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Photographers Choose CFLs for their Studio Lighting

By BulbAmerica Editor

Continuous lighting in a photography studio can make or break the photos being taken there. Therefore, the choice of light the photographer makes is essential to his or her photos, and will strongly influence the way they come out. ‘Hot’ lights, or incandescent or lights using a tungsten filaments and some other high intensity discharge (HID) light sources have long been the industry standard for studio lighting. Though hot lights have their advantages, they can be quite difficult, and even dangerous to use. Hot lights waste a tremendous amount of energy generating heat, thus making the studio rather uncomfortable, and also presenting a fire hazard. Photographers have substituted hot lights with ‘warm lights,’ which are typically compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbbased lighting systems.

CFLs feature many advantages over hot lighting, the most obvious of which is that they remain far cooler. In most studio photography applications, photographers want light that is close to, if not identical to standard daylight, or 5,500˚K. CFLs are popular in studio photography because they naturally emit a diffuse light, thus allowing the photographer to cut down on the number of light diffusers he or she has to use. Studio photographers will also want a CFL with as high a CRI as possible to ensure that the colors being represented in the photo being taken are as accurate as possible.

BulbAmerica has tons of CFLs to choose from including twists, mini-twists, triple-tube, quad-tube, T8, T5, and many, many other styles. We stock CFLs from the best manufacturers including Feit Electric, Osram, GE, Sunlite, Platinum, Philips, and Ushio. Check it out today!
By Victor Lopez | 24 November, 2014 | bulbs, cfl, fluorescent, lights | 0 comments | Read more

LED Headlights Get the Green Light for Electric Cars at the Paris Auto Show

The Paris Auto Show is one the world’s largest venues for major automobile manufacturers to display their latest and most radical car designs. As one might imagine, one of the dominant themes for this year’s auto show was high performance, environmentally friendly automobiles. An integral part of many the energy efficient automobiles on display were their innovative and efficient lighting systems. European manufacturers Renault and SEAT demonstrated the potential of LED headlights with their ZB10 and IBE electric cars. LEDs are the ideal light source for all cars, but especially electric cars because LED headlamps require little electricity to be lit, therefore leaving as much electricity as possible for the prolonged performance of the car. Furthermore, because LEDs are so compact little room needs to be made for them at the front or rear of the car, thus reducing the car’s profile and weight, and thus increasing the distances these cars can travel between charges. As LED optics are further perfected, headlamps are able to render light closer to daylight color temperatures, rather than those icy color temperature that we associate with LED headlights. This means that the light produced will be more effective at illuminating the road and will make the driving experience all the more safe.

LED automobile headlamps have been around for a while and are a familiar sight in higher end makes such as certain models by Audi and Mercedes Benz. The difference is that now LEDs are being integrated into radically efficient electric and hybrid cars by many more manufacturers, thus better balancing the lights with the rest of the cars’ technology and giving consumers more options, and increasingly efficient options for automobiles.

In addition to our wide variety of LED light bulbs and products, we have recently launched our automotive light bulb website so you can find the light bulb for your car at an unbeatable price. We are updating our catalog on our automotive website everyday, so be sure to check it daily for the light bulbs you need for your car. As usual, leave a comment on our blog or Facebook or give us a call at 1-877-622-0897 with any remaining questions you have.

By Victor Lopez | 20 November, 2014 | automotive, bulbs, cars, lamps, led, lights | 0 comments | Read more

McDonalds' Golden Arches Go Green with Low-Voltage Halogen and LED Lighting

By BulbAmerica Editor

Today there are roughly 13,000 McDonalds fast food restaurants in the United States, all of which have signs, lighting, stoves, and other appliances that consume energy. Like many businesses throughout the United States, McDonalds has begun drawing up plans for becoming more environmentally friendly. A large part of these plans has involved developing environmentally friendly lighting solutions to reduce energy consumption and operating costs.McDonalds has already taken steps to reduce energy consumption but maintain excellent lighting by using Philips’ excellent low-voltage dichroic MR16s to ensure that McDonalds’ restaurants have great looking, long lasting lighting.

McDonalds has also been attempting to improve on the efficiency of high performance halogens and has been experimenting with LED lighting systems coupled with natural lighting. In a prototype restaurant in North Carolina, the lighting is nearly totally comprised of LED bulbs and fixtures and is supplemented by skylights and natural light. The restaurant’s LED Lighting and natural lighting is projected to save this McDonalds roughly 78% in energy consumption. Though it may be a long time until all 13,000 McDonalds restaurants are LED lit, it is promising to see that corporations as large as McDonalds are joining in the green revolution.

BulbAmerica has a wide selection of low voltage halogen lighting products and LED products to save you energy and money while giving you great quality lighting. Retrofit your incandescent bulbs with energy efficient halogen, CFLs, and LEDs and join the green revolution today! As usual leave questions or comments on our blog or Facebook or call us at (888)505-2111 with any further questions you have.
By Victor Lopez | 20 November, 2014 | bulbs, incandescent, lamps, led, lights | 0 comments | Read more

The People vs. LEDs: A Technology on Trial

By BulbAmerica Editor

On September 8, the New York Times ran an article on the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) lawsuit against the California LED bulb manufacturer, Lights of America. The FTC filed suit against Lights of America over the manufacturer’s alleged overstatement of their LED products’ performance. This article signaled to me that it was time to write my own piece on LEDs and where I think they stand as of now. Consumers are probably used to hearing pretty mixed messages regarding LEDs: some people sing the praises of LED technology while others complain the market is being inundated by poor quality products that are not actually efficient and are sullying the LED’s good name. Before I attack this issue, however, I would like to briefly explain how an LED works and why it is supposed to be so efficient and such a good technology.

What makes LEDs so efficient and so novel is that they convert electrical current directly into light as the current passes through a semi-conducting material. For this reason there are no external materials like mercury or metals needed to produce light. Furthermore, most of the light created by LEDs lies along the visible spectrum unlike incandescent bulbs which create infrared light (heat) and fluorescent lights which create UV rays. LEDs are even more efficient if the bulb or fixtures have adequate heat sinks or ventilation and effectively dissipate the little heat generated. It is for this reason that LEDs are, and can be, so efficient. Among the major and most respected manufacturers in the lighting business, LEDs usually have a life hour rating of between 25,000hrs and 100,000hrs depending on their application and the type of LED. Obviously LED bulbs and fixtures with poor construction and poor quality will have shorter lives. CFL and incandescent life hour ratings usually fall somewhere in the 6,000hrs to 15,000hrs range and 1,000hrs to 2,000hrs range respectively. The luminous efficacy (lm/w) follows suit, LEDs have better luminous efficacy than CFLs and incandescent bulbs and produce more light per watt.

So what are these dissenters talking about? Well, they make an important point. No matter how promising LEDtechnology is, if the LED product is of poor quality, all of the benefits of the technology disappear. In the NY Times article referenced, the FTC found in an independent study of Lights of America’s LED products that their alleged 30,000hr recessed LED bulbs lost 80% of their output after only 1,000hrs—making them as efficient as a low-end incandescent bulb! People rightfully complain that top of the line LED bulbs are too expensive. Indeed, many LED bulbs from the major manufacturers are on the more expensive side and there may be cheaper ones out there from lesser known manufacturers which may not be terrible. But, the bottom line is this: if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. Consumers should be aware that top quality products often cost more than lower quality products and this even more exaggerated when we are speaking of newer technologies like LEDs.

At BulbAmerica we do our best to sell the highest quality LED bulbs and stage lighting products at the lowest prices possible. Check out our high quality LED bulbs and other products and start saving on energy today! If you have questions or comments on this article, leave them on our blog or our Facebook. Also, don’t forget to give us a call at 1-877-622-0897 for an answer on further questions you may have.
By Victor Lopez | 20 November, 2014 | bulbs, lamps, led, lights | 0 comments | Read more

LEDs Proves a Viable Lighting Option for Industrial Applications

LED lighting technology is revolutionizing nearly all facets of lighting. There are some who believe LED technology to be overblown and not useful in some applications. One of these applications is in the industrial lighting arena where HIDs and halogens have long reigned. Some people do not believe LEDs can produce substantial diffuse light to adequately illuminate huge spaces like warehouses and that coverage in those areas would likely be spotty. Kompak, a Dutch industrial firm, has recently proved these naysayers wrong by outfitting their entire industrial plant, warehouse, and offices with LED fixtures exclusively. Kompak's warehouse alone spanned approximately 11,500ft and featured nearly 46ft tall ceilings. Their entire warehosue was thoroughly lit by 
LEDs in large fixtures and cleverly along the pre-existing sprinkler pipes in the ceiling.
Kompak’s energy savings were truly remarkable. Their LED lighting, coupled with motion detectors, allowed the company to save 20,000KWh in electricity. Admittedly Kompak’s LED lighting system was very advanced and featured many custom LED installations not available to the casual consumer. Kompak’s adoption of LEDs however should signal to everyone, however, that lighting virtually any space is possible with LEDs, and that LEDs save astounding amounts of electricity in the short run, and even more astounding amounts of energy and money in the long run. Today LEDs are available in nearly every style that an incandescent bulb is. From candelabra, to globe, to A-shape, and many others, LEDs are becoming an increasingly viable option for light bulbs retrofits for not only incandescent bulbs and halogens, and potentially even CFLs. It is true that LEDs must be made less expensive and technologically refined before they can be widely embraced, however one can clearly see the beginnings of the LED revolution.

Stay on the cutting edge with BulbAmerica’s wide selection of LED bulbs. LEDs are an inexhaustibly bright idea, so check out the LEDs we have to offer for nearly every light application conceivable, you won’t be disappointed!
By Victor Lopez | 20 November, 2014 | bulbs, lamps, led, lights | 0 comments | Read more

New Labeling for Light Bulb Packaging in 2011

By mid-year 2011, the Federal Trade Commission will institute new packaging for light bulbs. The new packaging is modeled after the nutritional information tables found today on the back of food packaging. Light bulb packaging information will be divided among two panels. The front panel will feature information regarding energy cost and brightness while the back panel features the same information plus more technical information on color and toxic elements. The new light bulb packaging will clearly indicate light bulb brightness, energy cost, life hours, color temperature, wattage, and whether the bulb contains mercury or not. The Federal Trade commission is putting the new packaging in place to make light bulb purchasing a less confusing process, and to make the industry overall more consumer friendly. Traditional light bulb packaging has emphasized wattage. Wattage does not, however tell you anything about the color of the bulb, whether it contains toxic elements, or how many life hours the bulb has.
More importantly, the FTC’s revision of light bulb packaging will highlight the information most relevant to energy expenditure and factors concerning environmentally friendly light sources. The new packaging has producers of energy efficient light bulbs particularly excited because the new packaging will openly display the benefits of energy efficient bulbs. The long life and small energy draw of LEDs, for example, will be made clear to all consumers. The lighting costs feature will allow consumers to calculate how much money they will spend illuminating their homes. In general, the push to include more information on light bulb packaging is advantageous because it encourages consumers to further educate themselves about how light bulbs work, how they can work better, and what their options are.

Keep your eyes peeled for the new labels in the coming year and we’ll keep you posted!
By Victor Lopez | 20 November, 2014 | bulbs, fluorescent, halogen, incandescent, lamps, led, lights, outdoor | 0 comments | Read more

LEDs Help Keep the Current Flowing in Kansas City

Spanning Highway 470 in Kansas City is the Power & Light Utility Bridge, which carries the city’s electrical cables, rather than people, from the Crossroads Arts District to the Power & Light Entertainment District. The city’s vision for the Power & Light Utility Bridge was to make this infrastructural necessity an attractive part of the Kansas City cityscape. According to Architectural Lighting, the Power & Light Utility Bridge is 163ft long set of trusses featuring steel panels perforated with holes of varying diameters to give them a swirling and undulating appearance. At night, the panels are illuminated 52 60w RGB color changing wash units and accentuate the undulating quality of the panels’ design.

The Power & Light Utility Bridge represents a creative and aesthetically pleasing solution to a infrastructural problem, how to get electricity from one side to the city to another with a highway in between. The use of outdoor LED color changing units is a testament to the breadth of applications for LED technology and its durability and usability.

BulbAmerica has a wide selection of outdoor LED products to get whatever space you are working with to look its best. Please do not hesitate to leave us a comment or a question on our blog or Facebook, or call us at (888)505-2111. 
By Victor Lopez | 20 November, 2014 | bulbs, led, lights, outdoor | 0 comments | Read more

To Infinity and Bayonne: LEDs Serve as a Monument to 9/11

The Bayonne Bridge connects Bayonne, New Jersey, with Staten Island, New York and is the fourth longest steel arch bridge in the world. In memory of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers, the New York Port Authority, the organization in charge of the bridge’s upkeep, in 2009 approved a plan to install red, white, and blue LEDs along the steel arch of the bridge. The busy Bayonne Bridge sees approximately 20,000 automobiles a day, so the monument to the fallen of 9/11 would have a large audience to appreciate the ambitious installation and its patriotic message. The brightness, durability, and colorful capacities of LEDs made them perfect for this project and other outdoor lighting projects like it.




BulbAmerica has a wide array of LED products to choose from. We have exactly what you need so check it out today. As usual, leave a comment or question on our blog or Facebook or call us at 1-877-622-0897.

By Victor Lopez | 20 November, 2014 | 9/11, bridge, bulbs, lights, outdoor | 0 comments | Read more

The Cairo Tower: Standing Tall and Burning Bright with Philps' LEDs

In Cairo, Egypt’s capital city, stands the 613ft Cairo tower. Constructed between 1956 to 1961, the Cairo Tower was and continues to be a monument to Egypt’s ascendance as a world power and a key Middle Eastern nation. Recently, the Egyptian government sought out Philips and their advanced 
LED technologies to revitalize the tower by adorning its lotus-like exterior with spectacular 
color changing LED lighting . The Egyptian government was attracted to Philips’ 
LEDs 
because they could contribute rich colors to the skyline while using little electricity and requiring little maintenance.
BulbAmerica has a wide selection of indoor and outdoor LED products to help you unleash your lighting creativity. From LED PARs to beautiful LED washes, we have whatever it is you need. As usual, leave a comment or question on our blog or Facebook or call us at (888)505-2111.
By Victor Lopez | 20 November, 2014 | bulbs, lights, outdoor | 0 comments | Read more

Fun-Identified Flying Objects: LEDs Go Extraterrestrial

If you’ve read this blog with any regularity you’ve probably read at least one article about the architectural and entertainment applications of LEDs. In this article I’m going to detail another application of LED technology that is truly out of this world, namely UFO lighting. New York artist Peter Coffin recently completed a 23ft in diameter UFO that featured 3,000 individually addressed bulbs that were controlled via a computer to create vibrant extraterrestrial lighting. Coffin and his team took their remote control LED UFO on a flight through the historic city of Gdansk, Poland to the delight, and among some, the disquiet of pedestrians on the ground. The LED UFO has also made a flight through the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, and before a crowd of 500,000 displayed its impressive color changing LEDs and its elegant flight.

Peter Coffin’s LED UFO is the likely the most creative uses of LEDs I’ve come across thus far. Indeed, LEDs are not only ideal for spacecraft, but their durability and compact packages make them ideal for aircraft, watercraft, and automobiles as well. BulbAmerica stocks a wide array of LED products perfect for all applications. LEDs will last long, likely never fail, and will save you money. As usual, give us a leave a comment or question on our blog or Facebook or call us at 1-877-622-0897 with any further questions you have.

By Victor Lopez | 20 November, 2014 | bulbs, led, lights, outdoor | 0 comments | Read more
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