Compact fluorescent lights (CFL) are going to be part of your remodel, and your current lifestyle due to local regulations in most parts of the country.  This weekend, I was reminded of how to dispose of an old CFL during a trip to Home Depot in Campbell, CA.

Last year Home Depot announced a CFL recycle program, that is available at all of their stores.  Simply take your CFL to the store, and drop it into their recycle-disposal bin – free of charge.  The bins are located near the Customer Service/Returns kiosks.

Home Depot will then ensure the compact fluorescent bulb is properly disposed of, so the mercury in the the bulb does not harm our environment.

So pleeeease don’t drop them in your kitchen garbage!

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At West Coast Green this week, Light Concepts is showcasing the L7XFD: a dimmable, 6″ fluorescent recessed downlighting fixture. The latest innovation in recessed downlighting offers the energy savings and lamp life of a fluorescent fixture, and delivering that in a dimmable fixture.  We are told this product is now available and retailing for <$100 per can.

According to the company, the L7XF dimmable is compatible with almost any dimmer switch and boasts a wide selection of trims. ENERGY STAR qualified and Title 24 compliant, Lighting Concepts says homeowners can save $100 against its incandescent counterpart, based on operating three hours per day at $0.10 per KwH over the life of the fluorescent versus incandescent bulb.

The company is also showing seven other fixtures for the decorative fluorescent market, including award-winning Elliptis and Izoro winners of the ALA Lighting for Tomorrow award in 2007 and 2008, respectively.  The products can be purchased on their website.

The company offers quite a bit of information on their site about how to work with the color of fluorescent lights.

Lithonia Lighting: an Acuity Brands Company (NYSE: AYI), is North America?s largest manufacturer of lighting equipment for commercial, industrial, outdoor and residential applications. Acuity Brands, Inc. owns and operates Acuity Brands Lighting. With fiscal year 2007 net sales of approximately $2.0 billion, Acuity Brands Lighting is one of the world’s leading providers of lighting fixtures and related services and includes brands such as Lithonia Lighting®, Holophane®, Peerless®, Mark Architectural Lighting®, Hydrel®, American Electric Lighting®, Gotham®, Carandini®, SpecLight®, MetalOptics®, Antique Street Lamps?, and Synergy Lighting Controls®.

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Next week in Las Vegas, the lighting industry will be gathering in for LIGHTFAIR International.  LIGHTFAIR is one of the top lighting shows for architectural lighting, and this year efficiency, eco-friendly, and green lighting are on the most talked about list.

The announcements are starting to roll out about energy saving bulbs, and LEDs are the ones we are watching at GetWithGreen.com.   Just today Renaissance Lighting announced their commercially available 4-inch solid-state LED downlight (Model: ED04).  This LED recessed product offers more than 16 million color combinations without glare or visible LEDs.
  
As the newest arrival on the general illumination scene, solid-state LED lighting has yet to make a major market impact commensurate with its potential for outperforming and even replacing other types of lighting — until now.  How does solid-state lighting differ from conventional lighting?

Incandescent lamps create light by heating a thin filament to a very high temperature. The reason for their low efficiency is that more than 90 percent of the energy consumed is emitted as invisible infrared light which creates heat.  A fluorescent lamp produces ultraviolet light when electricity is passed through a mercury vapor, causing the phosphor coating inside the fluorescent tube to glow or fluoresce. There are efficiency losses in generating the ultraviolet light and in converting the ultraviolet light into visible light. Incandescent lamps typically have short lifetimes ? about 1,000 hours on average ? due to the high temperatures of the filaments. Fluorescents, including compact fluorescent lights, have lifecycles 10 times greater than incandescents, while LEDs can produce quality light anywhere from 50,000 to 70,000 hours.

The ED04 downlight’s compact package greatly expands its potential for use in all kinds of applications, and especially those where ceiling congestion tends to restrict the use of larger fixtures. The ED04 downlight adapts seamlessly to virtually any lighting scenario. Where smaller is better, the ED04 is easier to install from a weight standpoint, too, and it performs extremely well in wet locations or in outdoor under-canopy applications, according to CEO Barry Weinbaum.

“Utilizing green technology to make it environmentally friendly, our new ED04 outperforms the most popular 4-inch 50 par 20 products, yet uses only half the energy. It’s fully dimmable, and like all of our solid state products, is virtually maintenance free over the course of its 50,000-to-70,000-hour life span. Our customers will discover that Renaissance Lighting’s new pricing makes the decision to use our solid-state products an easier one, especially when considering the total cost of ownership,” Weinbaum said.

Renaissance Lighting’s unique downlight design begins with a circular array of LEDs at the perimeter of a patented integrating dome inside each fixture. The company’s unique optic design combines light uniformly before exiting the luminaire in glare-free fashion. The result is consistent color production and concealed sources that create smooth, uniform illumination patterns. 
 

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Last year was the year that holiday LEDs broke onto the scene across the US. We are now starting to see the efficient lights make their way into home fixtures as well.

Below is some background on what other consumers are saying. We guarantee that you will see LED fixtures as you are seeking those recessed lights for your remodel!

Consumers Warming To LEDs as an Energy-Efficient Solution for Lighting, Finds Arrow Electronics Study

MELVILLE, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–With consumer interest in energy-efficient lighting growing rapidly, the next wave of mass-market residential and business lighting could be coming from LEDs ? light-emitting diodes, also known as solid-state lighting. That?s the key finding of a new consumer survey commissioned by Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:ARW), a leading global provider of products, services and solutions to users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions. The survey was conducted for Arrow by Harris Interactive®.

Commonly used today in flashlights and electronic devices, LEDs are being adapted by manufacturers to replace the common light bulb. Although more expensive than other lighting options, LEDs use a fraction of electricity of traditional light bulbs, last longer than regular incandescent light bulbs and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and contain no hazardous materials.

Consumers are enthusiastic about the prospects of LED lighting in their homes, the survey found, with 87 percent saying they would be willing to try the technology for some or all of their home lighting needs to be more energy efficient. Amid rising concerns over energy prices, 82 percent of consumers cited the cost savings that LEDs can deliver as motivation to pay more for the bulbs, while 53 percent pointed to the environmental benefits.

?While the benefits of LEDs have long been recognized by electronics makers, the public?s rising concerns over energy costs and the environment signify a positive shift for this important technology,? said Michael J. Long, president and chief operating officer of Arrow Electronics, Inc. ?It represents a rapidly developing market where electronic lighting modules are playing an increasing role.?

The study found that consumers say they would be willing to pay an average of $4.70 per LED-based bulb, which compares with an average of $0.50 for incandescent bulbs and $3 for CFLs, according to media reports. Eleven percent of consumers are open to paying between $6 and $10 for an LED bulb, and 4 percent say they would be ready to spend $11 or more.

The study found that 47 percent of consumers use CFLs in their homes, 36 percent use regular fluorescent lamps and 20 percent use halogen bulbs.

The most popular methods of light-related conservation in the home (of those listed) are hitting the ?off? switch (87 percent) and replacing incandescent or regular glass light bulbs with CFLs (46 percent). Other energy-saving measures include keeping the thermostat lower in the winter (58 percent), using Energy Star appliances (50 percent) and using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power for some or all of their energy needs (4 percent).

Additional findings of the study include:

• Many consumers indicated that the use of LED lighting by a friend or family member (58 percent) and use of LED by their employer (45 percent) would encourage them to use LED lighting in their home.

• Factors that would influence a consumer to pay more for LED lighting than alternative bulbs are cost savings on their energy bill (82 percent), fewer replacements over time (77 percent), and more natural lighting (48 percent).

• Four in 10 consumers (40 percent) stated that they are more concerned about saving money in the short term than with saving energy.

Methodology

The LED Lighting survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Arrow Electronics between October 12 and October 16, 2007, among 2,711 U.S. adults ages 18+. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete methodology, including weighting variables, please contact John Hourigan at Aaron Electornics (jhourigan[at]arrow.[com])

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GetWithGreen.com  was recently contacted by the eco-friendly online retailer re:modern.  We took a look at their homeowner products, and we found a few greener lighting options designed and made by Jerry Kott. 

These designs are made from recycled glass, and would fit nicely into your remodel project if you are leaning toward a more modern design.  If you are going with a modern look for your remodel, take a look at re:modern.

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