Don’t sweat the small stuff; Change it up, lighten your load and keep cool this summer with innovative and energy-efficient light source solutions and state-of-the-art ceiling fans and free standing fans.

1.  Stop baking in your kitchen!  Get rid of old incandescent and hot halogen bulbs.  Replace with cooler CFL’s (compact fluorescents) or LED’s (light-emitting diodes) in recessed and overhead fixtures. CFLs and LEDs** consume at least 75% less energy and emit 90% less heat.  Relamping with cooler bulbs will make a major difference in work areas of the home such as kitchens where oven, cook-top and dishwasher usage emit a great deal of heat.  Laundry rooms, too, can heat up pretty quickly when machines are in use, so update your illumination with cooler lamps. Also, switching to cooler bulbs in offices and hobby/work areas will vastly improve your ability to concentrate and keep cool.

2.  Shield yourself from sun streaming in through windows. Close the shades and curtains during peak daylight hours to keep the sun from fading your fine fabrics and overheating your rooms.

3.  Conserve energy and do not leave lights on haphazardly.  Consider automated heat and motion sensors to conveniently turn lights on and off.  Dimming ambient light sources adds an extra cool down option and helps save energy.  Brilliant and stylish cool new switches, automated fan and lighting controls provide the utmost in sophistication and design to revamp your home this summer!

4.  Opt for task light, and limit usage of general and accent light sources.  Task light includes focused reading lamps, uni-directional and adjustable recessed or track lights over work areas, and security lighting for safe navigation.  Although accent lamps enhance the beauty of your environment, save them for the times when you are entertaining or showcasing your home.

5. Beautify your environment and bask in the comfort of ceiling fans, wall fans and free-standing fans. Save on air-conditioning bills and keep cool by employing energy-efficient fans in rooms that are used most frequently.

♦When the air temperature is 78 degrees, your body will feel as if it is 72 degrees if you are seated under a ceiling fan operating at a low speed. Plentiful cooling options include innovations from Casablanca, Fanimation, Hunter, Kichler and Savoy House.

♦Purchase lamps, light fixtures and fans from a reputable dealer.  Top quality LED and CFL lamps are engineered to last and provide pleasant illumination.  Cheaper LED and CFL lamps may contain substandard elements; they may burn out prematurely and  illumination effects may be less pleasing. The best ceiling fans are engineered with motors that are guaranteed to last and work flawlessly for a lifetime of comfort.

Lighten Up, Cool Down and Revel in Summer 2013!

Bring on the summer heat, and power up the latest in sophisticated design and energy-saving innovation.  Pairing ceiling fans and air conditioners set at low fan settings offers the ultimate in comfort and energy-savings.

1.  ENERGY STARtm-rated fans:

2. The greater the angle of the blade, the more air circulation. Fan blade brackets should be positioned so the blades form a 12-15 degree angle for optimal circulation.

3.  The heart of every ceiling fan is the motor. Motors equipped with heavy-duty windings and sealed bearings that are permanently lubricated should work flawlessly for long periods of time.  Check out motor warranty information when comparing ceiling fans.

4.  A typical ceiling fan weighs between 15 and 50 pounds when fully assembled.  While many junction boxes may support that weight, a fan in operation exerts additional stresses. Be sure to upgrade to a proper junction box when replacing a light fixture with a ceiling fan.

5.  American Lighting Association (ALA)-member showrooms offer customizable fan products—decorator finishes, unique options such as hand-carved blades, custom light fixtures, ceiling medallions, and control systems, as well as installation tips and servicing advice.

Check out the latest energy-efficient products to keep you cool for the dog days of August….

–Energy-efficient and “cool” new bulbs from Bulbrite Industries* include the LED G5 dimmable Omni-Directional Series with GU 24 base options and 5-Watt chandelier bulbs.

*Bulbrite offers top quality lamps from novelty colors, fluorescent, halogen, and krypton/xenon to outstanding award winning LEDs and CFLs.  Enjoy all the benefits of LED, CFL and energy-efficient incandescent light sources from Bulbrite.

From Lite Source:  LS-21680 “Rubik” Energy Smart LED lamp

Multimax ™ by Fanimation, Energy-Star rated and available in 2, 3 or 4 blade options.

— The Sleep Fan Standing Floor Fan by Savoy House, available in Cherrywood, English Bronze, Satin Nickel and Wrought Iron Black; UL-listed for damp locations, comes with a independent volume control to adjust sound according to sleep preference—the lowered frequency red noise has proven to promote better sleep*.

Over 50 million people sleep with some kind of fan device for the soothing tone and the air circulation they provide. –David Furnace of Savoy House

Utilizing “red noise” * and a revolutionary volume control, the Sleep Fan delivers a soothing tone to lull you to sleep, while the gentle cooling system keeps you comfortable throughout the night.

*Studies show that “red” noise delivers low tones with the absence of high frequencies to induce a more soothing, deeper sleep than white noise.

Your living room is arguably the most special place in your home. It’s the place where everyone gathers to watch television shows and movies, to  battle it out in board games or video games,  to listen to music over the stereo, and to simply relax after a long day.  Because you spend so much of your free time in your living room, why not make it more energy efficient? When you commit to following energy efficient practices at home, you’ll not only help the environment, you’ll help your bank account too. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, a day devoted to all things green, turn your living room green too!

Follow these simple tips on improving your living room’s efficiency:

Do you remember what your television from your childhood looked like? For starters, your household probably had only one, and it certainly wasn’t in anyone’s bedroom. For years, most of us relied on heavy, box-like systems to entertain us. The televisions of today are significantly larger and their resolutions much clearer. While they’re bigger and better than ever, they’re also using more energy. ENERGY STAR televisions are on average 25 percent more efficient than other models.

via Tooshlights.com

Ultimately, Tooshlights wants to improve the public restroom experience. “We’ve all been in a public restroom with a line out the door, and no way to tell if a stall is open, occupied or out of order without looking under the door or peeking through the crack,” Tooshlights.com

Light dimmer switches are now common in most modern homes. Lighting affects the mood and comfort level of any given room. A bright halogen lamp just doesn’t help you wind down after a long day’s work, and a candle doesn’t work when you’re trying to make dinner. Dimmers can solve this problem.

If you use your dimmer often, however, you may notice it getting hot. Understandably, this can be disconcerting to a homeowner. If a dimmer gets too hot, it can actually melt the plastic plate or degrade  the electronic components.

Reasons for a Warm Dimmer

Basically, modern dimmers use a triac—a semiconductor—which works like a transistor. This allows the dimmer to control the amount of electricity going to your lights. This also means, however, that there will be a buildup of heat, which needs to be dissipated. A metal mounting plate is generally where the heat is distributed and then dissipated through the switch plate cover..

If your dimmer is running a single 100-watt bulb, you probably won’t notice any excess heat. However, if the wattage being controlled is in excess of  300 watts or more, you may start having issues. It’s not dangerous to run wattage that high (or higher), but you need to be using a system that is rated for that wattage, which is often not the case.

Dimmer ratings apply if the dimmer is mounted in a single gang box – meaning it is mounted alone.  If a dimmer is mounted in a box with other switches or dimmers, some of the heat fins must be removed resulting in a de- rating of its current carrying capability.

What You Can Do

First, you want to see if your dimmer switch is rated high enough for the amount of lighting it is running. You could also try using lower-wattage bulbs to reduce the overall amount of heat going through the switch.

In some cases, the actual casing and/or trim plate could be the culprit. Today, most electrical boxes are plastic, but metal is a much better conductor of heat. Changing from a plastic to a metal box will help, as well as replacing a plastic trim plate with a slightly larger metal one.

Dimmer Switch Help in Denver