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'»
Pegasus Lighting Roundup
| 
commercial lighting, compact fluorescent, energy efficiency, fluorescent lighting, incandescent lighting, interior design, kitchen lighting, led lighting, leed certification, light bulbs, lighting design, residential lighting, task lighting, under cabinet lighting
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?
One of IKEA's LED table lamps currently on their website. What do you think about this style, compared to a traditional table lamp with an incandescent bulb?
In our Roundup for June 14 to July 2, we noted IKEA’s impending phaseout on the sale of incandescent light bulbs. We didn’t go into detail about what this means for the lighting industry, and it’s a pretty significant milestone.
With such a prominent retailer officially disassociating themselves from incandescent bulbs (IKEA’s phaseout is expected to begin in August and be complete by the end of the year), the shift across the industry from traditional bulbs to more energy efficient lighting accelerates.
Of course, these changes will take place across the entire lighting industry in the next few years anyway – IKEA is simply beginning the incandescent phaseout early. In 2012, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 will take effect. There are various components of the law (see the link for more details). Basically, by 2014, the sale of all traditional incandescent bulbs will be banned.
The phaseout also signifies changes ahead in lighting design. CFLs, Halogens, and LEDs will take the place of incandescent bulbs, and that means new lighting designs corresponding with the more energy efficient light sources are to be expected. The picture of the table lamp above illustrates this point: without incandescents, it will no longer be necessary to accommodate for a large incandescent bulb in the design of a lighting fixture.
The entire foundation of lighting design is going to change; and for lighting designers, the possibilities are endless.
Did you know that we offer FAST price quotations on lamps and ballasts from many leading manufacturers? Visit our new lamps and ballasts web page and submit our short Request for Quotation (RFQ) form, or just call our toll-free number, 800.392.4818, to receive a quote within one business day (and sometimes same day!). Our lamps and ballasts are from the following manufacturers:
Check out our Fast Price Quotations for Lamps & Ballasts.
In lighting news…
Toshiba has signed a contract to provide LED lighting for the Louvre (free of charge). The Pyramids, the Napoléon Court, and the Cour carrée will all be outfitted with LED lights by 2012.
Three women in southwestern Kenya have engineered solar lighting for two remote villages in rural Kenya. The story is really incredible.
The Green Savings Network blog wrote about a current trend in the green construction industry: certified general electricians are transitioning into energy contractors because of the booming market for retrofitting.
Houston’s Toyta Center, home of the Houston Rockets (NBA), has just been awarded with LEED EB Certification. Joining the ranks of Portland’s Rose Garden, Miami’s American Airlines Arena, Atlanta’s Philip’s Arena, and Minnesota’s Target Field, the news points to a surge in popularity of major sports arenas seeking LEED certification. Continue reading 'The Pegasus Lighting Roundup for July 5 to July 16'»
If you’re only going to choose just one lighting feature to add your kitchen, make it under cabinet lighting. It provides task lighting for your countertops to make them ideal for food preparation and cooking, it illuminates the backsplash on your wall to create beautiful accent lighting, and it can also be used as night lighting for your kitchen. Once you install under cabinet lighting, you’ll never want to go back.
Many lighting designers talk about creating “layers of light” for your kitchen. Under cabinet lighting serves as a crucial “layer” for great design.
That being said, there are a ton of options to choose from. How do you know what style of under cabinet lighting is right for your kitchen? Hopefully, this guide will make it a little easier to make your selection.
It’s a good idea to choose your light source first.
1. Fluorescent, Xenon, or LED?
Fluorescent Under Cabinet Lights
Fluorescent under cabinet lights are the most energy efficient in providing a given amount of light. Moreover, fluorescent light sources give off very little heat. This is a great feature depending on what is stored in the cabinet immediately above the under cabinet fixture or, perhaps, what is lying 12 to 18 inches below the light. While most fluorescent fixtures cannot be dimmed, they can be a wonderful, inexpensive option. In addition, our Microfluorescent Fixtures or Fluorescent Swivel Sticks are probably the easiest products to install – a definite plus. Continue reading 'How to Choose Under Cabinet Lighting'»
Buyer's Guides
| dimmers, energy efficiency, fluorescent lighting, halogen lighting, interior design, kitchen lighting, led lighting, low voltage, puck lights, recessed lighting, residential lighting, task lighting, under cabinet lighting, xenon lighting
The Country Living 2010 House of the Year, airlifted into Manhattan to demonstrate green living.
Ikea will start phasing out the sale of traditional incandescent bulbs starting August 1, and they plan to stop selling incandescent bulbs by the end of the year. This announcement signals changes ahead in lighting design.
The top 10 hot kitchen and bath design trends for this year were published after the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s 2010 design competition. Jill Valeri, president of The Welcome Home, said the way to inject your personality into your space is through paint color, hardware, and lighting.
The Butler Institute of American Art is installing LED lighting in its galleries to save energy and illuminate the paintings more effectively. Because LEDs give off much less heat and do not emit UV rays, they better preserve artwork. Continue reading 'The Pegasus Lighting Roundup for June 14 to July 2'»
This is the third blog post of my New Home Project post series. This series of posts details the lighting projects that I have undertaken in my new home. My first post reviewed the installation of our under cabinet lighting and my second post covered the use of microfluorescent T4 fixtures as pantry and closet lighting. This post will also talk about microfluorescent T4 fixtures, but this time using them as over cabinet lighting in my kitchen.
While my house was under construction, I had the electricians install electrical outlets on either side of my kitchen directly above my cabinets. These outlets are controlled by a single wall switch. Once we moved into our home, I measured the total length of the cabinets where I could place the microfluorescent fixtures.
Continue reading 'New Home Project: Over Cabinet Lighting'»
The LED Battery Operated Night Light can be mounted anywhere with no wiring required.
Any well-designed home has a night light or two installed to provide a safe source of light for the bathroom, kitchen, hallway, or bedroom. Even outdoor areas can benefit from a night light. (Ever struggled to find your keys in a bag after coming home late at night? A motion-sensor activated night light next to the door would fix that problem in an instant).
Night lights placed in the bedroom and bathroom also reduce the risk of falling for older adults. In fact, doctors are recommending installing night lights in the home as part of a preventative measure. Check out our blog post for more details.
We offer over 25 different models of night lights, so hopefully this guide will help you figure out which type is right for each room in your home.
Continue reading 'Choose the Right Night Light – A Guide'»
Comments (0) 
Themocracy