Lighting Effects......Ginger Part 2

Ah Black Friday....The next 3 plus weeks will determine the fate of half the retailers. Happily, the appliance business is fairly consistent throughout the year. Most manufacturers have some pretty interesting rebates, but I do not see a Black Friday rush to buy appliances and/or lighting. Then again, consumers may show a more practical side

About 2 weeks ago, I had a request for different bulbs and their effects especially in recessed lighting. Lighting effects are determined by the Kelvin scale. The lower number, around 2000 degrees, is decent, warm lighting. The higher end, 5000 degrees, is considered unflattering light. Commercial fluorescents and actually sunlight fit this category.


So lets look.


Incandescent:



Although the bulb should be outlawed for its inefficiency, the bulb renders especially well casting a warm, yellow glow.



Fluorescent:



Great question would be to ask which type. Color rendering fluorescents are actually pretty good at around 2800-3500 degrees Kelvin and are 4 times more efficient than incandescent.



LED



State of the art in all ways. It renders similar to an incandescent or low voltage bulb and is 6 times more efficient with 20 times the lamp life. Of course not all LED renders the same. Read some of our more recent posts about this lighting technology



Low Voltage



Low voltage is currently the standard for upscale homes. It is actually whiter or higher on the Kelvin scale than incandescent, but by only 200 degrees. This whiter temperature actually shows granites and cabinets better than incandescent.

Happy Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving. Every year I serve dinner at the Pine Street Inn for the homeless. PSI is the largest shelter in Massachusetts, and in my opinion, perhaps one of the best run charities in the area.

This holiday for me recalibrates what truly is important. If you are exposed to people who have nothing, you become grateful for what you have. Hate to be preachy. Its not my style, but it is my way of saying....

Happy Thanksgiving...

New Products

LED is the way. Hate to be Zen, but its the truth.

To review (again) LED is:

1. 7 plus times per watt brighter than incandescent. Instead of a 75 incandescent or halogen, LED will use only 12 watts.
2. Has a 20 year life.
3. Cool to the touch...Doesn't add heat to the environment or further HVAC costs.

Small Tip:

Only buy LED recessed if it has a Cree chip in it. Thats right, go to the local store and ask that specific question. Cree casts white light, and every other company casts blue and/or yellow.

Lets look at the new 5 inch LED can and trim from Cree under their brand LRF. There is a much greater variety of trims and styles available than their 6 inch piece including: wheat, aluminum, pewter, black, graphite and white

The Demise of Some Interesting Things

I find myself hanging out with Dave Kiley, second generation contractor and aficionado of all things appliances and especially lighting. He was talking about the sudden disappearance of some interesting products. Is it him, he asked?

No, Dave, as the economy constricts, companies discontinue certain parts of their portfolio and keep just A or popular items to cut costs. Unfortunately, in most cases the most interesting items are not their best sellers.

Have a look:



As an example, the Broan 1050 compactor is the most powerful in the industry and is the only 12 inch compactor in the market. (They produce the GE piece). Its less costly than a cabinet at around $400. The Broan will be a memory at the end of the year.

Small tip: For the forseeable future, you may want to recheck your orders, especially on proprietary products with no substitutes. Manufacturers will continue to shed SKUs during recessionary times.