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Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Lighting In March

Mar 252013

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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Product Spotlight: Lighted Bathroom Exhaust Fans

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Mar 212013

PinExt Product Spotlight: Lighted Bathroom Exhaust Fans

Your bathroom should not be annoying. It should be a rejuvenating space within your house. It should be a sanctuary of sorts, really. The problem is, there are just so many ways the place can get annoying…

…Like when it gets excessively moist and you’re constantly fighting back the mold.

…Like when you’re in there in the middle of the night under the glare of bright lights.

…Like when your lights are cheap, ugly, or just don’t match your style.

…Like when your loud exhaust fan makes it impossible to relax.

If your bathroom annoys you in one or more of those ways, it might do you good to look at our selection of quality bathroom exhaust fans with lights. We hand select each fixture, so I can assure you now that they’re not going to bother you. In fact, they’ll do quite the opposite. Here’s how our exhaust fans can solve each of those terrible annoyances:

For The Moldy Bathroom

If your bathroom gets too moist when you shower and you’d rather not cultivate a garden of mold where you clean yourself every day, get an exhaust fan. To pick one that’s right for you, you just need to determine the recommended fan capacity for your bathroom. This is measured in CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute), which is the volume of air the fan can remove from a room within a certain period of time. You can find your bathroom’s recommended CFM by multiplying the room’s square footage by 1.1 if you have an 8-foot ceiling, or by 1.5 if you have a 9-foot ceiling. For example, a bathroom of 60 square feet with an 8-foot ceiling would need a fan with a CFM of about 66.

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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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How To Have Great Lighting In A Rental

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Mar 012013

PinExt How To Have Great Lighting In A Rental

Having adequate, quality, and – heaven forbid – stylish lighting when you live in a rented space can seem like a far-away dream. Your landlord or property manager has certain limits and regulations on what changes you can make, so creating a lighting design you like feels next to impossible.

What’s a renter to do? It’s time to get creative with your lighting.

For The Kitchen

Let me guess. When you moved into your current place, your kitchen had a single ceiling light fixture – a linear fluorescent, a track light – on a basic on/off light switch. The brightness of that single ceiling light is too jarring in the morning, and when you’re chopping, dicing, and frying in the evening, it’s not enough.

Fluorescent Under Cabinet Lights How To Have Great Lighting In A Rental

The best thing you can do in here is add one or two light layers for extra task light. Start with under cabinet lights, because they’ll make it easier for you to see while cooking, and add a nice ambiance to the room. You can opt to leave the ceiling lights off when you want a lower light level, or use them with your ceiling lights when you’ve got your chef’s hat on. Continue reading »

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Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Lighting in February

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Feb 252013

PinExt Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Lighting in February

What’s been on the tip of everyone’s tongue this month? One word: quality. From new standards for quality lights, to tips on using light to improve your quality of life, we’ve got you covered. Here are this month’s top stories…

In Lighting News…

Is Color Rendering Index (CRI) the most accurate measure of a light’s quality? With all the innovations happening in the lighting world right now, the Color Quality Scale (CQS) might just be a better judge. CRI measures a light’s performance rendering only 8 different colors. CQS, on the other hand, measures 15, and accounts for other factors like chromatic discrimination and human preference. Click here to learn more about CQS.

news ucdavis edu Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Lighting in February

Image via News.UCDavis.edu

In December 2012 the California Lighting Technology Center at the University of California, Davis helped encourage the California Energy Commission to include new standards of quality for LED replacement lamps in its first-in-the-nation energy-efficiency directive. Now, the center is pushing for similar LED standards on a national scale. You can learn more about this initiative here. Continue reading »

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How To Make Your Bedroom Lighting More Energy-Efficient

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Feb 222013

PinExt How To Make Your Bedroom Lighting More Energy Efficient

In this series, we’re helping you save energy at your homes and businesses, room by room. Click here to view the entire series.

Your bedroom can be many things. A space to kick back after a long day. A place to romance your sweetie. Maybe it doubles as an office, or maybe it’s just the only personal space you have in this whole wide world.

Whatever your bedroom, boudoir, or inner sanctum may function as, there’s one thing it should never be: a needless energy-sucker.

Lighting is an important part of any bedroom. It adds style, ambiance, and functionality, but having great lighting in the bedroom doesn’t have to use up a ton of power.

iStock 000012262295Small How To Make Your Bedroom Lighting More Energy Efficient

We’re pulling out all the stops to give you the best tips to use in the bedroom – for energy-efficient lighting, that is!

1. Take a survey of all your light fixtures – table lamps, floor lamps, track lights, and any ceiling fans, chandeliers, or pendant lights. How many of these use incandescent light bulbs? If the answer is greater than zero, we’ve identified the first way you can cut down your energy consumption in the bedroom: Swap out all your incandescent household, chandelier, and reflector light bulbs for LEDs or CFLs. Continue reading »

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Product Spotlight: Indoor/Outdoor LED In-Ground Accent Lights

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Feb 212013

PinExt Product Spotlight: Indoor/Outdoor LED In Ground Accent Lights

This week, we’re spotlighting a light fixture that can really help you put the “spotlight” on your favorite indoor and outdoor architectural features.

Meet the LED In-Ground Accent Light:

LED Accent Lights Product Spotlight: Indoor/Outdoor LED In Ground Accent Lights

Each of these LEDs uses only 1.4 watts of power to create a generous flood beam. The lights have a durable stainless steel body, and a rated life of 50,000 hours, so the beauty they provide will stand the test of time.

Uses

When you’re traipsing up and down flights of stairs, these LEDs can light your way.

When you’re strolling on walkways (inside and outside), these LEDs can speckle your path with their beauty.

When you’re enjoying your landscape after dark, these LEDs can show it off in the best light.

When you’re enamored with the architecture of your home or building, these LEDs can help you enhance it. Continue reading »

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What is Lighting CRI?

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Feb 192013

Kozzi selection of coloured pencil crayons 294x441 200x300 What is Lighting CRI?
If you’ve been shopping for new light bulbs or light fixtures recently, you may have spotted these three little letters: CRI. (Hint: Usually, there’s a number next to them too).

What’s this mysterious measurement?

CRI stands for Color Rendering Index. In plain English, that means it’s the measure of a lamp’s ability to render colors accurately. The scale ranges from 1 (low pressure sodium lamps) to 100 (the sun). A CRI of 85 and above is considered very good.

When does CRI matter?

Since a lamp’s color rendering index is an aesthetic measurement, the answer here really hinges on how you want whatever you’re lighting to look. If you go through the trouble of picking out a particular shade of blue to paint your dining room with, you don’t want your lights to distort the color. Continue reading »

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How To Make Your Kitchen Lighting More Energy-Efficient

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Feb 152013

PinExt How To Make Your Kitchen Lighting More Energy Efficient

It’s 2013, and if you’re still spending a ton on your energy bill, you should know that it doesn’t have to be that way. Right now, about 20% of the energy we consume goes to lighting. But, with a few energy-efficient changes, we can see that number (and the numbers on our monthly bills) dwindle. This post is the first in a series on how to make the lighting in your home or business more energy-efficient.

Everyone’s got to eat, and for many of us, the kitchen is the very heart of the home. The kitchen also requires excellent lighting for cooking and cleaning up. So, I figure it will be a good place to start an energy-efficient lighting makeover.

LED Under Cabinet Lights Kitchen How To Make Your Kitchen Lighting More Energy Efficient

There are many different ways to upgrade the lights in your kitchen, some are quick and easy, and others are more extensive.

Easy Upgrades

Eliminate the incandescents. Nothing sucks energy quite like and incandescent light bulb. It wastes about 90% of the energy it uses, giving it off as heat (incidentally making your kitchen feel more like a sweat lodge than it should). If you replace every light bulb with a CFL (compact fluorescent), whether it’s a household lamp, a reflector lamp, or even a chandelier light bulb, you’ll start seeing energy savings right away!
Add a dimmer. Putting your overhead lights, pendant lights, and even your under cabinet lights on dimmers will help you save even more energy. A light bulb doesn’t need to use as much energy when dimmed to a lower level. Also, dimming will increase the life of your light bulb, which means you won’t have to pay for (or use up) so many. Just make sure that if you’re using your dimmers on CFLs, the dimmer and the light bulb are compatible. Continue reading »

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Product Spotlight: Halogen Landscape Lights

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Feb 142013

PinExt Product Spotlight: Halogen Landscape Lights

This week’s Product Spotlight has fallen on Valentine’s Day, and that couldn’t be more apt, since our halogen landscape lights are so easy to fall in love with.

Halogen Landscape Lights Product Spotlight: Halogen Landscape Lights

If you’re looking for a way to add a little dazzle back into your landscape, halogen landscape lights might be just what you need. Imagine being able to stroll with your sweetie down softly lit pathways on warm nights under the stars, or showing off your prized garden to friends and family, even after the sun goes down.

You can use halogen landscape lights to enhance walkways and flowerbeds or the areas around your decks and patios. These lights can also accent plants or architectural features, adding beautiful points of light around the outside of your home or business.

Find Your Perfect Style Match

Each of our halogen landscape lights is made of elegant black powder coated metal, and comes with a mounting spike and halogen light bulb. Continue reading »

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