulbs, which became official January 1, elicited a lot of response from readers. Many commenters were critical of the ban, dictated by legislation passed in 2007 by Congress and signed into law by then-President George W. Bush. While a recent poll showed that 65 percent of Americans plan to switch to electricity-saving lighting such as compact fluorescent (CFL), light-emitting diode (LED) or halogen bulbs rather than hoarding the old incandescent bulbs, many readers were deeply worried—and sometimes outright angry—about what they saw as safety risks, high cost and poor performance of the replacement technologies. (Take the quiz: “What You Don’t Know About Energy-Efficient Lighting.”)

Lighthouse LED Video Displays Powered by Cree High-Brightness LEDs

Since the launch of its Impact series of LED video display panels—featuring Cree high-brightness SMD (Surface-mount diode) LEDs—Lighthouse has dominated the outdoor SMD LED display market with more than 107,639 square feet (10,000 square meters) of active outdoor SMD LED area. Powered by LEDs from Durham, N.C.-based Cree, Lighthouse and its partners have wowed people around the world with record breaking installations such as the 2013 display at Safeco Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners (Impact 16).
 At Safeco Field, ANC Sports Enterprises installed a Lighthouse display distributed by Panasonic which is the largest LED video screen in Major League Baseball. A Lighthouse Impact 16 using Cree CLV6 LEDs, Safeco Field’s new LED display is 1080p high by 3840p wide, the equivalent of two side-by-side high-definition screens. Standing 56.7’ (17.28m) high, stretching 201.5’ (61.42m) across, and totalling over 4 million pixels, Safeco Field’s new Lighthouse Impact 16 is an outstanding addition to the fan experience.
With the Impact 8, 10, 12, 16, and 19, Lighthouse introduced the first water resistant SMD (surface-mount diode) LED video solution for outdoor applications. With a wider viewing angle than non-SMD products, 6000+ nits brightness levels and a significant price advantage, Impact series LED panels are ideal wherever long viewing distances are required, such as sports arenas, outdoor digital signage, advertising billboards, shopping malls and theme parks.

NPPD offering incentives for LED bulbs

In an effort to promote green energy and save consumers money, Nebraska Public Power District has launched a campaign to help its residential customers buy light-emitting diode, or LED, bulbs. The Columbus-based utility and its wholesale customer utilities will provide customers with an account credit worth $5 for each 60-, 75- or 100-watt LED bulb they buy, with as many as 10 credits available per residential account this year.

SemiLEDs C35 LEDs Create Stunning Accents in Twenty First Light's Hotel Alpha Project

The tourist hotel complex (THC) Alpha in Moscow recently received a dramatic new façade wall-wash from Twenty First Light ltd, a Russian manufacturer of LED luminaire solutions, using SemiLEDs Corporation (Nasdaq:LEDS), C35 color and warm white LEDs. With substantial product support from SemiLEDs, Twenty First Light developed three types of saturated purple and warm white spotlights for the project to achieve both a powerful visual impact and high reliability for the distinctive lighting scheme.
"THC Alpha is a high profile landmark in Moscow, and as such, this was a high-exposure project for Twenty First Light that demanded a solution which would start out visually appealing, and then stay that way over the life of the installation," commented Sergey Stakharny, Director of Twenty First Light. "It was very important to us that the LED manufacturer both understood what we were trying to achieve, and would provide flexible support that minimized our engineering challenge while streamlining the project and maximized the reliability of the installed luminaires. SemiLEDs was able to meet those needs, contributing to the success of this program."
Twenty First Light tackled the project by developing three distinct types of luminaires, including 40W saturated purple spotlights for the individual balconies on the building's side, as well as narrow-beam 100W purple and 70W warm white spotlights illuminating the building façade for a color-fade effect from bottom to top. In addition, a series of prototype 150W RGB color-changing spotlights, also based on SemiLEDs C35 LEDs, were developed to allow on-site testing of different hue and saturation effects. With the final selection being a saturated purple, Twenty First Light was able to optimize the performance and value by engineering a static combination of blue and red LEDs matching the specified and tested shade. The LEDs were surface mounted on a single aluminum array plate, and supplemented by secondary optics to achieve a 10-degree beam angle. The 100W purple and 70W warm-white spotlights respectively replaced 400W and 250W high pressure sodium lamps netting over 70% energy savings.
"We were very pleased to support Twenty First Light in the development of these customized luminaires constructed around SemiLEDs C35 family of LEDs," commented Dr. Ilkan Cokgor, Executive VP of Sales and Marketing for SemiLEDs. "One big promise of LEDs is to enable the kind of design flexibility that Twenty First Light devised, allowing the end-specifier to see a dynamic test luminaire for color selection, and then translating that into a cost-optimized, and highly reliable production solution set. That flexibility demands a wide product offering, robust technology, and a manufacturer that has the ability to interact with the luminaire designers with individualized support. It's what distinguishes SemiLEDs as both a technology and solutions leader."

Innovative Philips SlimStyle LED bulb goes on sale for $9.97

Innovation is alive and well in the LED lightbulb industry. SWITCH, for example, is making LED bulbs that are filled with liquid to help dissipate heat (instead of a metal heat-sink), and Philips found a way to drop the heat-sink altogether by flattening the bulb in such a way that there's a large surface area and the individual LEDs are spaced out enough to keep cool.

Edison's light bulbs do a slow fade

Let's go back for a moment to 2011. Under an energy conservation plan signed by President Bush, old filament bulbs were being phased out. But in 2011 Tea Party supporters like Congressman Mike Burgess of Texas pushed back. They said the ban was an assault on personal liberty, and not only that, "Those of us of a certain age, under compact florescent bulb, don't look as good as we do under an incandescent bulb." Determined to preserve the members' good looks, Congress approved a delay, and the 100 watt bulb hung on.

Liberty Mutual switches to LEDs at its local facility

Two months after Rockingham Electric loaned Liberty Mutual six LEDs to illuminate the parking lot at its Borthwick Avenue campus, Liberty Mutual decided to replace 55 of its metal halide lights with LEDs, which Rockingham supplied. And that caused concern at the utility company. "After we installed LED lights, the electric company thought that there might be something wrong with our meter. It noticed that our usage in the parking lot was down 56 percent in June," said Jeffrey LaPointe, manager of IT facilities at Liberty Mutual's Portsmouth office. "It was kind of nice that we weren't the only one noticing the drop in our monthly electricity charge."

Skating on Light

Glo-Blades are a new skating accessory that easily attach to both inline and ice skates and brightly illuminate the surface beneath the skaters’ feet, providing for a unique, new effect of “Skating on Light !” The product utilizes super bright L.E.D. Lights (LED’s) and patented wireless technology, with easy mounting that allows the skater to readily swap them back and forth between skates.
CEO and Founder Ralph Haney and his close-knit Executive and Product team are launching the KickStarter Campaign on January 1, 2014. The campaign will run for 60 days through March 1. The focus of the campaign is to provide seed funding for the initial production run of 5,000 units.
Wearable devices are clearly experiencing widespread adoption, innovation, and availability. There is a burgeoning, wearable technology market across the globe, and aesthetic clothing and accessories are now integrating computer and advanced electronic technologies. Glo-Blades will uniquely offer an unusual, personalized skating experience (filmable/postable and share-able) and be another compelling product entry to eventually garner domestic and worldwide acceptance in the wearable tech space.
While the world will be watching as Sochi, Russia hosts the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in February, global viewers, and especially Americans, will center on the figure skating competition for pairs and individuals. Competition figure skating predictably and consistently draws in a global audience. The Glo-Blades team will also be watching intently, expecting that this KickStarter campaign, which runs concurrently during buildup to the Winter Games, and during the Olympic fortnight, to attract the attention of the global figure skating world. The campaign offers many pledge-based rewards ranging in price between $1 and $10,000 (USD), rewarding backers with everything from a simple name listing on the GBI website, to pre-ordering the first Glo-Blades, to private lessons with celebrity skaters who accompany them on a Napa Valley Winery Tour. Some KickStarter campaign contributors may even receive private skating sessions with former U.S. Olympic Team skaters from the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

It's lights out for the incandescent lightbulb

The New Year may look a lot like the old, but not in the lightbulb aisle. As of January 1st the most popular bulb, the 60-watt incandescent, is on its way out, pretty much ending the incandescent era. Here’s a look at your energy-saving options. The phase-out was prompted by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and started with 100-watt incandescent bulbs, followed by 75-watt bulbs, and now 60- and 40-watt incandescent bulbs can no longer be made in the U.S. or imported. You might see them on store shelves and online for a few months as remaining inventory can be sold until it runs out.

The incandescent light bulb isn't dead

Perhaps you’ve heard the news: the incandescent light bulb is dead. "When the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, the year ends — and so does the ordinary lightbulb," read Fox News' website. CNN even penned an obituary. That’s because, according to countless media reports, January 1st marks the "light bulb ban." Today’s the day when the US government finally phases out the dated technology by banning the manufacture or import of 60-watt and 40-watt incandescent bulbs, which are repeatedly cited as the most popular bulbs in the US. The reports typically suggest that consumers get used to buying pricier, more efficient compact fluorescent or LED bulbs, or else stock up on incandescents while supplies last.

Big Nanny Government Strikes Again

If you like your light bulb, you can keep your light bulb. Actually, just like Barack Obama’s promise regarding health insurance, this one’s not true either. As of Jan. 1 (Happy New Year, by the way!), the import or manufacture of 40-watt or 60-watt light bulbs is now forbidden in the United States. This follows the ban on 75-watt and 100-watt bulbs, which had already been implemented. I wish we could blame this on the current Administration, but actually this assault on our freedom of choice goes back to 2007, when Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act and it was signed into law by President George W. Bush.

Why people still use inefficient incandescent light bulbs

In 2014, you can say goodbye to the standard incandescent light bulb. Starting Jan. 1, the United States will no longer manufacture or import incandescent bulbs – although stores can still sell what they have in stock. The phaseout is a result of federal rules to switch to more energy-efficient bulbs. Energy-efficient bulbs cost more than incandescent bulbs but last much longer and save on energy costs in the long-term. So why are people still buying incandescent bulbs and what will the phaseout mean for you?

Use LEDs to show when traffic light is about to change

While it is true that red-light cameras increase, not reduce, intersection accidents, there is a device that would reduce them: Add a vertical strip of white LEDs along side the colored lights. When the light changes, all of the LEDs come on, and then go out one by one from top to bottom. When the last LED goes out, the colored light changes, and all the LEDs come back on and count down again.

Cree To Retain Its Growth Momentum In 2014

Historically, Cree has operated in volatile markets, as has been clear over the past couple of years.  In 2012, a surplus in the LED market, a consequent decline in prices and downward pressure on margins were the key trends that plagued the LED industry. Though Cree ( CREE ), a leading innovator of LEDs, closed its FY (ending June) 2012 with an 18% increase in revenue, it registered a 70% decline in net income on account of higher R&D spending to support new product development, increasing price competition and an industry shift in product mix toward lower margin fixtures.

We test the new products to find out who has the bright stuff

Some months into the new year, you will notice a big change in the lighting aisle of your local retailer or big-box store. The supply of 40- and 60-watt incandescent bulbs that accounted for 80 percent of the residential lighting market in the United States and occupied the most shelf space will be low. Their production will cease on Jan. 1. Once the existing inventory is sold out, it will be gone for good.