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The Difference Between CFLs and LEDs: Low Temperature Tolerance

Mar 292013

This post is part of a series written to help you understand the differences between the popular CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) and the newest kind of light bulb: the LED (light emitting diode). You can browse the entire series here.

Depending on where you plan to use your light bulb, you may need to consider how it will react to the space’s temperature.

For a chilly area, like outdoors in a cool climate or inside a refrigerator/freezer, an LED will work best for you.

LEDs love cold environments. In fact, using them in places with cooler temperatures may even make them last longer – beyond their standard rated lives.

CFLs, on the other hand, require a lot of heat to initially turn on. When you operate them in below-freezing temperatures, you’ll have a hard time even getting them to start up.

So why do LEDs thrive in cooler temperatures? Continue reading »

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Product Spotlight: LED Tape Lights

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Mar 282013

PinExt Product Spotlight: LED Tape Lights

Waterproof Reel 300x300 Product Spotlight: LED Tape Lights
LED tape lights are one of the handiest fixtures around. By themselves, the lights look old-fashioned and futuristic at the same time – stored in rolls reminiscent of vintage film reels, featuring space-age looking LED lights. But, once you install LED tape lights, they’ll bring your space to life unlike any other light fixture.

What Makes The LED Tape Light So Wonderful?

LED tape lights (also sometimes called LED ribbons) have a ton of special features that other fixtures just can’t measure up to:

The strong adhesive backing on every reel will stick to almost any surface with ease.
You can’t find a thinner, lower profile light strip on the market.
The trimmable fields allow you to tailor the length of your tape lights, fitting the specific requirements of your project.
Their dimming capabilities (when powered by dimmable drivers) let you customize your space’s light levels, no hassle.
Many are wet location listed, so you can have great lighting indoors and out.
You can choose between warm white, cool white, colored, and color-changing varieties.

On top of all that, LED tape lights have a 50,000 hour rated-life, and because they’re LEDs, you know they’re going to save you energy.

Colored LED Tape Lights 1024x581 Product Spotlight: LED Tape Lights Continue reading »

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The Difference Between LEDs and CFLs: Rated Life

Thoughts on Light No Responses »

Mar 262013

PinExt The Difference Between LEDs and CFLs: Rated Life

This post is the third in a series focused on identifying important differences between light emitting diodes (LEDs), the light source of the future, and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), the light source of the present. To check out the rest of the series, click here.

When deciding which light source to choose, one of the most important factors you should consider is how long the light will last.

A longer-lasting light bulb means you won’t have to spend as much money on replacement light bulbs, and you won’t have to waste time and energy on maintenance and upkeep.

In general, LEDs last about 10 times as long as CFLs. An LED’s rated life can vary between 25,000 and 60,000 hours. The rated life of most CFLs varies between 6,000 and 15,000 hours. Continue reading »

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Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Lighting In March

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Mar 252013

PinExt Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Lighting In March

Here’s what’s been going on in the lighting world this month…

In Lighting News…

A Wal-Mart store in Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin has equipped all its indoor and outdoor facilities with LED lights. The areas now illuminated by LEDs include the sales floor, pharmacy, restrooms, stock rooms, and the parking lot. Wal-Mart expects to save at least 30% of their energy costs, compared to their old fluorescent lighting systems. Click here to learn more.

On March 5th “The Bay Lights,” an LED light sculpture, illuminated San Francisco’s Bay Bridge for the first time with 25,000 LED lights. The project only costs $15.06 per night to operate, and was designed by artist Leo Villareal on a laptop. Check out this video from the grand lighting ceremony:

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The Difference Between LEDs and CFLs: Mercury

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Mar 182013

PinExt The Difference Between LEDs and CFLs: Mercury

Mercury The Difference Between LEDs and CFLs: Mercury

Image via PeriodicTable.com

This post is the second in a series on important differences between LEDs and CFLs, two of the most popular energy-saving light sources on the market today. You can read the first post about efficiency here.

Mercury is a toxic substance that can attack the brains and nervous systems of humans. CFLs (and all fluorescent lights) contain small amounts of mercury, LEDs do not. In the long run, this makes the LED a much safer, low maintenance light source.

Why do CFLs contain mercury?

The mercury, when excited by an electric current, helps the CFL generate light. This small amount of mercury, barely enough to cover the tip of a ballpoint pen, poses no threat to your health as long as it remains contained within the light bulb’s glass envelope. You only need to worry about it if the light bulb should break.

To safely deal with your CFLs, take them to an EPA approved recycling center. You can learn more about the importance of recycling CFLs in this blog post: Don’t Toss That CFL In The Trash.

What to do if your CFL breaks…

If you wind up with a broken CFL in your home, follow these steps for safe cleanup and disposal: Continue reading »

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How To Make Your Office Lighting More Energy-Efficient

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Mar 152013

PinExt How To Make Your Office Lighting More Energy Efficient

This article is part of a series here on the blog about how to save the most energy with lighting in your home or business. Browse the entire series here.

Lighting accounts for at least 28% of the energy used in the average office building. That translates to a pretty hefty chunk of the monthly budget. But, by making big and small energy-efficient updates, you can spend less and enjoy a more comfortable office environment.

Big Changes…

If you still use incandescent or outdated fluorescent overhead lights, it’s time for an upgrade.

LEDs use about 80% less energy to generate the same amount of light as incandescent light bulbs. They also last about 25 times longer. So, if you use incandescent light bulbs in your recessed cans, you should replace them with LED lamps or retrofits. LEDs excel at downlighting, because they’re naturally a directional light source. Today’s models have light output and color quality very similar to incandescent lights, so you might not notice the change until you look at your energy bill.

If you have older fluorescent lighting in your office (like T12s), you’re also not saving as much energy as you could. T12 technology is over 70 years old, and incidentally was taken out of production last year. If you exchange your T12s for T8s, you’ll use 45% less energy. Not to mention, the color temperature and light quality of fluorescent lights have improved dramatically over the past few decades, so new lights could be a huge morale boost for all the office workers.

iStock 000005663021Medium 1024x670 How To Make Your Office Lighting More Energy Efficient

Smaller Changes…

Office lighting isn’t just about what’s on the ceiling. To make sure you’re saving the most energy possible, you also need to take a critical look at the smaller light fixtures in the office. Continue reading »

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How Durable Are LED Step Lights?

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Mar 122013

LED Step Lights At Home 233x300 How Durable Are LED Step Lights?
We recently received this question on our website about the durability of our LED step lights:

Can the lights set flat on the landing and be able to withstand the removal of snow, or are they too fragile for that?

If you’ve considered installing step lights on an outdoor staircase or an indoor staircase that gets a lot of wear and tear, this question has probably crossed your mind. After doing some research and hearing from a few customers about their own experiences, here’s what I’ve found:

The Hearty Light Source

For a quality outdoor step light, you couldn’t do better than an LED. LEDs don’t have delicate filaments or electrodes like other light sources. This lets them withstand jarring vibrations like heavy foot traffic or shoveling.

Also, LEDs love the cold – they actually last longer in lower temperatures. So, they’re perfect for outdoor lighting in chilly climates. Fluorescent lights, on the other hand, don’t thrive in the cold. They have difficulty starting in temperatures lower than 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

How Fragile Are The Housings?

While LEDs by themselves are downright robust, they aren’t the soul component of a step light. The glass, metal, or plastic housings and covers might not hold up to vigorous scraping or pounding if installed flat on a stair. Plus, if they’re not completely flush, they could be a tripping hazard.

Jim from PA. a proud owner of these LED step lights, offered us his solution to this problem: Continue reading »

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The Difference Between LEDs and CFLs: Efficiency

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Mar 112013

PinExt The Difference Between LEDs and CFLs: Efficiency

This is the first post in a brand new series about the key differences between compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), the light source of the present, and light emitting diodes (LEDs), the light source of the future. We’ll touch on things like structure, function, and quality, so you can keep up with all the innovations currently happening in the lighting world…

One of the most obvious differences between LED light bulbs and CFLs is energy-efficiency. Yes, we consider both sources to be energy-saving, and both fall well within new government efficiency standards, but it’s a simple fact that LEDs use less power to generate more light.

We measure the efficiency of a light source (sometimes called efficacy) in lumens per watt (lm/W). If you’re unfamiliar with this measurement, we’re just talking about the amount of light produced by one unit of electrical power – similar to miles per gallon for a car.

In general, a good LED on the market today can produce 60-100+ lm/W, which is about twice as many as a CFL, which only produces about 30-50 lm/W. Continue reading »

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Product Spotlight: LED Thin Under Cabinet Task Lights

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Mar 072013

PinExt Product Spotlight: LED Thin Under Cabinet Task Lights

Today’s feature is one of our most popular under cabinet light fixtures, and just happens to be 10% off right now here at Pegasus!

LED Under Cabinet Light1 Product Spotlight: LED Thin Under Cabinet Task Lights

The LED Thin Under Cabinet Task Lights come in 4 lengths and 2 finishes, so you’ll be able to find one to suit your exact needs. And when it comes to features, this fixture is the cream of the crop…

Dimmable, bright white LEDs make it functional and flattering (its CRI is an excellent 87).
The largest, 32″ fixture only uses 17.7 watts, and every model has a 50,000-hour rated life. It’s ENERGY STAR certified, so you know it’s for real.
The fixtures are low-profile and linkable, which means they’ll fit almost anywhere you need them, without being too distracting.
The LED lights are much cooler than other light sources, so you can keep produce and other perishables on the kitchen counter without getting them ruined.
Installation is quite simple; you can either hard-wire or plug-in these fixtures. Continue reading »

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How To Make Your Bathroom Lighting More Energy-Efficient

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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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