compact fluorescent | Pegasus Lighting Blog

Getting To Know Light

Dec 122012

Every so often, we need to go back to the basics. New lighting technology has the potential to simplify our lives, but trying to actually understand it can get complicated. Check out these helpful graphics from Bulbrite’s Lightopedia to learn how to use measurements like CRI, lumen, and Kelvin temperature to find the perfect lights for your home or building…

Watt the Heck is a Lumen?

Contrary to popular belief, watts DON’T measure the brightness of a light bulb. They measure how much energy that light bulb consumes. CFLs and LEDs consume much less energy (watts) than older filament lamps, so they’ll produce more light for every watt they consume.

If you’re still in the incandescent mindset, check out this handy conversion chart showing how many lumens each incandescent light produces:

Image via Lightopedia.com

Continue reading »

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An Enticing New Alternative To Fluorescents, CFLs, and LEDs

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Dec 072012

PinExt An Enticing New Alternative To Fluorescents, CFLs, and LEDs

No light source is perfect. With every different light source come consumers and critics who dislike it. We complain incandescent lights don’t last long enough. They use too much energy, give off too much heat, and then that heat jacks up our A/C bills.

Fluorescents and CFLs last longer, but some people are bothered by the small amount of UV rays they emit. Sometimes they might flicker or take a while to reach full brightness. If they break, they release harmful mercury into the environment.

Even the LED, the lighting industry’s golden boy, isn’t perfect. It lacks the incandescent’s beautiful, soothing light quality. LEDs are still expensive, and it can be hard as heck to make them with dimming capabilities.

Clearly, we still have work to do. But now, there’s a new light source that might just give these other guys a run for their money.

It’s called FIPEL. Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it? Well, whatever the name, this new light source could be the answer to the comfortable, efficient light we crave.

An Enticing New Alternative To Fluorescents, CFLs, and LEDs

Image via Ken Bennett, Wake Forest University Photographer

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Not Your Average CFL

Light Bulbs No Responses »

Oct 252012

To be honest, I’ve always liked the look of CFLs. Yes, there have been mixed opinions about the quality of light they generate, but there’s something about that gentle swirl that I can’t help but enjoy. And of course, the CFL has come a long way from what was first out on the market.

See here:

Image via Plumen.com

You can imagine my excitement when I first saw the Plumen 001, winner of the Brit Insurance Design of the Year Award and you guessed it, a CFL. Continue reading »

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CFLs and UV Rays: Is There Really A Problem?

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Sep 202012

PinExt CFLs and UV Rays: Is There Really A Problem?

CFL CFLs and UV Rays: Is There Really A Problem?
In August’s Lighting Roundup, we mentioned a study on the UV rays emitted from CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) possibly causing skin damage. But, with this popular spiral-shaped energy-saving light bulb now in over 70% of U.S. homes, we think it’s important to investigate further into this issue.

According to this article from Lighting.com, NEMA (The National Electrical Manufacturers Association) has clarified the confusion surrounding CFLs and possibly dangerous UV radiation.

Like all fluorescent lights, CFLs do give off trace amounts of UV and infrared radiation, but those levels are well within the acceptable range predetermined by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA).

Unless the person exposed to UV rays has a predetermined sensitivity to them, or if that person uses a CFL at an unnaturally close distance (less than 1 foot), there shouldn’t be a problem.

Plus, the plastic, glass, and fabrics of many household light fixtures also serve to reduce the already low levels of UV radiation. Some CFLs even have covers that reduce emissions even further than standard exposed-spiral lamps alone.

So, unless your CFL is severely malfunctioning (which is rare indeed) you needn’t worry.

For more information about how to properly care for and use CFLs, check out this blog post, or visit the US Food and Drug Administration’s website.

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Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Dreamers, Skeptics, and Current Affairs

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Aug 282012

PinExt Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Dreamers, Skeptics, and Current Affairs

Surprise, surprise, everyone’s talking about energy efficient lighting. We’re no exception in this blog post. But here’s a twist: not everything we’ve heard recently is as bright and pretty as a brand new LED. This lighting roundup is a mixed bag…

In lighting news…

New energy efficient lighting has the potential to supercharge the job market in Michigan. Jay Wrobel, Executive Director of the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance explained, “Michigan is on the cusp of becoming a manufacturing leader in one of the advanced technologies of the 21^st century. New energy efficient lighting technologies provide an ideal platform for new jobs and energy savings in Michigan.” As the demand for LEDs increases, so will the supply of jobs. You can learn more MWAlliance.org.

Meanwhile, though the 2012 Summer Olympics have ended, London is only beginning to reap the benefits of their new LED lighting installations. The new lights on the Tower Bridge (more than 2km of GE Lighting’s Tetra Contour architectural LED lighting installed just in time for the games) are expected to last the city at least 25 years, while saving 40% of the bridge’s previous energy consumption.

Tower Bridge 300x173 Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Dreamers, Skeptics, and Current Affairs

Courtesy of Olympic.org

While energy efficient lighting seems to always be on our minds and in our light fixtures, there are times when we must realize it’s still a developing technology. The PLUS (Public Lighting Strategies for Sustainable Urban Spaces) project conducted a recent study on LEDs as a possible solution for the problem of finding energy efficient public lighting. The study determined that LED lights are one of the most energy efficient options, but they might not be the best answer for all cities at the moment. LEDs certainly offer a new set of innovative possibilities, but today they’re not the final answer. Many cities are better off waiting until the cost of LEDs goes down, or until the rapidly improving technology reaches a relative stasis. Continue reading »

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Hope is Here for the Rare Earth Elements Crisis

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Jun 142012

PinExt Hope is Here for the Rare Earth Elements Crisis

Active Mining Operatons Shot Molycorp 300x192 Hope is Here for the Rare Earth Elements Crisis

Molycorp's Mountain Pass Mine, Producing Rare Earth Materials in California. Photo Courtesy of Molycorp.com.

If you’ve read any of our previous posts on the rare earth elements situation, you know that China’s stranglehold on the market has caused the prices of fluorescent light bulbs to increase dramatically.

Today, China controls more than 95% of rare earth elements—some of which are crucial in the making of fluorescent light bulbs. China’s production cap on the mining of rare earth elements is meant to crack down on illegal manufacturing, but by doing so it’s also limiting the output of the green tech industry, among others. See: Why are CFLs Becoming More Expensive? and Will the Future of Fluorescent Lighting be Shaky?

But now there’s light (no pun intended) at the end of the tunnel. According to this article on Forbes.com, an end to China’s monopoly might finally happen. It seems China’s latest increased export restrictions have caused the U.S., E.U., and Japan to spring into action.

As I write, 35 new rare earth projects are taking shape beyond Chinese borders, including mines in California and Canada. The possibilities are exciting—up to 20% of rare earth materials may be produced outside of China in less than 10 years. Additionally, domestic production of these elements has the potential to increase product innovation in the U.S., reinvigorate our manufacturing industry, and lower prices for consumers.

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The Colorful History of Fluorescent Lights

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Jun 112012

PinExt The Colorful History of Fluorescent Lights

Fluorescent Light Bulb 226x300 The Colorful History of Fluorescent Lights When 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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Food Photography Lighting Tips to Savor

Lighting Tips 2 Responses »

Jun 042012

PinExt Food Photography Lighting Tips to Savor

Food lighting 300x200 Food Photography Lighting Tips to Savor Ever wonder how food photographers can have you salivating at the first glimpse of a strawberry? A lot of what makes food look so tasty in pictures is the way photographers use the light. Observe the seafood medley to the right. How does the photographer achieve such a clean yet colorful image? Often times it isn’t enough simply to place a plate by the window and snap a few frames—it takes planning! Here are a few ways to use the light to document your next culinary masterpiece:

Consider the time.

The brightness of the light you use should depend on what meal you’re photographing. Use a light bulb with a measure of 1,000+ lumens if you’re taking shots of breakfast foods like these cappuccino doughnuts. An evening meal on the other hand should be photographed in lower light, channeling the elegant ambiance of the dinner hour.

Cappuccino Doughnuts Ann Stratton 300x300 Food Photography Lighting Tips to Savor

Cappuccino Doughnuts courtesy of Ann Stratton from CountryLiving.com

Continue reading »

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Light Bulbs And Your Wallet – What’s The Damage?

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May 242012

PinExt Light Bulbs And Your Wallet Whats The Damage?

There’s a lot more to the cost of a light bulb than the price tag sticker. There’s the impact on your electrical bill, the tally of replacement bulbs you’ll need to buy, and the time you have to factor in for maintenance. Sure, the light bulb in your table lamp may take just a few minutes to replace, but what about your recessed cans that are two stories away from easy access?

We published an infographic on replacing 60 watt light bulbs recently, designed to lay out your options in a reader-friendly format.

Lighting Facts, a program of the U.S. Department of Energy, created the one below, showing the five-year-cost of 100 watt equivalent light bulbs. As you can see, the low purchase cost of an incandescent light bulb doesn’t necessarily pay off in the end:

Lighting 5yr 100W Light Bulbs And Your Wallet Whats The Damage?

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What Kind of Lighting Went Into Famous Works of Art?

Thoughts on Light No Responses »

May 142012

PinExt What Kind of Lighting Went Into Famous Works of Art?

The following post is from our new blogger Annie Josey, who is joining Pegasus Lighting on May 21, 2012. Annie is a recent UNC-Chapel Hill graduate who majored in English with a minor in creative writing. Annie wrote this post during the interview process and we loved it so much, and learned a little bit about art in the process, we could not wait to post it to the blog. We hope you like Annie’s first post as much as we do, and can’t wait for her to “enlighten” us even more in the coming months.

In paintings, the depiction of light can create tangible shape, intricate texture and vibrant color. Great painters like Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Manet crafted careers out of working with light, while having very few lighting options for inspiration. Here are a few examples of their work, and how each painter might go about achieving the same schemes with modern lighting:

Rembrandt’s “Self Portrait, 1629″

rembrandt 272x300 What Kind of Lighting Went Into Famous Works of Art?

This painting is a perfect example of Rembrandt’s use of chiaroscuro (the contrast between light and shadow). The lighting here is soft, creating a tranquil, romantic look. The shadows are diffused and gentle, used to define the face without being too severe.

If Rembrandt were alive today, he could easily recreate this setting with an incandescent or compact fluorescent light bulb placed high and to the left. He should opt for a lower wattage to achieve that same dim look, and stick with a light temperature of under 3,500K to maintain the warm atmosphere. Continue reading »

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