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.

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This award is recognized as one of the most esteemed acknowledgements in the lighting industry and this year’s winner was announced at the Dallas International Market and the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market. A private panel of judges chose the nominees and the awards were decided based on votes from independent manufacturers and designers, retailers, sales representatives and other industry professionals.

As a nominee, Corbett submitted the Dolcetti Pendant; a wonderfully stylish and lavish design featuring glamorous shells, crystal and stainless steel subtleties that combine to make an overall magnificent fixture.

According to Corbett Lighting, “It is Dolcetti’s innovative use of materials and exquisite handcraftsmanship that singles it out among the competition and makes it a standout for Corbett Lighting.”

Corbett Lighting has been creating tasteful and elegant designs for more than 40 years, manufacturing an array of fixtures for residential, hospitality, commercial and contract settings. Corbett’s inspired expertise and valued dedication to detail is apparent in the majority of their designs and products. Their chic 2012 spring line of products, known as Temptation, holds the company’s reputation to be true with its use of high-quality, stylish yet unique materials and exclusive creations.

Corbett Lighting is part of the Littman Group, which includes: Corbett Lighting, Troy Lighting, Hudson Valley Lighting, CSL (Creative Systems Lighting), Troy Lighting Contract Hospitality and Troy Landscape Lighting.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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When windows are limited in any room, it can be challenging to disperse natural sunlight. The best way to optimize lighting in a small space is to multiply the light sources. If you use only one type of light, it can in turn make the room actually feel smaller. Use a monorail track light with directional track heads to spotlight certain focal points in the room, rather than illuminating the entire space with one single light. Tech Lighting designed a monorail surface transformer kit that can hold up to six directional tech track heads. Each of tech lighting’s low-voltage track heads and pendants also come bundled as the monopoint (MP) option. This option includes all hardware and hangs from a single monopoint canopy. View all tech lighting track heads and pendants.

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Lighting manufacturers such as Hinkley Lighting stand by the fact that their products will increase the value of a home. Hinkley has dedicated an entire section of their website to inform homeowners of the lights that will add the most value. Lighting Tips at hinkleylighting.com is a step-by-step guide for installing the lights that realtors look for.

Benson Littman, Owner of Littman Bros. Lighting based in Schaumburg, IL, says, “Customers who are selling their home will come into our store and buy lights for their entire house.” In talking about how lighting has the potential to increase the property value of a home, Littman added, “It’s like investing in fine art. It never loses value.”

This is true for both interior and exterior lighting. “Bathrooms are sometimes overlooked rooms in terms of lighting. Beautiful bathrooms really enhance the value of a home,” said Littman. Hinkley has a guide on the best lighting practices specifically for bathrooms. According to Hinkley, proper layering is essential for all bathrooms. “It is the room where people get ready for the day and it is important that the colors and shadows are just right, bathroom lighting will dictate the functionality of a bathroom,” says Littman who has been in the lighting industry for almost 35 years. As the director of littmanbros.com, Littman strives to ensure customer satisfaction by offering the most options with great customer support. His site offers advice from lighting experts with decades of experience in the lighting business to guarantee customers are buying the lights that will best fit their home and eventually return on their investment.

Lighting fixtures are a flawless investment for any home. It is makes your home more enjoyable to spend time in and above all it increases the bottom line should you decide to sell.

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Greek Key, a design generally associated with the world of fine art and ancient sculptures, has now found a seat as one of the most sought after styles of the year. Blending the style of ancient relics with the contemporary styles of modern lighting, light makers such as Uttermost, Eurofase, and Elk are creating beautiful lines of transitional lighting fixtures that are proving to be as popular as they are unique. Known as meander in the art world, these geometric borders were commonly found in the pottery of ancient Greece, the Shang Dynasty, and now the lighting in your home. While walking around the convention, it is noticeably incorporated in table lamps, floor lamps, wall sconces, and just about every other type of light.

Littman Bros. Lighting, based in Schaumburg, IL has been making their way to the Lighting Convention for over three decades. Noticing the varying trends every year, Owner Dan Littman said “It’s exciting to see what the newest industry trend is going to be. This year, everyone seems really excited about Mercury Glass Lamps.” While circulating the many booths at the show, Interior Designers, Store Owners, and Manufacturers seemed to be pretty infatuated with this unique style of lamp. Mercury glass is a blown glass with a double wall. Liquid silver or silvering solution is added for decorative affect. Companies such as Dimond and Kichler are using these manufacturing techniques to create beautifully colorful or clear glass pieces that absorb and reflect the illumination. It is really no surprise to see so much excitement about these lights.

Littman was also excited about the abundance of fixtures using new material such as leather. “I’m glad to see manufacturers are still being innovative with materials. It makes designers and customers excited to keep coming back to the store.”

Staying current with lighting trends at the Dallas Lighting Market has enabled Littman Bros. Lighting and littmanbros.com to continually be a premier source for designer lighting from around the world.

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There are certain criteria you should know when finding the right lighting for your home:

When hanging an outdoor wall sconce, it should measure about 1/3 the height of your door and when hanging two outdoor wall sconces, they should measure about 1/4 the height of your door.

For your foyer lighting, in order to determine what type of lighting would be best, you should make sure that the bottom of the fixture is at least 7 feet from the floor. For two-story foyers, you should make sure the ceiling fixture is seen from the outside. If your foyer is on the larger, you should add some wall sconces around the room to accent your space; wall sconces should be placed just about 60 inches from the floor and 6 to 8 feet apart.

For bathroom lighting, a vanity light is usually a minimum of 24 inches wide and the center of the fixture should be hung 75 to 80 feet above the floor. A wall sconce on either side of the mirror in your bathroom allows the light to be spread evenly throughout your space and across your face, which is important in a bathroom. The wall sconces should be hung at eye level and be about 36 to 40 inches apart.

For a set of pendants over an island, the bottoms of those fixtures should be about 30 inches from the countertop.

For chandeliers, you should measure the length and width of the room you want to hang it in, add those numbers together – the sum of those measurements, in inches, should equal the perfect sized chandelier. The bottom of your chandelier should typically be 30 to 32 inches above the tabletop.

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Uplighting: Illuminating an object, area or surface from below. Using a spotlight aimed at a tree in the background while the front of your home stays fairly dark creates a focal point on the landscape.

Downlighting: Lighting an object from above, mounted high in a tree shining a light on the ground, creating what is known as “moonlighting.”

Grazing: Highlights textured surfaces around your home, setting a spotlight within about one foot of the surface.

Path Lighting: Lights spread around the walkway in order to create a safe path to your front or backdoor, they accent flowers or shrubbery as well.

Wall Washing: Sets up lighting to accent a wall in order to brighten the space. This image shows a great example of wall washing and a nice use of path lights – these landscape lights are from the Hinkley Nexus Collection.

Deck/Step Lighting: Provides safety and accent lighting for your outdoor area; perfect for that deck or patio stairwell at night.

Silhouetting: Shines a unique backlight on a specific object – create a subtle silhouette of a tree by placing a spotlight between your home and the tree.

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