Two Naval bases in California are receiving a complete lighting overhaul, leading to what some are calling “the largest lighting retrofit in Naval history.” The Naval bases ofPort Hueneme and Point Mogu in Ventura County are set to replace more than 1,000 street lights, area lights and parking lot lights with LED lights, according to The Environmental Leader. The goals of the retrofit are to reduce energy and maintenance costs and the overall carbon footprint of the bases. The LED lights being installed are expected to reduce exterior lighting costs by 60 percent, and increase the life of the lamps by three times. Naval Base Ventura County Energy Manager, Tom Santoianni, is quoted as saying, “The entire project at the two bases will reduce our energy consumption by 317,445 KwH (Kilowatt Hours) which translates into a reduction of 228 metric tons of CO2 emissions* and will cut our annual utility bill by $45,500, based on the average Ventura County, CA utility rate of $0.14.KwH. This helps us to set the environmental standard for US Naval Bases.”
Switching to LED lights is not the only thing the Naxvy is doing to maximize its sutainability, though the lighting is helping enorlously. A 2009 study showed that the Navy could save 87 percent of the electricity used on existing shipboard lighting systems by converting to LED and HID lighting systems. Furthermore, the Navy announced last year that it would install solar energy systems at its US bases, and signed a $100 million contract to do so.
It’s big changes like these that are most encouraging for both the LED lighting industry as well as for the environment. If a US government organization like the Navy recognizes not only the need to reduce carbon emissions, but also the fact that switching to LEDs is a vital step in doing so, perhaps it’s easier to see how we can all make similar changes in our individuals daily lives. If you think it’s time you retrofitted your house, for instance, why not start with our line of LED retrofitting products? There’s something for almost any application, and they’re the perfect tool for making the switch from energy consumer to energy saver!
Saint Mary’s Medical Center in Huntington, West Virginia just got a makeover, thanks to Elemental LEDs. When the hospital asked their landscape design company, Oasis Landscaping, to create a permanaent up lighting installation for the front of the building, Oasis owner Edison Adkins immediately called Elemental LED. “I chose Elemental because I was impressed with their knowledge and willingness to help me and work with me a little bit. I’m a landscaper not a lighting expert, I didn’t know what type fixture would do the job but I knew the look the hospital wanted. Elemental was very good at helping me pick what we needed to get the job done. They sent me demos and let me try out the products until we got it exactly right,” says Adkins.
The product Adkins and Saint Mary’s ended up choosing is our LED Par 64 waterproof spotlight - 30 of them in total! The lights, which turn on and off thanks to dusk-to-dawn sensors, shine beautiful columns of blue light all the way up the face of the building, drawing attention to the hospital from near and far. The lights are being used primarily for aesthetics, but Adkins says that once the installation is permanent, the hospital will be able to change the color of the lights, therefore using them to market different occasions. “They can change the color to pink for breast cancer awareness month, or to University’s colors on game day, ” says Adkins.
The lighting installation will be permanent as of May 2010. “The lights are up now, but we just have to go back and anchor everything in,” says Adkins.
For our part here at Elemental, we’re very pleased with the results and had a blast working with both St. Mary’s and Oasis Landscaping. Thanks to everyone involved! Check out Adkins’ landscaping company, Oasis, here on their website!
What we can we say; we here at Elemental have pretty amazing friends. Some in particular are the people behind Laguna Beach, CA-based industrial design and lighting manufacturing firm, The Cerno Group. The company’s three founders (one of whom attended the University of Colorado with Elemental LED founder, Max Darling), have developed a well-rounded design company that emphasizes cutting edge technology and the creation of aesthetically pleasing, functionally efficient and structurally perfect furniture and lighting products.
And speaking of Cerno’s products, we are particularly fond of its concrete desk lamp because it features, as you might have guessed, LED lights! The modern lines of this lamp are sleek enough to mesh with almost any home or office design scheme, and with 400 lumens of output, 12 watts of energy use and over 50,000 hours of life, it’s not only a beautiful lighting option, but a smart one as well.
And even as lighting nerds, we can appreciate non-lighting products as well. I’m totally crazy about Cerno’s line of Baltic Birch furniture, for example. The design of this Lentus chair is timeless, yet inventive at the same time. While it looks comfortable enough to sit in, its beautiful sculptural quality could make it the centerpiece of any room! And I love the futuristic appeal of the X-Grow coffee table…what a gorgeous design!
Besides Cerno’s products, the company also specializes in creative solution development in the areas of industrial design, environmental design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and product development and branding. It seems no matter what your needs or specifications, Cerno can find a way to give you what you’re looking for…maybe it’s time you got to know Cerno!
I’m sure we’ve all had that one pesky-yet-adorable pet who loved to run away. I know I did. (Or at least can pretend I did for the sake of this blog.) Day or night, no matter what names I called him or scrumptious rewards I offered, Sparky would leap over the fence in a single bound, gone until HE decided to come back. If it happened at night, I would be especially worried. Sparky was a lot smaller than he thought he was (he had the canine version of a Napoleon complex) and black as night, and there was no telling what could happen if he crossed the road into oncoming traffic! I spent many sleepless nights with ol’ Sparkster out on the loose. But no more! Thanks to our especially savvy friends in the pet care world, things have gotten a lot less interesting for Sparky. That’s because they’ve wizened up and begun making LED glow-in-the-dark collars for dogs and cats! Just imagine how much relief that will bring when your precious furry one decides to take a midnight stroll. If you know there’s something prominently glowing around his/her neck, you just might sleep a little easier…and we all know that’s a good thing.
For instance the Nite Ize Nite Dawg LED Light Up Collar will ensure that you can see your pet wherever he goes. To quote an article from Gadget Review, “They say you can see these LEDs for as far back as a thousand feet away, and the LEDs in the collar have a life expectancy of 100,000 hours, or, roughly, 11.5 years.” That’s great news for pet owners like me, who believe in both freedom and safety for their fluffy friends. And it’s great news that LEDs are the leading technological revolution in pet safety collars. Their lightweight and energy efficient nature ensures that the next time your dog runs away, finding him will be a lot easier.
We all know LEDs are great for the health of the planet and for the, shall we say, girth of your wallet. But did you know they can also help cure certain health ailments? One of the most recent discoveries on this topic concerns migraines, the splitting and sometimes unbearable headaches that affect millions of Americans. While lots of culprits may cause migraines (including stress, allergens, contact lenses or glasses), new research by the Migraine Action Association shows that light exposure, especially exposure to “low-energy light” can cause the onset of migraines. Keep in mind that there is a difference between low-energy lighting and “energy-saving light bulbs.” Florescent and CFL bulbs are low-energy fixtures and have been linked to migraines. Lee Tomkins, director of Migraine Action, says that changing light bulbs could help avoid the problem. In fact, switching specifically to LED light bulbs can perhaps even cure migraines, according to the same organization. This new research confirms “some things we already knew, including the fact that light can exacerbate pain within a migraine attack and that migraineurs tend to be sensitive to the blue light waves in the light spectrum.” The research also illustrated that changing the light bulbs can provide relief.
So if you suffer from migraines and are looking to replace your florescent bulbs with something a little healthier, cheaper, brighter and all around better for you and the planet, take a look at some of our LED retrofit products. Our 60 W Replacement Bulb and 40 W Replacement bulb, for instance, can easily screw into most of your current lighting fixtures. Pretty soon, you’ll notice fewer headaches of all varieties–those caused by migraines and those caused by high electricity bills as well.
There’s been lots in the news lately about how car, motorcycle and plane manufacturers are installing LEDs into all of their new models. (In fact, I’ve written a couple blogs about it too…) They are the most efficient way to light almost anything, after all. But what if you don’t want to or can’t afford to buy a new vehicle, but want to reap the benefits of LEDs anyway?
Well, you’ve come to the right place. With our 1156 LEd Light Bulb Retrofit, you can install a high powered, energy efficient and low-heat LED into your car, motorcycle or water sport vehicle. It can also be used for landscape and pathway lighting purposes. It’s water resistant and comes with rugged aluminum siding, so it’s perfect for both outdoor and indoor use. Best, of all, the 1156 LED Light Bulb Retrofit fits into any 1156 screw-in fixture, so you can replace many of your old incandescent or halogen bulbs easily. we all know how frustrating it is when a tail light or headlight goes out on a vehicle. But now short-lived halogen and incandescent bulbs are a thing of the past. This 1156 LED Light Bulb Retrofit will last more than 10 times longer than your other bulbs, and gets only 30 percent as hot as an incandescent bulb and 20 percent as hot as a halogen…imagine the energy savings!
Another cool thing about this product is that it is vibration resistant, so no matter how fast you’re going or no matter how many bumps in the road you may hit, you know your lighting will always hold up and be reliable. But then again, that’s the beauty of LEDs…when it comes to lighting, there’s just no beating them! We’re proud to bring this product to our customers because it provides you with yet another way to incorporate the magic of LEDs into your life. Enjoy!
Sometimes people just think of the darndest things, don’t they?
Take the Lightspeaker by Klipsch…it’s a speaker that screws into 5 and 6 inch recessed light fixtures, and also contains a dimmable LED light bulb inside as well. That’s right, it’s a speaker and a light all at once! The beauty of this innovation is that you can now create ambient or “surround sound” almost anywhere in your home in a very streamlined, in fact almost invisible way! And you don’t have to sacrifice your lighting to do it! The Lightspeaker simply looks like a normal light that’s flush with your ceiling. Apparently, Klipsch is working on upcoming models that will fit into hanging fixtures, wall sockets and floor and table lamps.
Now, if you’re like me, you’re probably wondering, “How in the heck do the speakers transmit audio? How are they connected to your stereo or iPod?” It turns out that wireless technology allows the speakers to receive transmission from your source (stereo or iPod) using a standalone transmitter, which can be positioned up to 15 m away.
And the exciting part for us LED lighting freaks is that the LED light fitted inside each Lightspeaker is rated for 40,000 hours, which means it will last for up to 15 years without having to be changed, and will reduce the overall energy consumption of your home. What a great idea!
What better place to ponder the wonders of LED lights than on a plane. Lucky for you, that’s exactly where I happen to be as I write this—on a plane full of people returning from their New Year’s Eve festivities, people who desperately need a nap, some Advil and water, lots of water. Or maybe that’s just me.
Anyway, one of the first things I’m noticing as I sit here enjoying my two millimeters of legroom is the beauty of directional lighting. While most passengers are trying to get some shuteye, there are a few on board who didn’t lose too many brain cells this weekend to want to read. Thanks to LEDs, these two groups can coexist in peace. That’s because one of the most notable characteristics of LEDs is their unparalleled ability to provide light just where you want it, while ensuring darkness everywhere else. On a plane, this little attribute is great for the overhead lights. That’s right: with directional lighting you can be sure you won’t disturb your neighbor while you voraciously read US Weekly from cover to cover. There are other places LEDs come in handy on planes too. They are responsible for the lights behind the exit signs and illuminating the little flight attendant buttons as well. And I can only imagine that the low energy-consumption of LEDs make them perfect for the off-the-grid nature of planes.
Here at Elemental LED, you can find all kinds of products for your home and office that will allow you to enjoy the benefits of directional lighting, even when you’re not thousands of feet in the air. Our under cabinet strip lighting, for instance, is a wonderful way to accent shelved items without creating too much ambient illumination. And our LED puck lights provide easy-to-install directional options that work in almost any location, for almost any purpose. So the next time you’re on an airplane, look around, and thank LEDs for most, if not all, of your lighting needs. And remember them when you land, too.
I know, I know, it might not be what you want to think about right now, but 2010 is right around the corner. And a new year with nice round numbers like that is just begging for new beginnings, it’s perfect for a nice, healthy New Year’s resolution, now isn’t it? Statistics show that most resolutions have something to do with improving health, whether it be losing weight, exercising more, eating better (or a combination of the three) .
But if you want to improve your heath this year without dieting or working up a sweat, I have just the idea for you. Get yourself a UV LED light! That’s right, one of these little suckers can up the health factor of your life in more than one way. First of all, UV LEDs can protect you from germs with their powerful sterilization capabilities. In fact, UV LEDs are most often used to sterilize water and to sanitize workplaces, medical facilities and restaurants. Why couldn’t they do the same in your home?
UV LEDs are also used all over the world for security purposes-you know those little scanners they use to check your ID or to swipe your credit card? UV LEDs are responsible for them, and therefor for keeping you and your identity safe. So even if you don’t buy a UV LED system this new year, you can know that they’re out there , keeping the world secure.
Or, if you’re really desperate to look healthy this new year but you don’t want to put in the effort, UV LEDs are once again the way to go. Think: tanning bed. Especially in the cold, dark months of winter, it’s hard to get a healthy glow even if you ARE exercising outside a lot. Throw a UV LED into the mix and no one will have to know that you really got that bronzed beauty look by sitting inside, relaxing. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a pretty good resolution to me.
I know it may sound weird to wish for a light bulb this season, but aren’t the holidays all about lights? Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights, after all. And I’m not just wishing for any light bulb, you see. The bulb that I want is quite special, in fact I do believe it’s my new favorite product that we carry! (Though I still hold a special place in my heart for the RGB LED Remote Control Light Bulb, which I raved about in a previous blog.) I love it so much because it’s the first bulb we’ve carried at Elemental that can replace the most common household bulbs out there-screw-in 60 watt incandescent or CFL bulbs. That’s right, our new (actually it’s one of our very newest products) 60 W Replacement LED Light Bulb has an E27 screw-in base, which is the most common base found in homes and offices.
Now, I want you to imagine for a minute how many times over the course of your lifetime you’ve had to change light bulbs. For most people it’s been a lot, ranging into the hundreds of times. With this new replacement LED, however, you will potentially have changed your last bulb for whatever fixture (ceiling light, lamp or spot light) you choose to put it in. That’s because this astonishing bulb has a life of over 50,000 hours. Imagine all the time and money you’ll save over the years if you switched all the bulbs in your house to our replacement LED!
And it gets even better! Even though the bulb gives off the equivalent of 60 W of light, it only uses 12 W of power! That means that if you switched all of your bulbs to our replacement LED, it would cut your energy bill by three-fourths! So, while this bulb may cost a bit more than regular incandescent or CFL bulbs, it is well worth it in the long run.
In fact, I love this bulb so much, I can’t imagine someone NOT wanting one in his/her stocking…