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.

The electricity you use to power your home is most likely generated by burning coal, with some nuclear and natural gas-fueled current in the mix for good measure. However, that could all be changing, and faster than anyone expected. While renewable fuel sources like solar and wind power make up only a small part of the nation's electrical grid today, wind could actually be the leading source of electricity in little more than three decades.

Viable and Competitive

Wind could surpass other sources and provide as much as a third of the United States’ electricity by 2050, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind and Water Power Technologies office. Wind currently weighs in at only 4.5 percent of the supply, but if projections hold, that will increase to 10 percent by 2020 and 20 percent by 2030.

“The wind industry can be characterized by the substantial growth of domestic manufacturing and the level of wind deployment seen in recent years,” José Zayas, director of the DOE Wind and Water Power Technologies office, said to EcoWatch. “Wind power systems are now seen as a viable and competitive source of electricity across the nation. Wind power’s emerging role is an important option in a portfolio of new energy solutions for future generations.”

Benefits to Public Health, Environment

Should the prediction of wind's dominance come to pass, it would have numerous benefits for the environment and for consumers. Even at current levels, wind has reduced water consumption by 36.5 billion gallons and carbon emissions by 115,000,000 metric tons compared to traditional power sources, according to the government.

That means a lot less carbon getting released into the atmosphere, helping to slow our contribution to climate change. Plus, once the infrastructure is built, wind is free to harvest, and doesn't have the same environmental tradeoffs as coal and natural gas. The benefits “can address key societal challenges such as climate change, air quality and public health, and water scarcity,” the report said.

Uncertainties Looming

The rosy projection is just that. There are numerous uncertainties that could affect how well wind power actually does in the future, including government policies to incentivize wind or decentivize coal usage, the supply and price of natural gas, and the demand for electricity overall in the United States.

The technology around wind generation will have to hold its own as well. Growth in market share depends on continued advances in efficiency, more transmission capacity and better weather forecasting so we can best take advantage of favorable gusts.

Global Optimism

Should the growth of wind continue as predicted, there could be hope for a cleaner, healthier future. And what's good for the United States can be good for the rest of the world as well.

“The global energy market of the future is poised to be the largest market the world has ever known,” Secretary of State John Kerry said in a speech about wind power. “Pursuing cleaner, more efficient energy is actually the only way that nations around the world can build the kind of economies that are going to thrive for decades to come.

A recent TedTalk about LED lights has garnered about a million and a half views. That high number isn’t surprising, given that LEDs have been making headlines a lot, lately. Tons of informational articles about the efficiency of LED light bulbs and how to choose them have been circulating online. But this TedTalk is about something quite different – data transmission.

Nothing says summer like a backyard barbecue or bash with friends and family. For those times when your get-together goes on past dusk, you’ll need some outdoor lighting to keep the party lit — both literally and figuratively. Outdoor lighting can amp up the ambiance of your patio, yard or deck, but also help improve your home’s security, safety and curb appeal.

A set of string lights, hurricane lanterns or tiki torches can add some illumination to your exterior hangout spot in a pinch, but professionals offer more permanent options to take your outdoor lighting to the next level. Backyard lighting doesn’t have to be a simple bulb besides your door.

Strategically installed outdoor lighting is a great way to highlight your landscaping as well as the architectural features of your home. Consider illuminating garden areas or underlighting attractive trees or bushes on your property. Cast a light on garden structures or hardscapes.

You can also mount exterior lights on your home to highlight arches, dormers, columns or other interesting or unique design features. Some options for exterior and landscape accent lighting:

Home improvement stores sell products for DIYers, but professionals who offerOutdoor lighting improves home security

Flood lights, which are a good option for home security, can cast a beam of up to 40 degrees — just use these sparingly so as not to annoy your neighbors or contribute unnecessarily to light pollution.

Consider these options:

Continuous lighting: Keeps the lights on all night.

Motion-detected lighting: Flashes on when something or someone moves in proximity to your home — be it friendly visitors or potential thieves.

You can also install a combination of the two types of lighting. A

Have a professional install pathway lighting along your front and backyard walks to provide safe passage around your property at night. You can set your lights on a timer that corresponds to sundown and sunrise depending on the time of year so that no one even has to be home to turn on the lights.

Some ideas: Garden lights that cast a canopy of light can make great pathway markers. Downlights can be mounted on trees or structures to illuminate the ground.

It is not news that LED is becoming the new standard in saving money on your lighting bill. But with every new technology, the options are endless and plentiful, and sometimes clever marketing hides what really is important. If you understand the technology, its easy. If your new to the technology, you have to try and determine what is or isn’t important. Which makes the purchase decision even harder for those trying to navigate this maze of product availability and specifications. And to confuse the consumer even more, there is a lot of data being presented that is not created based on any agreed to standard. Read 10 different product brochures on what the marketers believe is the proper solution to replace 1000W Metal Halide and you will read everything from a low as 26,000 lumens to 70,000 lumens. Or what one manufacturer calls day white is total different than what another manufacturer thinks day white is. The best advice we can give the consumer is walk through the same process we do when we select our products to sell. We look for quality, performance, efficiency and great engineering. Let’s break that down to what that means.

Are the LED Lights UL or ETL Listed. This is the safety test. No one wants an unsafe product. The product must be able to perform without any chance of hazard. Are the lights DLC or Energy Star Rated? DLC (DesignLights Consortium) is a performance standard that makes sure the lights are efficient and perform at a high standard. It typically applies only to LED lights, but lately the standard has been broadened to include lighting controls. Energy Star is a consumer standard that applies to many products including small LED screw in bulbs. Up until recently, DLC did not have a provision for screw in bulbs, but has recently changed to allow some screw in LED bulbs.

Are the factories ISO Qualified? A lot aren’t, a lot say they are but aren’t. Some will say they abide by the ISO standards. What does that mean? Some will come up with their own marketing buzz words that sound great on paper and are very clever, but aren’t ISO certified.  To us, ISO certification gives us the peace of mind that the products we supply our customers are built and tested in an exacting and consistent manner with the least amount of risk of failure.