Tuesday, May 15th, 2012
Sea Gull Lighting is one of the leaders in manufacturing energy-efficient lighting and the company’s expansion of their ENERGY STAR and LED products has been officially recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
EPA has named Sea Gull Lighting the winner of the 2012 ENERGY STAR Award for Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion; awarded for the company’s command position in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through its support of consumer education endeavors that endorse energy-efficient products.
An ENERGY STAR affiliate since 1992, Sea Gull Lighting is being recognized for their work with products and programs that meet ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency. The company’s ENERGY STAR line is continuing to expand and now consists of more than 600 light fixtures and ceilings fans with more than 40 lighting collections – the most sizeable assortment of energy efficient products in the industry.
This is Sea Gull Lighting’s third win of the ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award and they have been a two-time recipient of ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year honors.
According to a representative from EPA, “…Sea Gull Lighting has been a valued partner to the EPA; they truly embody our ENERGY STAR Award for Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion.”
The ENERGY STAR Award is presented to an array of organizations in appreciation of their energy efficient achievements and they are chosen among 20,000 companies that are ENERGY STAR partners.
Because of ENERGY STAR, industries and families from all over the U.S have saved close to $230 billion on utility bills averted greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that of about 350 million automobiles. ENERGY STAR is now celebrating its 20th anniversary, continually offering businesses and consumers energy-efficient resolutions to protect the environment as well as save energy and money.
Sea Gull Lighting is a Generation Brands company that has been illuminating residential and commercial spaces since 1919. They supply more than 3,000 products in a range of classes to an international group of distributors and they continue to create more designs with the intention to sustain and improve the planet.
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
LED technology is continuing to grow and will most likely become the market dominator – the U.S has already banned the production of 100-watt incandescent bulbs and plans to stop production of bulbs generating above 40 watts of energy by 2014. More and more companies are working on new and improved LED light bulbs, trying to finally replace the energy-draining incandescent bulbs for good. Firefly LED Lighting is one of those businesses that are pushing forward with their production of energy-efficient lighting.
The Austin, Texas company is the only U.S based LED manufacturer and its products surpass the top two challenges in the LED market: light output and early failure. Firefly LEDs last 5 times longer than rival LEDs and generate more light. One of the very special things about Firefly LED is that as LED technology presses onward (changing rapidly and evolving like most technology does) Firefly’s lamps are readily upgradeable by modifying the driver chip and the LED circuit board.
The Firefly Par38 LED bulb is one of the company’s newest products and is a traditional spot or flood lamp used in exterior or interior spotlighting applications. This modular design, which allows for a more enhanced function, features an interchangeable lens system with 25, 40 and 120 degree beam angles depending on the needed output of light. Like this LED bulb, Firefly LEDs lower energy costs and last up to 25 times longer than conventional bulbs with about a 40,000 hour lamp life and 70% maintained light output.
Not only are Firefly LEDs dimmable, unlike CFLs and competing LEDs, and include a “patent-pending heat sink technology to move the heat away from the LED more efficiently, which reduces temperature by 32%.”
Like Firefly LED Lighting, Philips has unveiled a brand new LED bulb in hopes of replacing the current incandescent permanently called the EnduraLED, which is said to last longer and use fewer watts than even the current LED bulbs on the market today.
The U.S Department of Energy challenged a number of firms to create the most energy-efficient bulb and Philips rose to the challenge winning the $10 million “L Prize,” aiming to replace the traditional incandescent bulb options. After about 18 months of thorough testing, Philips created its next-generation LED bulb; Philips says the new bulb will last 3 ½ years longer than other LEDs, while using two to three fewer watts (converting to about 44 to 77 cents less of electricity annually.
It is because of companies like these that we can look toward a future that supports using less power in the home and making the strides toward helping the environment one LED bulb at a time. Changing your current incandescent bulbs to LEDs is a wonderful way to save energy and is truly cost-effective; with more and more LED bulbs being sold and the slow extinction of incandescents, it seems energy efficient lighting is a positive direction to take all the while saving money and reducing your carbon footprint.
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
Earth Day 2012 has passed and it is now time to ask ourselves what we can do beyond just Earth day to protect our planet. There are enormous advantages in using LED lights that can make a big difference in reducing your carbon footprint as well as begin to recognize how easy it is to go green and re-define the value of the environment. LED bulbs use less energy, last longer, are cost-effective and far more durable than the traditional incandescent or fluorescent bulbs. Major manufacturers in the lighting industry put forth great efforts in engineering the most energy efficient designs in lighting; players like Kichler Lighting and Hinkley Lighting are implementing LED lights throughout their collections.
Changing your indoor bulbs to LEDs is a good start to becoming more energy efficient but it’s time to move your energy-saving efforts to the outdoors; this is where Kichler and Hinkley’s endeavors with LED lighting have produced a stylish turning point for your homes outside design. Both companies offer an array of tasteful, elegant designs in landscape LED accent lighting. These lights have a more accurate angle and beam of light that significantly reduces energy consumption – all from using LED bulbs.
LED lights come in a wide range of colors that will expand your style options while benefiting you in the long-run because of its long life-span (lasting much longer and saving you more money on replacement bulbs) to the considerable money saved in energy costs over the life of each LED fixture. When deciding on your energy efficient landscape lighting design, remember the important designs to consider: up-lighting (creates ambient lighting in the area), down-lighting (targeted light from above), silhouette lighting (provides dramatic accents) and of course the options of LED colors, with the varying colors of LED lights you can add an appealing touch to your outdoor lighting.
Whether it’s indoors or outdoors LED bulbs are a wonderful way to start helping the environment and reducing general pollutants while making a smart investment in bulbs that are rated for continual use for up to 100,000 hours and use 50% to 90% less power than standard bulbs. It doesn’t have to be Earth Day for anyone to put in the effort and start using energy efficient lighting.
Tuesday, April 17th, 2012
Earth Day is coming up this April 22 and for years it has brought awareness and appreciation of the Earth’s natural environment and pushes everyone to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable planet. There are several ways in which people can make a difference and one of the easiest is to incorporate energy efficient lighting into their homes.
Light Emitting Diode (LED) and Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs have transformed energy-efficient lighting. Compared to traditional incandescent options, LEDs are long-lasting, resilient, temperate, Mercury-free, cost-effective and extremely more economical. They last 10 times as long as compact fluorescents with an operational life of about 100,000 hours and consume 50% to 90% less power than conventional light bulbs. LED bulbs normally use only about 10 watts of electricity, which is equivalent to 60 watts of an incandescent. They remain cool by converting energy to light instead of heat and are made of recyclable components and do not contain any toxic or hazardous materials.
Although LED bulbs are initially more expensive, the cost is recovered over time – the longevity allows for significant savings in electricity, operating costs and bulb replacement.
There are various designs and models of LED bulbs so when choosing a bulb remember to assess your preferred wattage (a 3W LED is comparable to a 45W incandescent), decide between ‘warm’ light used for accent lighting or ‘cool’ white light for task lighting. LEDs are also offered in an array of standard base or pin base bulbs to choose from, depending on your sockets.
So, in celebration of our Planet Earth, do something green for the environment and switch to energy efficient lighting with LED bulbs; they drastically reduce your energy consumption, reduce greenhouse gasses and other pollutants and are instrumental in saving you money in the future.
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
Specific elements need to be taken into consideration in order to properly light your home theater. First, avoid harsh lighting that would cause a glare on the screen. Be sure the lighting you choose has dimming capabilities, such as recessed lighting, that will allow you to choose the brightness and create a certain ambiance. Home theater lighting is essential in providing comfort and avoiding eyestrain that can occur from viewing a movie in total darkness.
Here is a list of essential home theater lighting:
1. Ceiling: recessed lighting
2. Wall: decorative sconces
3. Aisles: rope lights or accent lights
4. Storage: under cabinet lighting
If you need further assistance with selecting the appropriate lighting, please feel free to call one of our lighting professionals at 877-237-9098, or email lightingdesign@littmanbros.com
Thursday, January 12th, 2012
LED Lights are a great replacement for incandescent or fluorescent bulbs as they consume much less energy than other light bulbs. LED stands for ‘Light-Emitting Diode,’ a semiconductor device that converts electricity to light through electrons.
Here is what you should know about LED Lights:
• They last about 5 times longer than compact fluorescent or incandescent bulbs.
• They produce nearly no heat or UV rays, which keep costs like air conditioning low.
• LED Bulbs are a great energy saving answer to your home, using up to 80% less energy than compact fluorescent or incandescent bulbs.
• LED Lights are very low maintenance and extremely durable.
Whether it’s indoors or outdoors, LED Lighting is not only environmentally sound but is a great investment – one LED Light that burns for about 8 hrs is expected to last up to 17 years before it needs changing.
More and more we are seeing lighting brands come out with indoor and Outdoor LED Lights. Hinkley Lighting is a big name in the LED Lighting industry and has made their Piza, Nexus, Atlantis and Harbor collections all LED Landscape Lighting. These LED Landscape Path Lights shown from the Hinkley Atlantis Collection is a very modern and chic style of LED Outdoor Lighting that will be extremely beneficial for you in the long run.
Monday, January 10th, 2011
Why Choose LED?
The answers are simple. LED lights effectively convert the highest percentage of consumed energy into light output. The percentage nearly triples that of incandescent bulbs. Additionally, incandescent bulbs convert most of their consumed energy into heat and very little into light. LED lights are built with Heat Sink components that maximize their light output and minimize the conversion of energy to heat.
LED Bulbs also last about 55 times longer than Incandescent bulbs. You will not only reduce landfill waste, you will rarely have to pull your ladder out of the garage to replace another bulb.
Light Emitting Diode, or LED, is a form of lighting that has been used in electronic equipment since 1962. So why is it just now becoming a popular and efficient form of home lighting? Initial designs of LED lighting did not produce the appropriate white light for practical household use. Additionally they did not emit enough light. In recent years, the progression of technology has enabled LED manufacturers to create a the most efficient light on the market without sacrificing the color or quality of the light. In addition, where LED lights used to be expensive, technology has also brought them significantly down in price.
Littmanbros.com offers the products you need to beautifully illuminate your home while reducing your environmental footprint.
Browse our selection of Progress Outdoor LED
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
LED Lights are the wave of the future.
As you looked around this holiday season, you probably saw many homes lighting up their holiday spirit with new LED holiday lights. This new form of holiday lighting certainly made me happy for a few reasons. First, they are far more energy efficient than traditional lights. Not only do they use less wattage, they are far more durable and are usable season after season.
With this in mind, you should consider LED lights as an illumination alternative all around your home. The come in many forms and Littmanbros.com is an authorized distributor of all the leading manufacturers. With the great advances in home lighting technology, manufacturers have newly released LED Recessed Lights. These new lights essentially pay for themselves within the first year with the amount they will save you on energy costs. Follow our lighting blog and continue to learn about the glories of LED lighting and more.
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011
New 2011 product introductions are on the way.
The annual lighting show in Dallas Texas is coming up at the end of this month. Manufacturers will unveil their new collections. Watch for the most effective technology in lighting today. L.E.D. stands for light emitting diodes, in layman’s terms they are illuminating computer chips. Each L.E.D. bulb burns very cool, while and incandescent bulb can emit 98% of their energy as heat. High quality L.E.D.’s have a usable lifetime of at least 50,000 hours at which point they still have 70% of their original light output. Unlike incandescent light bulbs which burn out abruptly, the new L.E.D. technology instead dim over time. Not only does the high efficiency of L.E.D. lights lower your energy costs, it also helps you protect the environment. L.E.D. lighting has considerably come down in price and the quality has never been better.
