How To Make Your Bathroom Lighting More Energy-Efficient

 Energy-Efficient Lighting  No Responses »
Mar 042013
 
PinExt How To Make Your Bathroom Lighting More Energy Efficient

This post is the fifth in a series on how to optimize the lighting in your home or business for the utmost energy savings. Click here to view the entire series. 

The bathroom offers a unique combination of utility and luxury. It’s an essential in every home and every office, and an integral part of everyone’s daily routine. Not to mention that the restroom is also a place for rest and rejuvenation. For some of us, it’s the only place where we can find a little peace and quiet.

Vanity Lighting 667x1024 How To Make Your Bathroom Lighting More Energy Efficient

When a room is as important as this one, you make sure the lighting is of the highest quality. Because what is a functional room without functional lighting? And what is a luxurious room when the lighting is harsh and abrasive?

Having quality bathroom lights that also save energy might seem like too tall an order, but making your bathroom lighting energy-efficient is actually easier than you might think. Just follow my lead…

1. Change out those light bulbs!

By now, you probably know that upgrading your light bulbs to more energy-efficient varieties is the easiest way to save a little energy. But, some of these newer lamps won’t thrive in the variable atmosphere of the bathroom. Continue reading »

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The Colorful History of Fluorescent Lights

 Thoughts on Light  No Responses »
Jun 112012
 
PinExt The Colorful History of Fluorescent Lights

Fluorescent Light Bulb 226x300 The Colorful History of Fluorescent LightsWhen you think of fluorescent light, what first comes to mind? Some might think of hideous, headache-provoking office lights. Others might conjure up images of neon signs à la Vegas. For Galileo in 1612, upon witnessing fluorescence in nature, it was motherhood. He wrote:

“It must be explained how it happens that the light is conceived into the stone, and is given back after some time, as in childbirth.”

Whatever impressions you might have about fluorescent lighting, we think it’s time to set the record straight. Fluorescents have had a colorful, quirky, and sometimes uncomfortable past, but they certainly have a bright future.

Conception: 1850s

Heinrich Geissler, a German glassblower and physicist, created his famous Geissler Tubes during this time. Geissler filled the tubes with different gases to be excited by metal electrodes at each end. They came in many intricate shapes and bright colors and were used as art for their very brief lives. Today they are considered the early ancestors of both fluorescent and neon lights. Continue reading »

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Why Movie Theaters & Restaurants Should Choose CCFLs for Lighting

 Lighting Tips  No Responses »
Jun 102011
 
PinExt Why Movie Theaters & Restaurants Should Choose CCFLs for Lighting

movie theater lighting Why Movie Theaters & Restaurants Should Choose CCFLs for LightingEarlier this week, I wrote a couple of posts describing the features of cold cathode fluorescent light bulbs.  CCFLs are not new to the lighting world, but their technology has improved significantly over the past few years, and they are an excellent option for energy-efficient lighting.  We have been adding over 20 different models of CCFLs to pegasuslighting.com, so this week has been a “CCFL debut” on the blog.

To read about the basic technology that differentiates CCFLs from standard CFLs and other light bulbs, catch up with this post.

In short, CCFLs are extremely durable in design, which gives them very unique dimming capabilities.  Fluorescent lighting typically does not perform well with dimming.  However, CCFLs can be dimmed down to 5% of their light output without diminishing lifetime. Continue reading »

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CCFL vs. CFL: What’s the Difference?

 Buyer's Guides  8 Responses »
Jun 062011
 
PinExt CCFL vs. CFL: Whats the Difference?

comparing bulbs CCFL vs. CFL: Whats the Difference?“CFL” is a household name at this point.  Developed in 1985, the compact fluorescent light bulb is now a 25-year-old product present in 70 percent of homes in the United States.  Just last year, more than 273 million CFLs were sold in the U.S.

Cold cathode fluorescent light bulbs are a little less familiar, at least to the general public.  Here’s a quick overview of the core differences.

Technological Differences:

All fluorescent light bulbs have two cathodes (one at each end).  In a standard CFL, the cathodes are made of coiled tungsten filaments that are heated to approximately 900 degrees Fahrenheit each time the light bulb is turned on.  That heat releases electrons.  The electrons shoot back and forth between the cathodes and react with the mercury to create ultraviolet radiation, which in turn reacts with the phosphor coating on the inside of the glass envelope to create light.  Standard CFLs are hot cathode light bulbs.

In a cold cathode fluorescent light bulb, the cathodes are made of a solid metal thimble, which is more durable than the thin coils in standard CFLs.  The cathodes only heat up to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit (certainly not “cold”, but relatively cooler than the hot cathode filament, hence the name).  The voltage potential within the tube excites the mercury to cause current flow. Continue reading »

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Unveiling the CCFL

 Lighting Tips  No Responses »
Jun 032011
 
PinExt Unveiling the CCFL

unveiling ccfl Unveiling the CCFLWe are in the process of adding over 20 different cold cathode fluorescent light bulbs (CCFLs) to pegasuslighting.com, so we thought it was prime time for a blog feature on CCFLs.

The market for energy-efficient light bulbs is ever-growing.  Just in the past couple of months, Vu1 Corporation has developed a light bulb based on technology from a picture tube TV, Google and Lighting Science Group have partnered to create an Android-controlled LED light bulb, and GE has designed a “hybrid” halogen-compact fluorescent light bulb.

The cold cathode fluorescent light bulb is by no means a new technology, but it is a product that has improved significantly in the past few years.  In fact, Gizmodo wrote a feature on them back in 2007 explaining their potential:

These other-worldly cold cathode fluorescent light bulbs are in some ways even better than CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs, because they’re easily dimmable and operate at room temperature. They have extremely long life, are wet-rated for outdoor use and can be used as blinking lights in tacky store displays, too. Plus, they save lots of energy because of their lower wattage and nonexistent heat output. Continue reading »

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