- What is daylight harvesting?
- This fall, the California Lighting Technology Center will be installing photosensors on the ceiling of a Wal-Mart to see if they can improve daylight harvesting technology -- which is a system that adjusts electrical lights in response to daylight. More...
- New technology promises alternative to CFLs and LEDs
- The lighting industry could be in for a big shakeup thanks for Vu1, a start-up company that has developed a new energy-efficient lighting alternative to CFLs and LED lighting. More...
- Track lighting, rail lighting, cable lighting: What's the difference?
- As home furnishings continue to lean toward clean-lined, contemporary styles, more and more homeowners will be asking for track lighting, rail lighting or cable lighting. But what exactly are the differences between those types of lighting, and how can you tell a customer which type is best for them? More...
- Higher light levels can help dementia, study says
- According to a Dutch study that was recently published in the Journal of American Medicine, higher light levels can reduce the affects of dementia in older adults, helping them sleep better and improve their moods. More...
- Do ceiling fans really cut energy costs?
- Although ceiling fans do use electricity to operate, experts say the amount of money you can save on air conditioning with a fan greatly outweighs the cost of running the fan itself. More...
- Lightfair recognizes innovations in lighting products
- Five products won the Lightfair International Innovation Awards, honoring the most advanced new lighting products. Find out which products were the winners! More...
- How to light a media room
- These days, it seems everybody's got a high-def, flat-screen TV, a PlayStation, an Xbox and a pile of Netflicks movies -- and a media room to watch them in. Since lighting is especially important, and tricky, in media rooms, we give you some helpful do's and don'ts. More...
- Can dimmers work with LEDs?
- Dimmers are popular applications in many homes these days, allowing people the ability to add drama and a touch of romance whenever the mood strikes. But if consumers want to replace their incandescent bulbs with more energy-efficient lighting sources such as compact fluorescents or LEDs, they may find that their existing dimmer controls won’t work. More...
- What is color temperature?
- As fluorescent and halogen lamps continue to gain acceptance among consumers, "color temperature" has become one of the hot new buzzwords in the lighting industry. Some lighting manufacturers quip that their products have better color temperature than others, and you might see a number that correlates to "color temperature" on the side of the box of a 4-foot fluorescent tube. But what exactly is "color temperature"? More...
- Creativity shines in National Kitchen and Bath lighting competition
- Lighting retailer Lamps Plus Professionals and the National Kitchen and Bath Association challenged students at 54 NKBA-accredited schools to develop innovative lighting solutions for the kitchen and bath. Learn more about the three winning projects. More...
- 7 tips for lighting outdoor kitchens
- As investment in outdoor kitchens has grown, so has the need to think about how best to light these outdoor spaces, both for safety around the cooking area and for aesthetic ambiance in what is essentially another room of the house. Here are some tips to get cookin' with outdoor kitchen lighting. More...
- What are low-mercury CFL bulbs?
- Compact fluorescent bulbs use less energy than incandescent lamps, but CFLs also need mercury gas for them to operate. Some manufacturers sell "low-mercury" CFLs, but what does that term really mean? More...
- Creating a zero-energy home
- Short of moving into a cave or becoming Amish, is it possible to live in a modern a home that uses no electricity? David Johnston, president of What’s Working, a Boulder, CO-based consulting firm that encourages the home building industry to be more energy efficient, says not only is it possible, it's already being done. More...
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- CFL downlights put to the test
- Think CFLs are going to last you 10 times as long as a regular lightbulb? If they're in a recessed can, they may not because heat can affect a ballast's performance. Find out which CFLs perform the best in a new report from the Lighting Research Center. More...
- Tips for going green in remodeling projects
- This week, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) will unveil its REGREEN program at the American Society of Interior Designers’ annual conference in New Orleans, a series of guidelines and best practices that residential designers, construction professionals and homeowners can strive to implement in existing homes to improve their energy efficiency. More...
- Lighting the way for older adults
- Lighting retailers might think this is a pretty-doom-and-gloom time as the housing market continues to languish. But there is a bright spot on the horizon thanks to the Baby Boomers, who will all need new types of lighting as they age. More...
- Students use lighting to set the mood in National Kitchen and Bath contest
- How do you design a home to appease both the yin and yang of a newly married couple and come up with a concept that's fresh and innovative? That was the challenge presented to college students across the country this year as part of the National Kitchen and Bath Association's 2007/2008 Student Design Competition. More...
- Low-voltage vs. line voltage: What's the difference?
- As recessed cans and dramatic spot lighting become more must-have items in homes, interior designers and style-savvy homeowners are increasingly demanding low-voltage light fixtures. But what is really the difference between low-voltage and line-voltage lighting? To find out, we asked Dave Meeker, a project manager with Schulkamp Electric, an electrical contractor based in Daly City, CA, to help illuminate us. More...
- How do LEDs really work?
- Kevin Gauna, Project Engineer at the California Lighting Technology Center, breaks down the science behind solid-state light sources. More...
- Lighting for Tomorrow competition kicks off
- It's time to enter the annual Lighting for Tomorrow competition, which challenges designers to create residential lighting fixtures that are attractive as well as energy efficient and innovative in efforts to encourage more energy-efficient lighting to be sold to the consumer market. More...
- How to clean crystal chandeliers
- More crystal means more cleaning, but it doesn’t have to be too taxing if you follow these few simple guidelines to keep crystal looking its best. Make sure to educate customers on the cleaning process and set an example for them by keeping the crystal in your showroom bright and gleaming. More...
- Backing Off the Ban
- Replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs is no new concept. It is one of the biggest pushes of the green movement and perhaps one of the easiest practices to adopt. Some tout the wonders of CFLs so much that several states discussed the possibility of banning incandescent bulbs altogether. More...
- Virtually Green
- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently launched two Web sites to spread the word about environmentally friendly building options and the organization’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes program. More...
- Ready, Set, Save Energy
- The National Mall in Washington, D.C., became a hub of environmentally friendly activity and education this October when 20 solar-powered houses were on display as part of the 2007 Solar Decathlon. More...
- Standard Issue
- Light-emitting diode (LED) technology has steadily improved over the last few years, paving the way for the more widespread use of LEDs in residential applications. Though there are plenty of solid-state lighting products currently on the market, up until now, our industry has lacked an official set of standards with which to judge the quality, efficacy and, perhaps most important, the safety of those products. As a result, there is a of lot misleading information out there. More...
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