New “Filament” LED Candelabra and A19 LED Home Light Bulbs

EagleLight LED Candelabra Light Bulb

Eaglelight.com has released a new LED light bulb with ‘filament’ like shine from an energy-efficient LED source.  The bulb places the LEDs on a ribbon of circuit board that is twisted inside a glass enclosure to create an incandescent like lighting source.  These bulbs have a warm white look and have a far greater beam angle than traditional LED bulbs, as the LEDs are up off the base and shine in many directions.  Visit EagleLight.com to see the LED Candelabra bulb.

This bulb is available in both LED Candelabra bulb shape and in a traditional incandescent, house hold bulb shape, technically known as an A19.  The candelabra bulb shape has a E12 base type, typical of most US made chandeliers.  E12 is the smaller of the two typical candelabra bases, the bulb is also available in the larger E14 base on special order.  The A19, traditional house hold bulb shape comes with a medium screw base also know as a E26.

These bulbs are available in a warm white, like the one shown to the right as well as natural white that has a bit less yellow.

Visit www.eaglelight.com for a large choice of high quality energy-efficient LED Light Bulbs coupled with great customer service.

 

LEDs are the Answer. Compact Fluorescents Burn Out Fast.

LED Lights are the Solution. Compact Fluorescent Lamps Burn Out Faster Than Expected

California’s experience is notable because energy experts have placed high hopes on compact fluorescent lamps. Often spiral-shaped, they screw into existing light sockets and offer energy savings of about 75% over traditional incandescent light bulbs.

Many nations are relying on them to help cut emissions from power plants and stretch electricity supplies further. The United Nations says 8% of global greenhouse-gas emissions are linked to lighting, and that adoption of compact fluorescent lights could cut pollution.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa handed out free compact fluorescent light bulbs

The World Bank has helped dozens of mostly poor nations begin the switch to the bulbs to make electric lighting more affordable. Last June, for example, Bangladesh gave away five million of the bulbs in a single day.

No state has done more to promote compact fluorescent lamps than California. On Jan. 1, the state began phasing out sales of incandescent bulbs, one year ahead of the rest of the nation. A federal law that takes effect in January 2012 requires a 28% improvement in lighting efficiency for conventional bulbs in standard wattages. Compact fluorescent lamps are the logical substitute for traditional incandescent light bulbs, which won’t be available in stores after 2014.

California utilities have used ratepayer funds to subsidize sales of more than 100 million of the bulbs since 2006, most of them made in China. It is part of a comprehensive state effort to use energy-efficiency techniques as a substitute for power production. Subsidized bulbs cost an average of $1.30 in California versus $4 for bulbs not carrying utility subsidies.

California utility regulators have spent millions of dollars over the past three years to commission evaluation reports and field studies. The conclusion is that it is difficult to accurately predict or measure energy savings. It is also difficult to design incentive plans that reward—but don’t overly reward—utilities for their promotional efforts.

When it set up its bulb program in 2006, PG&E Corp. thought its customers would buy 53 million compact fluorescent bulbs by 2008. It allotted $92 million for rebates, the most of any utility in the state. Researchers hired by the California Public Utilities Commission concluded earlier this year that fewer bulbs were sold, fewer were screwed in, and they saved less energy than PG&E anticipated.

As a result of these and other adjustments, energy savings attributed to PG&E were pegged at 451.6 million kilowatt hours by regulators, or 73% lessthan the 1.7 billion kilowatt hours projected by PG&E for the 2006-2008 program.

One hitch was the compact-fluorescent burnout rate. When PG&E began its 2006-2008 program, it figured the useful life of each bulb would be 9.4 years. Now, with experience, it has cut the estimate to 6.3 years, which limits the energy savings. Field tests show higher burnout rates in certain locations, such as bathrooms and in recessed lighting. Turning them on and off a lot also appears to impair longevity.

California regulators have debated whether utilities should be held to the energy savings they promised in order to earn bonus pay. Staff of the state utilities commission said utilities missed their overall-energy savings targets, partly because of disappointing results from light bulbs. Utilities disagree with many of the staff’s conclusions.

For more of the article by Rebecca Smith at the Wall St Journal, go to http://www.wsj.com

 

 

 

DOE Report Estimates LED Savings in Niche Markets

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released analysis findings for markets where light-emitting diodes (LEDs) compete with traditional lighting sources (e.g., incandescent and fluorescent). The January 2011 report provides estimates of current energy savings, plus potential savings if these markets switched to LEDs overnight.

DOE analyzed the following markets:

1. Four general-illumination applications
   1. PAR, BR, and R replacement lamps;
   2. MR16 replacement lamps;
   3. 2-foot by 2-foot troffer fixtures; and
   4. general service A-type replacement lamps
   5. Four outdoor applications
      1. roadway,
      2. parking,
      3. area and flood, and
      4. residential
      5. Four applications for consumer electronic displays
         1. televisions,
         2. laptops,
         3. monitors, and
         4. mobile handsets.

LEDs in these markets saved approximately 3.9 terawatt-hours in 2010, equivalent to the electricity needed to power more than a quarter-million average U.S. households.

If these markets switched to LEDs overnight, the energy savings would be the equivalent of taking 21 million residential households off the grid based on 2010 performance level.

If LED replacements within each market improve according to DOE’s predictions for 2020, the energy savings would be equivalent to taking nearly 32 million households off the grid.

To download a PDF of the report, go to www.ssl.energy.gov/tech_reports.html.

Ht: Jim Brodrick, www.doe.gov

 

California Leads the Nation in Requiring Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

California passes a new law that takes effect January 1, 2011 requiring improved energy efficiency in all light bulbs in the State.

California consumers also will save money buying LED lighting.  Eaglelight.com has the best in energy efficient LED lights and now there is much more reason than ever before to change your lighting to LEDs.

A new federal law will start saving consumers money by improving the energy efficiency standard for incandescent light bulbs sold in California on or after January 1, 2011.

The standard – Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) – will save California consumers money with new bulbs that offer the same amount of light while using less power. Passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush, EISA created new energy efficiency standards for light bulbs. The law is designed to reduce energy use and associated pollution and make the United States less dependent on foreign sources of energy. While the country will adopt this standard on January 1, 2012, California was given authority to implement the national standards one year earlier to avoid the sale of 10.5 million inefficient 100-watt bulbs in 2011 which would cost consumers $35.6 million in higher electricity bills*.

Reducing energy use in California also results in improved environmental quality by avoiding the construction of new power plants and air pollution from burning fossil fuels.

The standard in California states that a 100-watt bulb manufactured on or after January 1, 2011 must use 28 percent less energy (i.e. a 100-watt bulb may not use more than 72 watts). The new 72-watt replacement bulb will provide the same amount of light (i.e. lumens), use less power, and cost less to operate.

New lighting technology has become more efficient than old-fashioned incandescent bulbs. Approximately 90% of the electricity used by traditional incandescent bulbs is wasted as heat instead of visible light. Replacing traditional incandescent light bulbs with more efficient halogen, compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs will save consumers money while still offering same amount of light.

The new standard is technology neutral and allows consumers to choose among a variety of high-performance products for their replacement lighting. Additionally, it does not affect the existing supply of incandescent light bulbs stocked in retail stores or incandescent light bulbs already in use.

This standard builds on the California Energy Commission’s long and successful reputation of saving consumers money though energy efficiency standards. Since 1978, California’s appliance and building efficiency standards have saved more than $56 billion in electricity and natural gas costs.

For more information and Frequently Asked Questions, please go to: www.energy.ca.gov/lightbulbs/lightbulb_faqs.html or www.energysavers.gov/lighting

 

A Bright Redesign for LED Lights

Illumitex’s new optical design makes LEDs brighter and more energy efficient. by Erika Jonietz

Illumitex, an LED-manufacturing company based in Austin, TX, launched its first product line earlier this month. The startup’s first LEDs are designed for general-purpose lighting and emit a uniform, narrow beam of white light that is almost two times brighter than any white LED on the market. The founders, all of whom have backgrounds in optics rather than solid-state lighting, achieved this by redesigning the package around the semiconductor chip that actually converts electricity into light.

Traditionally, LED manufacturers have enclosed the chips inside a dome in order to control the light output. Illumitex’s LEDs ship in a flat, square package that eliminates the cost and energy efficiency issues that come from using secondary optical lenses and reflectors. Cofounder and chief scientist Dung Tien Duong, who is the company’s primary inventor, won’t say much about how the unique package allows Illumitex engineers to extract more light from the LED dies, but he does say it takes “intuitive” advantage of physics principles. “If the chip is square, the light beam should be square,” he says. While the company is mum on the exact physics behind its achievements (patents are still pending), it has published data sheets for both its 16-die and 4-die LEDs, including some data verified by third-party testing companies.

Illumitex’s LEDs have a unique flat, square package that allows engineers to extract more light from the semiconductor chips at the heart of the diodes. (c) Illumitex

Illumitex sells its packaged LEDs to companies that make LED-based light bulbs. CEO Matt Thomas says the startup already has several customers that sell products for outdoor lighting (e.g., streetlights) and commercial “high-bay” lighting (typical in warehouses or convention centers), as well as one company working on an LED replacement for the fluorescent tube lights usually found in offices. Only one customer is public at this time, Singapore-based LED Works,  which has designed lighting for several famous casinos and hotels worldwide, as well as for the Singapore Flyer, the world’s largest Ferris wheel. Thomas says LEDWorks is incorporating the Illumitex LEDs into “a PAR30 replacement,” referring to the most popular floodlight-style bulbs used in indoor lighting, that could deliver 500 lumens for only 7 watts. A commercially available compact-fluorescent PAR30 bulb typically puts out 750 lumens of light at around 16 watts, while a halogen version might deliver 600 lumens for 50 watts of power.

Thomas says that in addition to their brightness and energy efficiency, Illumitex LEDs offer one advantage completely unique to its package design: the beam angle–that is, the angle at which light emerges from the package–can be tailored from 10° to 90° with limited light loss. This allows manufacturers to design systems that provide consistent, directed lighting without the dark spots or “spillover” typical of most lighting systems. For instance, picture a typical block of street lights: there are alternating bright and dark patches, and perhaps 25 percent or more the light “spills over” into the windows of homes and stores along the street. Although LEDs allow designers to direct the light, conventional domed LEDs still end up wasting a fair amount of energy on spillover. In contrast, Illumitex has created computer models that show its LEDs can be used to design a system that would provide consistent illumination along the sidewalk and street with only minimal spillover.

A 16-die LED illuminated in one of Illumitex’s onsite testing labs. (c) Credit Technology Review

The company has pilot manufacturing facilities and extensive R&D and testing equipment in its south Austin office space. Full-scale manufacturing, however, is done in Asia. Though the actual LEDs in Illumitex’s first chips are “industry standard for white LEDs,” says Thomas, the company is extending its research beyond packaging and into actual LED design in its efforts to continue improving the efficiency of LEDs for general lighting.

 

 

Ho-Ho-Ho says one California City

Palo Alto, California is giving its residents a holiday gift. They are offering each resident the chance to trade in their incandescent lights for new LED holiday lights for their decorations.  LED lights consume 10-50 times less energy than old holiday lights.  LED lights are also cool to the touch, lowering fire hazards.

KCBS’ Betsy Gebhart reports

The program will run through mid-January.  Let’s hope more cities adopt this environmentally-admirable attitude in the future.

 

European Union To Set High Efficiency Standards For Buildings

All new buildings built after 2020 in Europe  must rely mostly on renewable energy under the European Union’s new energy standards.