LED Lights At Home

When the ball drops at midnight in NYC’s Times Square, it will be lit with LED lights.

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USA Today had this story about booming sales of LED Christmas lights. (more…)

Just as Rudolph’s red nose guided Santa’s sleight that foggy night, LED lights guided my guest to our Christmas party this year! (more…)

Color temperature has a specific scientific meaning. If you use the term “warm glow of light” to describe a typical incandescent bulb, a color scientist will correct your naive description. Similarly, the description “warm white” for a particular type of LED that mimics incandescent light closely is a misnomer.

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Product: 70 light, 24 foot strand of “Mini-ice”, Warm white lights (What does “warm white” mean?)

Brand: Unknown 

Manufacturer: Holiday Creations

Retailer: Brookstone catalogue (link to product here)

Price: $19.95

Summary

In my prior post about the LED Christmas lights I bought at my local Ace Hardware, I noted the bluish tint to the color and that my wife didn’t like it. I decided to try these out. I’m pleased (and so is my wife!). Lesson learned: Look for “warm white” LEDs.

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All Things Considered on NPR had a story today about the puppet used in the 1964 animated Christmas special, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. The story interviews the puppeteer who found Rudolph and restored him. His original light bulb nose was lost long ago so the puppeteer replaced it with an LED.

Isn’t progress great!

Product: A small lighting device meant to be stuck in any small, dark spot

Manufacturer: Fulcrum Products, Inc., Portland OR (company seems not to have a web site)

Retailer: Ace Hardware

Price: $11.95

Description: A six led device that uses 3 AAA batteries. A strip of adhesive allows you to put it anywhere there is a dark corner. The leds are in a bar that swivels so you can direct the light where it is needed.

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I have a deep curiosity about science, took my share of chem and physics in high school. But that’s about it. When you delve deep into LED’s you quickly get beyond my meager knowledge. So here’s my translation (with apologies to any scientists who shake their heads at my oversimplification!). (more…)

Who can ever forget the invention of the Itty Bitty Booklight! It was a marvel of its time and probably saved countless marriages LED technology is revolutionizing this product category, and the new shapes this type of light are taking show, in a microcosm, the potential for LED lights to change more than just energy consumption.

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I was in Home Depot yesterday and couldn’t help going by their Christmas decorations section to see what they had in the way of LED lights.

There were rows and rows of LED lights (at $7.99 a string for 50 lights – best price I have seen), but they were all some generic/store/non-name brand. Made in China, of course.

GE had the most shelf space, but all their lights were traditional incandescents. Yet, they have a made a significant strategic investment in LED with their Lumination division.

So, GE, what’s up? You appear to have the largest market share in Christmas lights. You espouse “Ecomagination” as your strategy. On the Ecomagination site, you pay Kevin Kline to narrate – and who knows what cinematographer to create — glitzy videos.

Granted, you probably make more money selling lighting systems for grocery displays to Wal-Mart, and I applaud that.

But take a hint: the LED Christmas lights on Home Depot’s site are sold out online.

If you want to been seen as a green company, do more with your products, and less with your PR.