What's Green
LED Lighting
Mon/May/2010 11:05
LED lighting is well on its way to emerging as a real contender in the residential market.
LED's are being used in many commercial applications, as the energy savings are more quickly realized in such large scale applications, resulting in more immediate savings. As this market continues to grow however, the prices are starting to drop due to the larger demand and manufacturing streamlining, which means that they will continue to become a more affordable option for home owners. While still costly right now at $50 - $100 a bulb, the long-term savings are very promising.
Did you know that the applications for LED lighting have grown to include undercabinet, curio, recessed lighting, and several types of bulbs, including regular lamps, chandeliers and even replacements for office/ closet type fluorescents? These lights are much better than CFL’s in a few important ways. First and foremost, there is no toxic mercury in these. Second, you can choose from a variety of different colors (temperatures) to suit your tastes and/ or tasks; from warm to cool and even full spectrum light (think grow lights or light therapy). The color rendering of LED's has become so good that you can use it for both ambient and task lighting, and with as much as a 60,000 hour lifespan, it will outlast even CFL's by many years. Thirdly, you can dim them! If you use our favorite dimmer, Lutron, check here to make sure the brand of LED you choose works with their dimmers.
The new LED's are well positioned to replace all our lighting needs, even the Halogen and Xenon lighting that we're all accustomed to using for undercabinet, curio and rail lighting. As well as the obvious energy savings, another major benefit of replacing these fixtures with LED's is that they do not get hot like the Halogens and Xenons do, (think chocolate on the bottom shelf of a cabinet with traditional undercabinet lighting). Halogen and Xenon lighting have been the best choice of light for task lighting in the kitchen for many years, however LED light technology has caught up and as manufacturing increases, the initial cost will continue to come down, eventually replacing these with this green, super energy efficient, long lasting, non-toxic alternative.
Because the investment upfront is still quite costly, one thought to consider is converting your bulbs in stages or a few at a time rather than all at once. Also, remember that with the investment and life span of these bulbs, you’ll want to add them to your “packing” list if, and or when, you are planning a move.
The average lifespan for the three types of bulbs:
Incandescent 1500 hours
CFL's 10,000 hours
LED's 60,000 hours
LED's are being used in many commercial applications, as the energy savings are more quickly realized in such large scale applications, resulting in more immediate savings. As this market continues to grow however, the prices are starting to drop due to the larger demand and manufacturing streamlining, which means that they will continue to become a more affordable option for home owners. While still costly right now at $50 - $100 a bulb, the long-term savings are very promising.
Did you know that the applications for LED lighting have grown to include undercabinet, curio, recessed lighting, and several types of bulbs, including regular lamps, chandeliers and even replacements for office/ closet type fluorescents? These lights are much better than CFL’s in a few important ways. First and foremost, there is no toxic mercury in these. Second, you can choose from a variety of different colors (temperatures) to suit your tastes and/ or tasks; from warm to cool and even full spectrum light (think grow lights or light therapy). The color rendering of LED's has become so good that you can use it for both ambient and task lighting, and with as much as a 60,000 hour lifespan, it will outlast even CFL's by many years. Thirdly, you can dim them! If you use our favorite dimmer, Lutron, check here to make sure the brand of LED you choose works with their dimmers.
The new LED's are well positioned to replace all our lighting needs, even the Halogen and Xenon lighting that we're all accustomed to using for undercabinet, curio and rail lighting. As well as the obvious energy savings, another major benefit of replacing these fixtures with LED's is that they do not get hot like the Halogens and Xenons do, (think chocolate on the bottom shelf of a cabinet with traditional undercabinet lighting). Halogen and Xenon lighting have been the best choice of light for task lighting in the kitchen for many years, however LED light technology has caught up and as manufacturing increases, the initial cost will continue to come down, eventually replacing these with this green, super energy efficient, long lasting, non-toxic alternative.
Because the investment upfront is still quite costly, one thought to consider is converting your bulbs in stages or a few at a time rather than all at once. Also, remember that with the investment and life span of these bulbs, you’ll want to add them to your “packing” list if, and or when, you are planning a move.
The average lifespan for the three types of bulbs:
Incandescent 1500 hours
CFL's 10,000 hours
LED's 60,000 hours
Delta's new Faucet with "Touch ₂0 Technology"
Sat/Nov/2009 11:49
I can't even begin to tell you how many times in a week I go to my faucet after having had my hands in ground beef making hamburger patties, or having just cut up a chicken or roast and I cringe as I reach for the faucet to turn it on with my messy hands or try to contort my arms and hands in such a way as to not transfer the mess to my faucet handle. Well, here is a great idea to fix that issue! Not only is this a convenient solution to an age old problem, but it's green too since you can easily stop the flow of water when you don't need it. The only thing that would make this better is if the soap dispenser worked the same way!
To learn more about this new faucet, visit Delta's website here.
To learn more about this new faucet, visit Delta's website here.
"Around The House With Handyman Bob", KXL 750
Wed/Jan/2009 09:42
We will be on Around the House with Handyman Bob on KXL, Saturday, January 31, from noon till 2pm with Angela Todd. We’ll be talking about upcoming events and everyones favorite subject............”GREEN”............. Call in with your questions and comments. We’d love to hear from you!
Tags:economy, Kitchens & Baths, LED, CFL, Lutron, Incandescent, remodeling, green, mercury, dimmers, energy, halogen, xenon, light bulbs, lighting, undercabinet lights, task lighting, ambient lighting