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Product Spotlight: PAR38 Energy-Efficient Halogen Lamps

Jan 312013

Energy Efficient Halogen PAR38 Spotlight1 Product Spotlight: PAR38 Energy Efficient Halogen Lamps
Today we’re debuting a new series on the blog called “Product Spotlight.” Every week, we’re going to showcase one of our newest, coolest, or most popular light fixtures, and tell you a little about it. How does it work? How do you install it? What are the benefits? Get ready for your newest learning experience in light…

It’s your classic Goldilocks situation. When you’re shopping for the perfect PAR38 light bulb, perhaps the LED PAR38′s light is just too cool, and the incandescent PAR38′s light is just too warm. Then, you spot the halogen lamp – its unmistakable crisp and pleasing light is just what you were looking for. Not to mention it’s more durable than the incandescent light and less expensive than the LED.

But then, you notice just how much energy it takes to power that halogen light bulb. The choice stops feeling quite so right.

So, we’re introducing a 4th option (or maybe we should call it 3.5): The PAR38 Energy-Efficient Halogen Lamp.

Also known as the infrared halogen (HIR), this lamp emits the same quality lights as a regular halogen light bulb, but does it using less energy.

Why Is It Energy-Efficient?

Most filament light bulbs like incandescents and halogens generate light with only about 10% of the energy they consume. The remaining 90% is given off as heat. Continue reading »

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Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Lighting in January

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Jan 282013

PinExt Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Lighting in January

incandescent 300x199 Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Lighting in January

Image via Cleveland.com

It’s a new year, and we’re back to keep you up-to-date on what’s happening in the lighting world. So far, 2013 has brought us tons of lighting innovations, brilliant tips on improving your life with light, and some just plain cool stuff…

In Lighting News…

Starting January 1, import and manufacture of the 75-watt incandescent light bulb were banned in the U.S. as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The goal here is to move the country to a higher efficiency standard to save energy, money, and natural resources. To learn more about the act, how it affects consumers, and how to adapt, check out this article from Cleveland.com or our own recent blog post on the matter.

Philips has come out with a new way to try on clothing in retail shops called the AmbiScene Fitting Room System. The system’s LEDs let customers adjust the lighting in their dressing rooms. To see how your clothes look in different places, you can choose settings that mimic the seasons, different times of day, and even different locations like the office or a nightclub. The system is also perfect for retail displays. Check out this video to see how it works:

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Myth: LEDs Are Too Expensive

Thoughts on Light No Responses »

Jan 182013

This is the fourth post in a series on explaining common misunderstandings about LEDs. The previous installments include, Myth: LEDs Don’t Save Power, Myth: LEDs Don’t Work, and Myth: LEDs Are Light Bulbs.

$50 for a light bulb? Eesh. Who would want to pay that when you could buy an incandescent light bulb for $2.50, and use the extra cash on a new outfit or a tank of gas? Why pay more when you can pay less?

Is The Price Right?

It’s no secret that LED light bulbs cost more than other light sources – incandescent, halogen, and even fluorescent – but those price tags don’t tell you the whole truth. They leave out the fact that you’re saving money by spending a little more for a quality light bulb.

Let me break it down for you:

LEDs last much longer than older kinds of light bulbs. If you pay $29.90 for this LED A lamp, and it lasts 23 years (give or take), that price evens out to cost you just over one dollar per year!

If you buy a cheaper light bulb, like a halogen A19 for $3.25, and it burns out after a year or so, over those same 23 years you’ll have spent about $75 on replacements. Ouch! Continue reading »

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Myth: LEDs Are Light Bulbs

Thoughts on Light No Responses »

Jan 162013

This post is the third installment in a series on disproving common misconceptions about LED lights. The first myth we addressed was whether or not LEDs save energy – read that here. Then, we covered whether or not LEDs actually work – read that here.

Okay, okay. Yes, LED light bulbs do exist. LED light bulbs are everywhere these days, actually. No prevaricating on this blog! But, I’m not lying when I tell you LED light bulbs aren’t light bulbs. They emit light, and yes, they come in indisputably bulbous shapes, but they’re so much more than simple light bulbs.

What Your Light Bulb And Your Laptop Have In Common

It may be more accurate to describe the LED light bulb as a type of computer.

Where old fashioned incandescent light bulbs create light with rudimentary filaments, LEDs create light with the same kind of technology that makes your computer do its thing: the microchip.

Like computers, many LEDs can be easily programmed, and can even connect to WiFi. With this kind of simple-to-manipulate technology, LEDs might just surprise you with their many capabilities.

What LEDs Can Do

Here are just a few of the possibilities… Continue reading »

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The 8 Best Excuses To Upgrade Your Lights

Lighting Tips No Responses »

Jan 112013

PinExt The 8 Best Excuses To Upgrade Your Lights

It’s a new year, and many of us have resolved to finally do what makes us happy. To stop coming up with reasons not to do the things we want. Of course, this time of year also brings many to the crippling realization of just how much they spent over the holidays, and how much they need to save in the new year.

Good lighting, beautiful lighting, new lighting in your home can really work miracles for the space’s look and feel, and even your own well-being. But, when trying to save money, springing for new lights can feel like too much of a luxury. How do you know when it’s worth it?

We’ve put our heads together here at Pegasus Lighting to come up with the 8 best reasons you should say YES! to a lighting upgrade:

1. You’re wasting money.

Blue Indirect Lighting in a Kitchen 1024x1024 The 8 Best Excuses To Upgrade Your Lights

This reasoning isn’t too hard to figure out. Wasting money on old, energy-sucking lights is worse than saving money on new, energy-saving lights. There may be a little more expense upfront, but new, efficient lights will pay for themselves really quickly. If you switch just 3 of your 60-watt incandescent light bulbs for 12-watt LEDs, you’ll save about $114 every year! To compare more light sources, take a look at this infographic.

2. You have trouble seeing.

Kitchen Lighting The 8 Best Excuses To Upgrade Your Lights

If your lights are inadequate, especially in areas where you have to intensely focus on tasks (kitchens, bathrooms, offices) you’re not doing yourself any favors. Eyestrain does not a happy homeowner make. Good lighting in these task areas will make it much easier to focus, and to get things right the first time. Make your work space a healthy one with task lighting essentials like under cabinet lights in the kitchen, or a good desk lamp for reading. Continue reading »

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5 Ways Light Can Help With Your New Year’s Resolutions

Lighting Tips No Responses »

Jan 022013

PinExt 5 Ways Light Can Help With Your New Years Resolutions

Fireworks 300x203 5 Ways Light Can Help With Your New Years Resolutions
Is it 2013 already? It’s hard to believe – it feels like just yesterday was January ’12 and we all were resolving to make our lives healthier, smarter, and easier. But, if last year’s resolutions didn’t work out as planned, and you’re feeling cynical about making any positive changes for 2013, maybe you just need to lighten up (literally).

Lighting is such an integral part of our everyday lives, affecting the way we see and navigate through the entire world, why couldn’t it help you achieve your New Year’s Resolution?

Below are 5 of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions, and lighting just might be the key to help you stay on track with each of them…

1. Save Money.

Dreading monthly bills, clipping coupons, and cutting back on every non-essential can get overwhelming. No wonder we feel like giving up mid-February. An easy way to passively save money each month is to switch out your old incandescent lights for energy-saving LED and fluorescent lights.

Did you know, roughly 20% of the world’s electricity consumption goes to lighting? If you swap all the light bulbs in your home for more efficient varieties, you’ll save an average of $400 a year! You can save even more money by installing motion sensors, timers, photocell, and other controls on your indoor and outdoor lights, to only use them when you need them. The best part: once installed, you hardly have to think about them at all. Continue reading »

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Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

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Dec 262012

PinExt Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes

Diverse and impressive changes have been taking place in the lighting world this month. Read on to discover the fun and innovation!

In Lighting News…

Across the web, there was a consensus that LED holiday lights were the thing to have for the holidays. Not only are they energy-efficient, long lasting, and durable, they can also be interactive. We’ve seen families across the country creating holiday feats – dancing light shows to hundreds of different songs, and even games for visitors to play. For a balanced review of new LED string lights, check out this article from Apartment Therapy.

Holiday Light Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes

Speaking of switching to LEDs, NASA is swapping out all of the light bulbs on the International Space Station to help alleviate astronauts’ insomnia. They’re planning to use specially diffused LEDs, which can filter light into different hues. They’d provide blue light to help astronauts wake up in the morning, white light during work hours, and reddish light to soothe them to sleep. To read more on the science of the switch, check out this article from Gizmodo.

A recent article on Forbes.com declared that LEDs have finally “arrived.” In other words, they’re a mature, viable product, widely available, good-looking, and economically attractive. Continue reading »

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LED T8 Replacement Lamps: Are They Worth It?

Light Bulbs No Responses »

Dec 172012

PinExt LED T8 Replacement Lamps: Are They Worth It?

Fluorescent Lamp T8 LED T8 Replacement Lamps: Are They Worth It?
Looking back at 2012, LED lights have made huge leaps. They’ve leaped from small-scale applications to adorn the tops of our most iconic skyscrapers. They’ve hopped into the light sockets of our homes and buildings, and LED lighting control apps have sprung up on our smartphones. Even the prices of LEDs have started “jumping” down.

But, not every LED application is perfect, or even advisable. Many of us still have questions.

For instance – what’s the deal with LED replacements for T8 lamps?

That’s a topic even we haven’t heard much about, so we leaped at the chance to ask Dr. Jack Curran of LED Transformations about it, after a few of us attended a webinar he hosted about LEDs:

Q: Have you found any LED T8 lamps that are good replacements for fluorescent T8 lamps? If not, do you see them ever becoming a viable substitute for the fluorescent version?

A: According to Dr. Curran, the quality of LED T8 replacements isn’t the problem. There are good quality lamps out there, and there’s also junk (like just about every other light and light fixture around). The issue of LED T8s is more complicated. Dr. Curran explained it in 3 parts: Continue reading »

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Getting To Know Light

Light Bulbs No Responses »

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

Lighting News No Responses »

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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