Home Energy Saver posted an essay on some often overlooked factors when consumers weigh traditional vs. energy efficient appliances for the home (unfortunately snubbing LED lighting by only mentioning CFL in the process, but whatever). Some of their arguments were quite surprising; did you know that the average household emits over twice as much greenhouse gas per year than a car?

Their breakdown of how intelligent appliance shopping decisions should be made: “Whenever you buy an energy-consuming product, it really has two price tags. The first price tag is the initial purchase price. The second price tag isn’t so obvious—it’s the cost to operate the product over its lifetime. Because this second price tag is hidden in your monthly utility bills, it’s easy to overlook. But the second price tag can be large. For some products, it can be even more than the initial price. So when you are comparing models, remember the second price tag before you buy.”

This reasoning makes so much sense it’s almost embarrassing how seldom it’s applied. And the second price tag is also tied to other non-energy benefits, such as the long lifespans and safety features of LEDs. As prices for LED lights continue to drop steadily, though, that first price tag will start looking more insignificant than ever! Read the full essay at Home Energy Saver.

(units not to scale with what were probably humongous hands)

Happy President’s Day! We’re celebrating this holiday with a spotlight on the Lincoln. With a cutout diameter of only 55mm (approximately 2.16 inches), the Lincoln is the smallest LED recessed light we offer. It’s a great little accent light for displays or cabinets.

The Lincoln down light comes with an LED driver to connect to line voltage. And each unit only draws 1 Watt! At only $39.95 a piece, you can grab as many of these Presidential products as you need without, um, raising the deficit.

If you need something brighter, consider the Midtown – a 9 Watt LED recessed light comparable to a 50 Watt halogen. It’s a DOE Lighting Facts Product made in the USA, which would make our founding fathers proud.

We’re also showing our patriotism by kicking off another special offer today! Enjoy free shipping on orders over $75 until the end of this month. (FedEx Ground, continental US only.) Enter coupon code PREZ12 at checkout online, or mention it over the phone at 1(800)986-0169. This code expires on March 1, 2012.

Our most low-profile downlight, the PR15 Ultra Thin LED Recessed Light sold like hotcakes from the moment it was introduced it last summer. This fixture has now seen hundreds of different kinds of installations – and with this recent discovery, it’s bound to see a lot more!

We used the Buck Puck Constant Current LED Driver to wire the PR15 Ultra-thin to a Dimmable LED power supply with a 24v output and a standard incandescent dimmer. (We go with Lutron.) The results? That same diffuse, bright light our customers love – but now dimmable!

Here’s the wiring diagram:

You can imagine the excitement at our office after successfully running this test. We’re positively glowing! Call us at 1 (800) 986-0169 for technical details – or to place an order before these best-selling PR15s sell out.

Happy VaLEDtines Day from Willow and the whole LED Waves crew!
Order LED lights online by midnight tonight to qualify for a $10 donation in your name to the ASPCA. We are raising funds for needy animals in honor of our recently departed Senior LED Waves mascot Theodore “Teddy Bear” Slavis. This Valentines Day, share your love for our planet, people and pets!

You may or may not have a human Valentine this holiday, but if you’re anything like us a huge chunk of your heart belongs to a pet. LED Waves recently said goodbye to canine family member Theodore “Teddy Bear” Slavis.

A true ambassador of the Golden Retriever breed, Teddy loved fellow dogs. So to celebrate his life we will donate $10 to the ASPCA for every order placed from now until the end of Valentines Day.

The ASPCA is the country’s premiere humane group, providing local and national leadership in three key areas: caring for pets and their parents, providing positive outcomes for at-risk animals, and serving victims of animal cruelty.

Place your order online or over the phone between now and midnight February 14th, 2012 to receive an ASPCA e-card on behalf of Teddy, and to help support the animals who bring us so much happiness.

Happy VaLEDtines Day, all! Share your love with people and pets.

After a balmy January, temperatures have just started dipping low here in New York City. Sitting here in the relatively cozy LED Waves office, we do not envy the LED lights that are working hard out there in the cold.

Unlike all previous lighting technologies, LEDs handle low temperatures, fluctuating conditions, and any angle of installation with ease. That’s why they’re increasingly appearing in outdoor applications. Look for the Ingress Protection rating of IP67 on a wide selection of our LED lights.

The Amazon Waterproof LED Strip Light (pictured, right, in warm) is one of our go-to solutions for outdoor signage. You can cut it down in 2 inch sections or connect up to two 19.5 foot units in serial. (Silicon glue is included to seal up open ends.) You can even dim it with a dimmable LED power supply. This makes the potential uses for the Amazon pretty much limitless.

As for IP67 light bulbs, the Liberty Outdoor LED PAR38 (pictured at left) handles the elements beautifully. It’s large & in charge, with bold lines that make it (in our opinion) a very attractive flood light. Comparable to a 250 Watt halogen, the 25 Watt Liberty is our brightest outdoor PAR38. This bulb is built with Cree XLamp XP-G LEDs.

Call us at 1(800) 986-0169 for order info, quantity pricing, or technical specs on any of our indoor or outdoor LED lights. And if you’re somewhere sunny, please send warm thoughts our way!

“They save energy, huh? WHAT ABOUT THE ENERGY THAT GOES INTO MAKING THEM.” True, there is a carbon footprint associated with building an LED light bulb – just like there is with any manufactured item. But their low Wattage translates into less carbon being pumped into the atmosphere over its lifetime.

“They cause cancer!” Uh, no. One study from a university in Israel showed that lights with shorter wavelengths inhibits melatonin production in people, which is associated with cancer. LEDs can be designed to emit these wavelengths – just as easily as they can be designed NOT to, which is the case for pretty much all LED lights made for general lighting.

“The light is harsh!” This is sadly true of some early, poorly-designed LED lights. But the technology has improved immensely in the past decade; with advancements in phosphors (like Cree’s patented formula of red and yellow) LEDs now match incandescents in light quality while still using a tenth of the energy.

“They’re all made in China!” LED Waves is pleased to be an exception to this rule. Supporters of overturning the bulb energy standards cited American jobs lost through incandescent factory closures. But most bulb manufacturing – of all lighting technologies – had already been outsourced before the standards were signed into law in 2007. Show me someone who indisputably lost their job as a result of the energy standards and I’ll show you a proud team of employees who gained a job making LED lights here in the USA.

That is, when we're not ROCKING THE BOWLING ALLEY.

What else have you heard LED non-believers say? If we get enough suggestions, we can make a video!

The TL3 stands out from our selection of LED light bulbs not only with its obsidian hue, but also because it’s our currently our only PAR16 that comes with a GU10 base. And if you check out its specs you can see why we chose it: It’s a 4 Watt LED bulb comparable to a 40 Watt halogen. And it’s built with Cree XP-G chips, ensuring brightness and dependability for ~40,000 hours – that’s why we cover it with a 3 year warranty.

The TL3 is a retrofit replacement, so it connects to any line voltage GU10 socket. (That’s the turn-and-lock type; for bi-pin sockets check out our other low voltage LED light bulbs.) We think it would be a great, energy efficient complement to some of the rail light fixtures from our partners at LightWavesConcept.com. They’re currently on sale at 75% off!

Like the Plato Light Rail system with 4 moveable fixture heads.

These rail lights are neat because they offer the stylishness of LED track lighting systems, but they don’t need a power transformer. Each kit connects directly to 120v line voltage. These rail light sockets accommodate bulbs of up to 50 Watts – way more than you need if you’re going with LEDs!

Looking for a different LED GU10 bulb? Most of our products can be customized to fit varying socket types. Call us at 1(800)986-0169 for special orders – or if you have any questions on mixing-&-matching products from LED Waves and Light Waves Concept.

What a great game! In celebration of the Giants’ win last night, we’re extending the sale on the New York PAR38 LED light bulb. This LED Lighting Facts bulb is made with Cree XP-G LEDs, which offer unsurpassed dependability and the most lumens per Watt for flood lighting applications. Since each chip is so bright and efficient, we don’t have to use so many – making this Giant deal of an LED light bulb is not so physically… giant.

No need to tackle; there are plenty New York LED PAR38s to go around.

The New York also bears the distinction of being one of the few LED light bubs made in the USA. This reduces international freight costs on our end, which allow us to offer such a high quality product at about 50% the cost of comparable LED PAR38s. In the spirit of Clint Eastwood’s Chrysler spot last night, it’s Halftime in America.

LED light bulbs are proving profitable for businesses and institutions where replacement costs are significant. Every work order to replace a burnt-out bulb represents an expense for the organization – for both the materials and for the manpower. A typical halogen/incandescent light lasts approximately 1,000 hours, while average LED lifespans hover around 30,000 hours. Depending on how much your workers are paid – and whether or not installing new lights involves scaffolding – an LED bulb can pay for itself after a thousand hours, (not even considering energy savings) based on maintenance alone!

When it comes to LED light bulbs for the home, however, determining the return on your investment can be a little trickier. How do you value your time away from your workspace? Is there something you’d rather do with the 5 minutes it takes to dust off the ladder & replace one dead bulb?

My dog suggests throwing this ball about 50 more times.

Loverboy sang “Everybody’s working for the weekend,” and we have to agree. Whether you’re a weekend warrior (like our CEO, who has actually participated in the New York Marathon on purpose) or the type of person who doesn’t have a lot of great recaps to share on Monday morning (like myself, who is slowly running out of Netflix shows to stream) we’re sure you have a better use for the time it takes to replace a light bulb. What would you do with an extra 5 minutes? (Other than download & listen to Loverboy’s “Everybody’s Working for the Weekend.”)