(Credit:
ClearLite)
Florida-based lighting company ClearLite is introducing a new CFL bulb with an unbreakable safety shell that prevents mercury from escaping, a feature that addresses some health concerns with CFLs.
The SX-4000 silicone skin remains intact even if the ArmorLite bulb inside shatters, according to ClearLite, which is rolling out its bulb in December and January.
Not everyone is aware of the danger of broken CFLs. Because of the small amount of mercury in them, current EPA guidelines call for evacuating people and pets from the area where a bulb has shattered.
(Credit:
ClearLite)
They also call for the room to be aired out for 15 minutes and the air conditioning to be shut off.
The 9-watt (40-watt equivalent) and 14-watt (60-watt equivalent) ArmorLite bulbs look somewhat like incandescents and can be used for 10,000 hours, according to ClearLite. They contain amalgam, an alloy of mercury, in solid form.
CFLs can usually be recycled at retailers or municipal hazardous waste programs, though the silicone skin in ArmorLite bulbs will require extra steps or a special program to process.
The 800-lumen bulbs are Energy Star-rated and will be available in "natural soft white" and "natural brite white" varieties, with a suggested retail price of $7.99.
The silicone skin may have some effect on the perceived color of the light. There's limited color temperature information on this page, and a bit more information about ClearLite bulbs in this video.
ClearLite plans to produce other varieties of ArmorLite bulbs such as a bathroom-use vanity globe. Samples of the A-shape bulb are already available.
(Credit:
Panasonic)
Panasonic has launched a new household LED lightbulb in Japan that it says lasts 40 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
The screw-in bulbs are part of the EverLed line, and they're scheduled to hit stores in Japan on October 21, with monthly production at 50,000 units. No changes to lighting equipment used for incandescents are required.
If used an average of five and a half hours per day, the new bulbs can last up to 19 years, according to Panasonic. That's 40 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
The bulbs use only an eighth the power of incandescents. That means a 60-watt-equivalent LED bulb would cost only 300 yen (about $3) a year instead of 2,380 yen ($25.80)--a significant savings over a lifetime.
Panasonic hasn't set a price for the new EverLeds, but Nikkei suggests standard versions will cost about 4,000 yen (about $40).
LED bulbs aren't new. Their relatively high cost is one factor keeping them from gaining popularity, but in Japan at least, Panasonic represents about 50 percent of the domestic bulb market. That means EverLeds should raise the LED profile there considerably.
Panasonic is also doing market research to launch EverLeds in the U.S., Europe, and Southeast Asia.
(Credit:
Yanko Design)
The worst part of installing a home theater is getting the little satellite speakers around the room without wires running all over the place. How about getting them installed right where the lightbulbs are, or more specifically, inside the lightbulbs?
This idea is what a few designers put together and call the SoundBulb.
Basically, they want to put a Bluetooth wireless speaker inside an LED lightbulb. The speaker then works independently from the light, or with the light, to create different levels of illumination depending on the level or pitch of the sound.
The speaker can be controlled at the same place as the light switch or on the bulb itself, where the Bluetooth receiver is located.
This is actually a really cool concept, and, in my opinion, is doable as long as they figure out a way to keep the speaker from overheating and the bulb from exploding because of the high level of sound.
It's unclear when or if you'll be able to find these at a store. So let's just wait and see.
(Credit:
Yanko Design)
What do energy hogs deserve for the holidays? Earth Aid Kits are a not-so-subtle hint to those who leave the lights on when they leave the room and the faucet on while they brush their teeth.
The customizable packages start at $75 for a dorm room, $80 for an apartment, and $99 for a home. The accompanying Web site offers carbon calculators designed to tally a household's needs and potential resource savings.
Thrown in the dryer, these balls are supposed to help dry clothes faster.
(Credit: Earth Aid Enterprises)A family of three would save $460 in energy bills and 7,442 pounds of carbon after using a kit for a year, the company suggests.
Depending upon the need of each home, each kit includes a combination of programmable thermostats, smart power strips and timers, fluorescent bulbs, LED night lights, low-flow shower heads, tire pressure gauges, and weather sensors.
Recent college graduates launched Earth Aid Enterprises out of Washington, D.C.
(Via Sustainablog)
(Credit:
Brando)
(Credit:
ABC-TV)
Much of the stuff that comes out of Hong Kong-based Brando ranges from the curious to the bizarre, but every once in awhile its insane R&D department will come up with something that tickles our fancy, like this battery-powered LED lightbulb flashlight that Technabob found. And it would do the same to you too, if you grew up with bad--sorry, "classic"--TV in the '60s.
We're alluding to our affection for the Addams Family's "Uncle Fester," of course, best known for being able to light up a bulb using his mouth as a socket. The ability to replicate that is worth the $6 price alone.
(Credit:
Lexon)
We all need these in our lives--colorful, squishy light bulbs. These are the sexy little Tykho fluorescent lights, designed by Marc Berthier for Lexon; they come in a variety of colors, and have a flexible silicon rubber exterior that...squishes. Aren't they adorable? Tykho lights can be powered by either four AA batteries or an AC adapter.
Unfortunately, they're about $60 per bulb. A tad much, if you ask me. I'll stick to plain old boring lighting for now. Booooo.
(Via Technabob)
Bulb recycling kits keep the glass from breaking.
(Credit: LightbulbRecycling.com)
So you've popped new, corkscrew-shaped, compact fluorescent lightbulbs into every lamp at home. Fingers crossed, your next electrical bill will shrink now that those wasteful incandescent lights are gone.
Millions more people may soon follow in your footsteps. A California lawmaker wants the state to ban the sale of energy-wasting incandescents altogether, as Australia is doing. Meanwhile, campaigns such as Yahoo's 18 Seconds promote switching to CFL bulbs, which are getting more shelf space in Wal-Mart stores.
The remains of a lightbulb
(Credit: Sylvania)However, the funny-looking fluorescents pose a pollution problem. Their energy savings may be ecofriendly, but each bulb contains enough methylmercury to poison a small lake. As with electronics waste, there's no national antidumping law. It's illegal in seven U.S. states to put household fluorescents in with the rest of the trash, but finding where to recycle bulbs can be a pain.
That's because unlike computers, which contain copper and gold--or printer cartridges, which can be refurbished--lightbulbs lack valuable ingredients. It costs several dollars to grind up each bulb to make art glass and to extract the mercury for use in new bulbs (all of Sylvania's bulbs use recycled mercury, for instance).
Here are some ways to dispense safely of spent fluorescent bulbs. The fees can be high, but they'll keep you from breaking the law in California, Maine, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, or Indiana (and soon Massachusetts).
- Many IKEA stores will take dead lightbulbs off your hands, yet another excuse to while away a day at the megastore.
- Sylvania launched bulb recycling in November. You'll pay $15 to get its RecyclePak via UPS, enough to ship a dozen bulbs back via prepaid FedEx. You can send in incandescents, too, although they don't contain poisons like mercury.
- Bulbs.com offers similar kits. A box holding up to 200 compact fluorescents costs $94.
- LightbulbRecycling.com's bucket holding 30 CFL bulbs costs $120. Ouch.
- LampRecycle lists options where companies can dump their bulbs in each state.
(Credit:
Gizmowatch)
LEDs continue to pop up everywhere, from music players to your head, and one company from Japan is taking them to new frontiers in the great outdoors.
Like all LEDs, Iwasaki Electric's "Bouhantou" is remarkably efficient--it can last for 40,000 and requires far less energy to operate than standard bulbs. But Gizmowatch notes that it has one important distinction: The Bouhantou doesn't emit ultraviolet light, which means it won't attract insects.
And that, in our entomophobic opinion, is the best thing about it.
(Credit:
Fresh2)
Doesn't it seem like "titanium" is high-tech code for "trust us, it can do anything?" Take this, for example. The makers of the Fresh 2 Light Bulbs, which I read about at Apartment Therapy, claim that the titanium dioxide coating of these light bulbs makes them eliminate odors in the room once they've been turned on for 10 minutes. Cool concept, right?
Apartment Therapy's blogger is pretty skeptical about how well these things actually work, and I must say I'm agreeing for now. Until I've read a concrete review, and/or tried one of these luminous little guys out, I'm going to remain unconvinced that titanium is capable of making stuff smell better.
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