Comments (0) The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Illumination Awards are in for 2010, and the lighting designs are truly magnificent. Here is a selection of photos from the winning lighting designs (feel free to comment below on which is your favorite!):
 Lightcatcher Museum: The Paul Waterbury Award for Outdoor Lighting Design |
 Izunome Tokyo: The Edwin F. Guth Memorial Award for Interior Lighting Design |
The Industrial Designers Society of America recently published winners of the 2010 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA). One of the student submissions caught my eye:
The design, called “Write? Light!” is a portable bedside lamp, and it’s for those tossers and turners who suddenly remember an important to-do, or who come up with a brilliant idea for a new project in the middle of the night.
The lamp turns on when you pick up the pencil so you can quickly jot down a note, and it turns off again when you replace the pencil. It strikes me as such an intuitive product design – what do you think?
The Empire State Building: a new beacon for energy efficiency?
It’s been a little while since I’ve published a Roundup, so there’s a lot to catch up on. If you love interior design articles, don’t miss the “lighting tips” section! There have been some great resources in the last couple of weeks.
In lighting news…
The Empire State Building currently consumes the energy equivalence of 40,000 single-family homes. That is all about to change: in the next three years, the famous building is aiming to become the most energy-efficient skyscraper in the world.
A New Zealand study reportedly dispelled myths about eco-friendly light bulbs. In the study, consumers couldn’t tell the quality difference between eco-friendly bulbs and traditional light bulbs.
The Hearst Tower in New York recently became LEED Gold certified. Why is this a big deal? It’s the first occupied commercial building in NYC to achieve this rating, making it clear that retrofitting and remodeling existing buildings to green standards is very possible. Continue reading 'Pegasus Lighting Roundup for July 31 to August 20'»
Cafe Zoetrope, lighting from street level
Ever since I started blogging for Pegasus Lighting, I’ve been paying attention to the lighting wherever I go: restaurants, museums, hotels, friend’s houses, you name it. If you try this experiment for a couple of days, it won’t take long for you to realize that lighting design completely makes or breaks an atmosphere.
I was recently in San Francisco and admiring the lighting at one of the many amazing restaurants I went to, Café Zoetrope. The café is in the lobby of the historic Sentinel building, owned by Francis Ford Coppola. First of all, the exterior is absolutely gorgeous. The copper-green building is at the corner of the street in the North Beach region. By day, its architecture certainly stands out. But by night…
Continue reading 'Lighting, Atmosphere, and a Little Bit of San Francisco'»
Microfluorescent T4 Light Fixtures in a pantry
There are some occasions when jargon from the lighting industry can go right over the heads of 95% of the population. Ever heard of the term T4 fluorescent? Or T2, T5, T8, T9, and T16, for that matter? Felt a little out of the loop?
We’ll clue you in:
T stands for tubular, indicating the shape of the bulb.
The number following the T (2, 4, 5, 8, 9, etc) is the diameter of the bulb in eights of an inch. So, a T4 lamp is 4/8” – or more simply, ½”. The T8 is one inch.
If an HO follows the name (such as T5 HO), this stands for high-output, meaning these types of lamps are brighter and draw more electrical current.
If you can you think of any other lighting jargon terms we can clear up for you, let us know in the comments below.
Habitat for Humanity broke ground on the world’s first all-LED home in Durham, NC. Construction began just a few days ago, and the home is expected to be completed in October.
It’s the first Habitat home to begin construction after Cree, Inc. signed its three-year, $1.5 million pledge to provide LED downlights to all Habitat homes built in the US. The LED lighting is expected to save the future homeowners about $250 in electricity costs per year!
Hopefully, Habitat for Humanity will release photos once construction and lighting installation is complete. We’ll keep you posted.
LED residential lighting is not currently common because it’s still relatively expensive when compared to incandescent and CFL bulbs. However, in the past year alone, the cost of manufacturing LEDs has fallen from $80 per 1000 lumens to $40 per 1000. Prices are expected to continue to drop as manufacturing costs decline. Some reports predict that the LED market will explode in growth over the next decade, capturing 50% of the lighting market by 2010.
How long do you think it will be before all the lighting in your home is LED?
Eye strain resulting from working at a computer is extremely common. In fact, the American Optometric Association recently reported that 70 percent of people who work on computers for at least two hours a day are impacted by a condition called Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).
Our tendency to stare at a computer screen or Smartphone throughout the entire day is taking a serious toll on our eyes. CVS is also associated with fatigue, decreased productivity, and headaches.
For those in the working world who can’t avoid prolonged computer use, adequate lighting is key to avoiding the effects of CVS. If you work in an office setting, think about talking to your employer about improving lighting conditions! Here are some tips for proper desk lighting:
Continue reading 'Is Your Desk Lighting Giving You a Headache?'»
Macula recently projected a hypnotizing light show on the facade of the Hilton Prague hotel. The video is fascinating – check it out! The Macula project explores the relationship between image, sound and the viewer. This show was called “Super-Menace.” What do you think?
Budget cuts across the country are leaving schools short on resources and overflowing on class sizes.
The latest survey from the American Association of School Administrators found that 57% of K-12 school leaders will delay needed technology purchases for the 2010-2011 school year. Half of school leaders will also eliminate or delay instructional improvement programs. 62% of school leaders plan to increase class sizes next year.
The Associated Press recently reported that libraries are fading as administrators are forced to cut back on staff because of the school budget crisis.
In our effort to help even if only in some small way, we are offering a significant discount on exit signs for education institutions. Public or private schools, colleges, and universities are eligible for the program, which will offer a free LED exit sign for every three signs purchased by an education institution. It is our hope that the program will help schools make necessary safety updates and set themselves up to save money in the future through highly-efficient LED lighting. Check out our recent blog post on the many cost-saving benefits of LED exit signs.
If you know anyone in an administrative position at a school, spread the word! We want to offer this program to as many schools as possible.
*If you are eligible, make sure to call our toll-free number, 800.392.4818, to place your order for the discount. This offer is not available for online orders. To view the products available, visit our LED exit signs page.
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You probably didn’t notice what type of light was illuminating the last exit sign you saw. If you’re a building/business owner, start paying attention.
If your exit signs are currently lit by incandescent or fluorescent bulbs, you can save hundreds of dollars by switching to LED exit signs.
The first exit signs were lit by incandescent bulbs, and this type continues to be popular in commercial buildings because of low bulb cost. However, these are the same incandescent bulbs that burn out quickly, use a ton of energy, emit heat, and are set to be banned in 2012 by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
Fluorescent-lit exit signs are certainly more energy efficient than incandescent, but they work the same way: both sides of an exit fixture are backlit from the inside. This provides for uneven illumination. In addition, bulbs still need to be changed fairly frequently, and the cost of replacement bulbs is high.
LED exit signs might be a slightly higher initial investment, but reduced maintenance costs, energy savings, and overall performance makes the switch well worth it for business owners. Check out this Cost Comparison Table completed by the North Carolina Department of Commerce (“Energy Efficiency for Restaurants: LED Exit Signs” fact sheet):
| Fixture Type | Typical Wattage (watts) | Bulb Life (years) | Annual Bulb + Labor Cost | Purchase + Install Cost | Annual Energy Cost | 1st Year Cost | 10th Year Cost Savings |
| Incandescent (existing) | 40 | 0.5 | $26 | 0 | $39 | $65 | – |
| Fluorescent (existing) | 11 | 1.0 | $27 | 0 | $11 | $38 | $269 |
| LED (new installation) | 2 | 10+ | $0 | $20 + $25 | $2 | $47 | $581 |
Continue reading 'What You Should Know About LEDs & Exit Signs'»
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