As LEDs significantly reduce energy consumption, this lighting solution is beneficial for home applications that require illumination for several hours a day or places where the lights are frequently turned on and off. The challenge of changing hard to reach light bulbs such as in recessed pot lights and track lighting, can also easily be solved by using LED light bulbs. Kristine Fisher, marketing manager for Philips Lighting indicates, “LEDs are excellent for accent lighting and we have just recently introduced GU10 and MR16 spot lights in both cool and warm white to the market”.

LED lighting is more than just a light bulb, it’s a technology. Outperforming standard lighting by lasting up to 80% longer, LEDs produce more light per watt of electricity and significantly reduce energy consumption. Philips, known for its innovative lighting technologies, has mini reflectors that use only 4 watts of electricity while providing a high quality light output.

When considering the benefits of installing LED lighting, the energy savings and length of life far surpass standard lighting sources, not to mention you will have the coolest new lighting technology in your home.

In case you didn’t know it, Thomas Edison’s invention, in use for more than 100 years to illuminate virtually everything, is quickly heading for the exits. What will eventually take its place is the light-emitting diode (L.E.D.) bulb, made up of tiny light sources the size of a head of a pin that use a fraction of a regular light bulb’s electricity, produce little heat, and last for tens of thousands of hours of use.
L.E.D.

This is not some comic book dream. The exhibits at Lightfair were filled with new L.E.D. products, many shipping now: standard-type room lights, under-counter lights, commercial spotlights, garden lights and huge L.E.D. displays designed to light the Empire State Building.

I saw L.E.D.’s controlled by a cell phone. Forgot to turn on your porch light? Just dial in a command.

L.E.D.’s are not widely used today because of their high cost: An L.E.D. bulb can run as high as $90. Even if they would save money in the long run, few people are willing to spend that much up front.

But costs will come down, and when they do, expect to see the end of what is in essence an interim technology: the compact fluorescent bulb. Fluorescents, while using much less power than incandescent light bulbs, are sometimes too bulky, often can’t be dimmed and produce light that is less pleasing than incandescents.

L.E.D.’s, on the other hand, can produce literally millions of colors, which you will be able to witness yourself at the end of this year, when Philips, the Dutch electronics giant, introduces its $199 Living Colors product into the U.S. market.

Living Colors is Philips’ L.E.D. Trojan horse, an electronic lava lamp that uses L.E.D.’s to project a palette of 16 million colors against a wall. Operated with a remote control, you change the projected color by touching a point on the iPod-like color wheel, then push other buttons to decrease the brightness or alter the color’s saturation.

The company has already sold 250,000 Living Color products in Europe; in the U.S., it will offer the regular model plus a $79 mini version that offers a limited palette and no remote.

I’ve been playing with one for several weeks, and after some initial resistance to its corniness, I’ve taken a liking to it. Every night, I set the color of one wall of our bedroom to a different hue, hopefully matching our moods. It’s a nice change from standard yellow light and gives some added dimension to the space.

Philips points out that you can set up a chain of Living Color units around a room and control them all with a single remote. For me, that’s just a bit over the top. I don’t fancy turning my house into a Las Vegas facade.

“Our Lightvault and Minivault series both integrate the latest LED technologies with durable and intelligent design to create products that perform under the most extreme conditions,” said Bill Foley, general manager of Kim Lighting. “Once again, we are bringing new LED products to market that maintain our high standard of quality and performance.”

Kim Lighting’s Lightvault LED Series brings consistency and reliability to in-grade fixtures, which is important due to the product’s inherent inaccessibility and often high-profile placement. Key features of the line include:

--  Two distinct distribution, spot or narrow flood.
--  Low heat output.
--  Natural bronze or brushed stainless steel lens rings with eight
captive 5/16" stainless steel hex-socket cap screws.
--  18W LED super bright white technology.
--  50,000+ hours lamp life.
--  Tempered clear soda lime lens, 3/6" thick, flush with lens ring,
slightly crowned.
--  Lens gasket made from one-piece molded silicone with U-channel, wraps
completely around lens flange.
--  Composite housing made from high temperature compression molded
fiberglass.
--  Anti-siphon barrier on wiring to and from splice compartment.

The Minivault LED Series is the perfect solution for accenting small elements or for larger vertical surfaces. Key features of the line include:

--  Three distribution choices offering spot, narrow flood or wide flood.
--  Low heat output.
--  Natural bronze or brushed stainless steel lens rings with five captive
5/16" stainless steel hex-socket cap screws.
--  5W, 6W or 15W modules.
--  50,000+ hours lamp life.
--  Tempered clear soda lime lens, 3/6" thick, flush with lens ring,
slightly crowned.
--  Lens gasket made from one-piece molded silicone with U-channel, wraps
completely around lens flange.
--  Heavy wall die-cast brass housing.
--  Anti-siphon barrier on wiring to and from splice compartment.

Kim Lighting is leading the industry in the development of LED products that use the latest technologies and determining standards for the capabilities of LEDs for general outdoor illumination. Kim Lighting continues to work closely with LED manufacturers to design solutions that optimize the performance of new solid state advancements. Kim Lighting’s extensive LED landscape and bollard collections, floodlighting, wall mount and pedestrian scale luminaires are evidence of its commitment to this emerging technology.

However, the applications for products expanded and the market is recovering gradually, revenues for the second quarter are expected to grow 10-15% compared to the first quarter, the industry players noted.

LED chipmakers Epistar’s revenues for April of NT$1.06 billion were an historical high, and its order volume for May has surpassed NT$1.1 billion. Market observers estimates that the company’s second quarter revenues will approach NT$3.2 billion, with gross profit margins perhaps rebounding to 25%, up from 21% in the first quarter.

Formosa Epitaxy’s revenues for April reached NT$161.9 million, and the company has added two new equipment units to expand its capacity in the second quarter. The company expects to grow its revenues for May and June, while gross profit margins are expects to surpass 30%, up from 28% in the first quarter.

Formosa also plans to increase its MOVCD equipment from 18 machines to 35 machines, and its overall monthly capacity will increase from the current 25,000 epitaxial wafers and 330 million chips to 48,000 epitaxial wafers and 700 million chips.

LED packaging company Ledtech’s April revenues were up 42.3% sequentially to NT$100 million and its profit before tax hit NT$15 million for the month. The company’s shipment proportion coming from its LED business has increased, and new orders from Pepsi will commence this quarter, which should help the company’s second quarter revenues continue growing.

The Chinese-language Commercial Times previously reported that Ledtech had received orders for LED light bars from Pepsi.

MR16 - energy-efficient LED lamp by Lighting Science

According to the company, the unique design of their products optimizes the lamps’ thermal management, guaranteeing a life cycle of up to 50,000 hours. These lamps are also said to consume 80 percent less energy than common light sources, whilst keeping up the equivalent light output. LSG’s current portfolio consists of six different styles of light bulbs, which come in both cool and warm white, and in narrow and wide beam distributions. “The unrivaled performance of our new LED lamps will significantly reduce lifetime operating costs for customers,” said Govi Rao, Chief Executive Officer of Lighting Science Group. “Our technological leadership allows us to offer the most environmentally friendly solutions without compromising performance.”

The company hopes LED lamps’ reduced energy consumption rates will be the key to their future success. According to a recent research, conducted by “productdose.com”, consumers will be looking at $738.40 less in total spending when converting from standard incandescent lamps to LED-based light bulbs. Another research, reported by the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association, concluded that by the year 2025, “rapid adoption of LEDs in the United States alone can eliminate a cumulative 258 million metric tons of carbon emissions, save $115 billion in total electricity costs, and avoid the construction of 133 new power plants.” Such a scenario is not unlikely, especially since there is increasing pressure to establish legislation that would completely outlaw the use of incandescent bulbs.

R16 - LED light Replaces 40-45 watt standard incandescent and halogen lamps (Credit: Lighting Science)

LSG’s new line is 100 percent recyclable and unlike compact fluorescent bulbs, contains no hazardous materials, such as mercury and lead. The new products, which are offered at prices ranging from $40 to $110, are at the heart of the company’s “EcoAdvantage” Initiative, which encourages customers to “go green all the way” using LED lighting solutions.

Some have criticized LSG, saying the current cost of LED bulbs is still too high to attract the majority of the consumer market, since it is necessary to use more than one LED light source to produce enough light for a single room at home or for an office. However, LSG expects that the prices will drop significantly in the upcoming years, and says it is not worried about the starting costs. The announced range of LSG’s LED light sources is currently showcased at the “Light and Building” Exhibition, taking place in Frankfurt, Germany.

Be sure to check out our coverage of Sony’s “XEL-1” – the first commercial Organic LED TV to go on sale. For more information on LSG’s products, you can go to the company’s official website.

A federal energy bill approved in December will require a 70 percent increase in lighting efficiency by 2020, spelling trouble for the inefficient incandescent lightbulb.

The year 2020 is several lightbulb changes away, but Roger Deane is not waiting to tap into the latest in green technology for lighting his Scottsdale home.

An admitted electronics enthusiast, Deane has converted all his interior and exterior lighting to light-emitting diodes, or LED lighting.

“I hate to say it, but it’s as plain as day” that LED lighting is the way to go, Deane said from his home southeast of Lone Mountain and Scottsdale roads.

Compact fluorescent lightbulbs are the rage for reducing energy use with more-efficient lighting.

But LED lighting is touted as more efficient and is a greener option than compact fluorescent bulbs, which have trace amounts of mercury.

Durham, N.C.-based Cree Inc., an LED manufacturer, said its products use 50 percent less energy than compact fluorescent bulbs and 85 percent less than incandescent bulbs.

LED lighting costs and availability are among the hurdles in the consumer market.

A single LED light bulb can cost as much as $100 and they are not readily available in big-box hardware stores, except for things like flashlights and night lights.

Deane spent about $4,000 converting to all LED lights in his home, but that includes specialty lighting far beyond what is found in most homes.

“As more of this type of lighting gets accepted, the price will come down,” Deane said.

Cree has developed a recessed LED-lighting fixture that sells for about $130 and can last up to 25 years.

That LED fixture is a popular alternative to compact fluorescent lights in California, which requires high-efficiency lighting in new homes, said Gary Trott, Cree vice president of market development.

Currently, LED lights account for less than 1 percent of the ambient-lighting market but within the next three years, light-emitting diodes will reach the mass market, Trott said.

“The world of lighting will be completely different five years from now,” he added.

Until then, Deane estimates that LED lights could pay for themselves within five to seven years by lowering energy use.

He figures that he shaved $20 off his monthly electric bill by changing to LED lights outdoors and an unknown amount from his interior LED lights.

However, Deane said his homeowners association objected to the color of his original outdoor LED lights until he switched to a warmer, white color for the lights.

Deane, 57, started in electronics repairing televisions in 1964, but switched to a mail-order computer-supply business in 1987.

He and his wife, Kim, now operate Wired Communications, an Internet-based business that sells cables and parts for computers, home theaters and ham radios.

Deane, whose license plate on his hybrid Toyota reads LEDMAN, is adding LED lights to his electronic catalogue.

That includes flashlights, headlamps and strips of LED lights in an array of colors.

His home highlights the many applications of LED lights.

Deane has LED light strips under his countertops, recessed LED lighting in his kitchen, LED spotlights over his barbecue and an LED spa light.

He also installed small LED lights in drawers and cabinets to make it easier to find items. And a granite bathroom countertop has red and green LED lights shining through embedded quartz.

Deane admits that the LED lighting is not cheap, but he insists that his LED fixtures will pay for themselves in the long run.

“I’m getting close to 60,” he said, “and I’ll bet you that my lights will outlive me.”

Site Lightform Bollard Series features LED versions in 15, 30, 60, or 120 W modules and is offered in 6 different styles. Each fixture has optical module that produces asymmetric light distribution using horizontal lamp and flat tempered glass lens. Series is designed with heavy-wall cast aluminum heads, 1-piece extruded aluminum shafts, and base with concealed bolts threaded into shaft extrusion.

Ericsson shares rose as much as 27 percent at one point during the day, after the mobile phone network equipment maker’s surprisingly robust first-quarter profits.

Ericsson shares ended up 16.6 percent, helping push the DJ Stoxx index of European technology shares up 3.4 percent, putting it on track for its first monthly gain since September last year.

Beyond techs, financials were the top performing sector, gaining after a couple of weeks in which results at several institutions have not been quite as bad as feared, and a number of banks have taken measures to shore up their balance sheets, giving investors confidence that perhaps the worst of the credit crunch is over.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 1.1 percent at 1,330.84 points, having hit a session peak of 1,336.70 — its highest since late February — which marked a gain of as much as 1.6 percent.

The index has risen nearly 0.4 percent this week, putting it on track for a 5.4 percent gain in April, making this its best monthly performance since October 2003.

But the European equity market is still nearly 20 percent below last year’s highs and has lost 12 percent this year as interbank lending rates stay high and economic data suggests the slowdown in the United States is spreading.

This week in the euro zone, German business sentiment hit its lowest since January 2006, while euro zone manufacturing data came in soft enough to boost expectations for a cut in regional interest rates this year.

LED backlights in display screens are an improvement over old CCFL (cold-cathode florescent lamps) technology for several reasons, including a stunning picture due to more vibrant contrasts, better power savings, and they’re easier on the environment because they contain no mercury and last longer.

They also helped make the MacBook Air a marvel of thinness because they take up less space inside a screen. LED backlights are about half as thick as CCFL backlights, according to Luke Yao, an analyst at DisplaySearch.

“The problem with LED backlights is still cost, but prices are coming down,” he said during a conference in Taipei.

The price of an LED backlight is still twice as much as that of CCFL or more. And the screen of a laptop is often its most expensive component, or second only to the microprocessor.

LED costs are falling as makers increase production. The technology is gaining ground in more and more devices, including mobile phones and auto lights, after getting their start in toys, MP3 players and other small displays. As production increases, the cost per unit comes down.

Notebook PCs, desktop monitors and LCD-TVs (liquid crystal display televisions) are the next ground for LEDs to conquer, and DisplaySearch believes the technology will perform well this year. The number of laptops, monitors and LCD-TVs with LED backlights will quadruple to 16.7 million units in 2008 from 4.0 million units last year, the market researcher said.

In laptops alone, LED backlights will increase to 7.2 percent of the entire market in 2008 on screens smaller than 14-inches, from 3.4 percent last year, DisplaySearch said. The MacBook Air carries a 13.3-inch screen.

On laptops with screens 14-inches or larger, LED backlight use will rise to 4.6 percent of the market this year, from just 0.1 percent last year. Next year will be a breakout year for LEDs in this category, as LED backlights go into 19.9 percent of all notebook PCs shipped, a figure that will nearly double to 38.8 percent in 2010.

The MacBook Air didn’t start the trend to using LED backlights, but its stunningly thin design will prompt other companies to put out similar notebooks, Yao said, further spurring the LED industry.

I have a lighting obsession appreciation. I just can’t stop trying to find good quality, eco-conscious bulbs. Sadly, most local hardware stores don’t carry any and I haven’t been happy with the bulbs I’ve found at Home Depot or Lowes. With all of the lighting needs at the brownstone we’re renovating, this has been especially frustrating.

With so many choices, and falling prices, there’s no good reason not to switch to LEDs and CFLs for your home. However, the color and temperature of LEDs and Compact Fluorescents is different that what we are used to with traditional incandescents. CFLs tend to be more “yellow” and LEDs more “blue”. BUT, you don’t find that out until you buy them and bring them home - leaving folks unwilling to try them again.

A great online store I found (through LIPA - Long Island Power Authority) is Energy Federation Incorporated

Energy Federation’s store specifies color rendering, temperature and average lumens for every bulb they sell. And get this: they seem really interested in making sure you get the right bulb, rather than just selling them…

I’ve purchased more than a dozen bulbs/fixtures from them (including this neat LED nightlight) and have always been thrilled with the quality of their products.

Check them out.