“Mood Chair” Uses LED Lights to Interact with Its Surroundings

You’ve heard of the mood ring, well know there’s the Mood Chair. Designed by Aether & Hemera, this piece of interactive, glowing furniture employs LED lights and sensors to detect movement and body heat within close range, and changes color based on what it perceives. The translucent acrylic base of the chair allows color-changing LED lights to shine through, emitting shifting light that reacts to the activities around it. Not only does the chair provide an interesting way to break the ice at a party, it also features clean lines that would nicely meld into almost any modern design scheme…not to mention the radiant base that would add a fun pop of (ever-changing) color to a room. What more could you ask of a piece of furniture? Now, if only the designers could invent a chair that not only detected your mood, but also wanted to talk about your feelings: the Shrink Chair, perhaps? That’s what I’m holding out for…

Develop Your Own Energy Diet To Change Your Remaining Bad Habits

Even the most environmentally minded of us can be lax in some areas and have habits that are difficult to break. Develop your own energy diet to change that behavior.

Recently, National Geographic launched The Great Energy Challenge, a three-year initiative to understand our current energy situation and to explore ideas for sustainable energy solutions. In addition to developing and supporting energy innovation, National Geographic is making a concentrated effort to educate the public and provide suggestions for making a difference. One of the more compelling concepts they have introduced is an “Energy Diet.”

As you may have guessed, the “Energy Diet” is geared towards reducing your personal power consumption and waste. The first step is determining your score using their personal energy meter. Their meter asks you questions about your home, automobile, and travel usage. Once your score is calculated, it is compared to the average score based on statistics and the scores of those who have taken the survey. It also provides suggestion about how to improve your score (i.e. become more energy efficient).

While National Geographic has already prepared an energy diet that requires you to do one thing a month, a diet specifically tailored to you is probably more effective. After all, if you have already replaced your existing bulbs with LED replacement bulbs and installed LED fixtures and flexible LED strip lights, you are well on your way to reducing your energy consumption. Similarly, by now, most people use power strips and have taken measures to insulate their homes. All of us, however, are lax in some areas or have habits that impact the environment, but are difficult to break. Be truly honest with yourself about what those are and then develop a plan to change that behavior. Some of the most common ones are:

1. Paper towel usage. Even in this day and age of microfiber cloths and towels, when a spill occurs, we have a tendency to grab a roll of paper towels. For cleaning jobs, drying dishes, even wiping our hands, paper towels are handy and effective, but they are also incredibly wasteful. Instead, try investing in microfiber cloths, dishrags, and dish towels. Most importantly, each time you reach for a paper towel take a moment to think if that is really your best option.

2. Paper and plastic bags. Many people have purchased reusable bags to transport their groceries and errands and usually store them in handy spots like the trunk of their car. As well intentioned as we may be, it is not uncommon for us to forget to actually bring those environmentally friendly bags into the store with us. Make a concentrated effort to integrate it better into your shopping routine. If you write a shopping list, include a reminder in big letters at the top to bring your bags with you. If you are halfway across the parking lot before you remember, double back. In fact, even if you have finished your shopping before realizing your bags are still in your car, take the extra minute or two to stow your full cart out of the way and go get them. Of course, there will be times when you will not have them with you. You have two options: since most stores sell them, you can purchase another reusable bag, or you can accept the disposable bag, preferably paper over plastic, and reuse it in the future.

3. Running water. We tend to take clean, fresh water for granted. Logically, we may understand about water pollution and water scarcity, but we have been raised with the assumption that plenty of clean water will always be there for us. Reflect on your water usage habits. Do you take long showers or allow the tap to run while you brush your teeth or wash dishes? Have you been postponing repairing a leaky faucet or a running toilet? Assess your water usage and identify any wasteful habits you may have. Be mindful that when you turn on your faucet, you are incredibly fortunate to have clean water and the little you conserve could potentially be more than someone else will have access to in their lifetime.

LED PODS Create Miniature Worlds at Art Experiment

The third annual “Art Experiment” at Garage Center for Contemporary Culture in Moscow wrapped up last month on January 23rd. The event typically runs for three weeks, and focuses on art installations and workshops that allow visitors to interact with art in innovative and surprising ways. Besides experiencing and engaging with several commissioned works, viewers are also given a chance to create art themselves in the form of drawing, photography and even baking! Through these activities they are participating in and contributing to the event as it evolves over the course of three weeks.

cabinet lighting

One of my favorite commissioned pieces in the event is called PODS by Singaporean artist Danielle Tay. Tay created several igloo-like rooms and enclosures, which each represent an entirely different world for the viewer. The installation engages the user on multiple sensory levels—sight, sound, touch and smell. Many of them are illuminated thanks to RGB LED lights, hidden LED strip lights or cabinet lighting. Some emit a spooky blue glow, while others shine brightly with warm, inviting yellow lights. The immersive experience transports participants to imaginary universes, and allows them to create their own as well! Once they have experienced PODS, they are invited to “Micro-Worlds,” a workshop where they can create their own “miniature worlds inside a half-sphere…each containing a ‘micro universe’. These are then exhibited, so that hundreds of individual worlds fill the gallery space.” (Art Daily)

cabinet lighting

Art Experiment ended on January 23rd, but another one will take place next year in 2014. I can’t wait to see what comes out of it! With both this and the winter Olympics taking place in Russia in 2014, I just may have to make the trip!

An LED Lighting Inspired father’s Day Ode

father’s Day is this Sunday, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving of a little TLC and QT than my mom—or anyone’s mom, for that matter. I’ll be spending the day with mine, going to a museum, a movie and lunch. I’m excited to light up her day the way she’s lit up my life. With that in mind, I’ve found three innovative LED lighting fixtures that symbolize three important parts of my mom’s personality. And if you’re still struggling to find a gift for your father, I think any of these would make a nice choice.

Fabio Servolo Drip LED Lamp: Because My Mom is a Treehugger

My mom cared about the environment before caring about the environment was even a thing. Living in California, it’s very important to conserve water. That’s one of the first things I learned from her: to turn off the tap when you’re not using it, no matter the inconvenience. And that’s why I love this LED lamp by Fabio Servolo. It’s shaped like a faucet, with a small LED bulb that lights up with the twist of a handle, similar to how you would turn water on and off at the sink. Servolo came up with the idea as a way to remind people that electricity, like water, is a precious resource, and we should conserve both as much as possible. Plus, it makes for a pretty darn cute desk lamp, don’t you think?

Bocci’s Hanging LED Planter Lamps: Because My Mom Has a Green Thumb

If you can’t find my mom, it’s usually because she’s outside, digging in the ground. Go hiking with her, and you’ll be sure to become informed on what nearly every plant along the way is called, and what it might be used for. My mom loves pretty much anything that grows in the ground, and so I can’t imagine her not loving this quirky suspended lighting system, designed by Omer Arbel for Bocci’s Collection 38. Each globe is hand blown from recycled glass and contains several nooks and crannies. Some hold succulents and small plants, others hold LED lighting elements, while copper tubing conceals the wiring. And I’m guessing since LED lights don’t get particularly hot, the plants are safe from heat damage.

Blackbody’s OLED Lamps Because My Mom is an Artist

Finally, my mom is an incredible aesthete. Her eye for color and design, not to mention her artistic prowess in everything from painting to sculpting and mixed media is pretty spectacular. And so these customizable lamps, which premiered at Euroluce during Milan’s Design Week by Blackbody, seem like a good fit. Blackbody uses OLEDs to create a range of light fixtures that are completely unique, not to mention recyclable, personal and customizable. They stand out from the crowd, just like my mom.

Here’s hoping you all have a great day appreciating the one woman we all wouldn’t be here without! Happy father’s Day!

Four New Ways to Bring Color Control to Your Fingertips

We are all abuzz here at Elemental LED HQ over our four new color controllers. Each of these RGB LED devices offers you new, powerful functionality and friendly usability. Read on to see how.

The Inline LED Color Controller: This pocket-sized RGB controller is our simplest controller to use yet. It requires no tools; the included RGB ClicktightTM connector connects directly to your color-changing strip lights. The other end connects directly to your 12V power source. Don’t let the 3-button simplicity of this device fool you—with 19 color-changing modes, 20 static colors and adjustable speed, this little controller packs a punch. And at just $11.99, it is friendly to anyone’s wallet.

The Inline Remote Color Controller: It’s just like the Inline LED Color Controller, but it is controlled wirelessly with the included remote controller. And this controller offers a few additional features, including brightness and on/off control. Still at a friendly price of $24.99.

The Wi-Fi LED Color Controller: This RGB controller brings the power of color control and dimming to your mobile device. Compatible with Apple (Ipad, Ipod, Iphone) and Android mobile devices, it requires no complicated computer software. The free downloadable application offers 32 built-in color modes in addition to 8 programmable modes. Or, set your lights to one color and use the controller as a remote dimmer switch. This controller is compatible with virtually all of our dimmable and color-changing products. Talk about comprehensive lighting control at your fingertips!

The RGB Zone Color Control System: This powerful wireless color controller allows you to create distinct zones, each with its own color-changing pattern or static color. Use a single remote control to command up to 10 zones, either in sync or set to different patterns. The remote’s user-friendly full-color touch wheel enables you to select colors visually without any complex programming, and offers 18 preset color-changing patterns, adjustable speed and dimming. Never has controlling multiple sets of color-changing LED lights been so simple.

Making Lighting Matter to Sustainability: UWO’s Sustainability Focus

Many of us install LED lighting for its function and style. But another key benefit of making the LED switch is energy savings and carbon footprint reduction. To find out more about how lighting use impacts the overall sustainability of our nation, I talked to Stephanie Spehar, Sustainability Leadership Fellow at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, where she is also the Sustainability Coordinator for the new general education program.

“Electricity use for lighting represents about 12 percent of total US electricity use,” says Spehar. “Our University, like many others, signed onto the American College and University President’s climate commitment in 2008. It says that we have made a commitment to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible and reducing our energy consumption from lighting is a crucial part of this.”

Indeed, Spehar believes the small changes her university makes will help instill students and faculty with a sense of responsibility to make changes at home as well. And besides leading by example, the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh is also redesigning its general education curriculum to include sustainability topics at every level. Spehar is in charge of designing these new standards and incorporating them into the new general education courses.

“We view our campuses as living laboratories. Everything that we do is an opportunity to teach and learn about sustainability—that includes campus energy consumption and ways we can reduce it. “

In 2011, substantial outdoor lighting upgrades were made on the UWO campus, including LED retrofits on most outdoor lighting fixtures. LED fixtures were used predominantly in pole lighting along walkways, and the university is also in the process of replacing all incandescent exit signs with LED signs.

Spehar believes the changes her school is making will help students learn the right choices to make in their own lives at home.

“As a university our primary goal is education and creating opportunities that educate the next generation of citizens and leaders; the whole point is to teach them about what they can do to address social and environmental issues, and why they should care in the first place. They can then take steps to make positive changes in their own lives and communities”

So the next time you wonder if the LED strip lighting you installed in your kitchen is really making that much of a difference for the planet, remember, every little bit counts! And in the meantime, you’ll sure start to notice the difference in your own pocketbook.

“If we can get people to change behavior related to lighting, that’s going to make a really big dent in electricity use and therefore our greenhouse gas emissions,” says Spehar.

Recessed LED Lighting: Product and Installation Ideas

When you’re shopping for LED recessed lighting for cabinets, shelves or accent lighting, you have several options. The form factor and lighting features of each recessed lighting product lends itself to the unique needs of different applications. The compact design of recessed LED lighting means that the light source is invisible, leaving the focus on an area or room, not the lights. Recessed lights can also be easily integrated into new or retrofit construction, which cuts down on time and expense.

Here are a few recessed LED lighting options that you can easily integrate into your home utilizing the LED products in our catalog:

LED Recessed Lighting with Puck For installations where a place to install narrow linear lighting is already present, like in a cove or gap, an LED Strip Light by itself is made to order. About as wide as a pinkie finger and very low profile, LED strip can be easily fixed in place with its own adhesive backing. Strip light provides a long, wide cast of light and is available in a selection of color temperatures and brightness levels that work with any room décor and design style.

LED strip light installed in an Aluminum Channel is another ideal option for a clean, smooth installation of linear lighting. The channel, which can be cut to length, is mounted inside a groove in the underside of a cabinet, shelf or other area in need of light. The groove can be milled out by a contractor or yourself, depending on how comfortable you are with wielding a power tool. After being fitted with a clear or diffused cover, the aluminum channel provides a heat sink for the strip light and protection from dust. LED recessed lighting in this form has a sleek finish that can be hidden from view or be an attractive, visible part of an interior design.

LED Recessed Lighting installation with PuckFor more focused spot lighting, the LED Puck Light is designed for recessed lighting in almost any surface material. Whether lighting under or inside display cases, cabinets or shelves, or in nooks and alcoves, pucks can dramatically light a small area or highlight an object. Puck lights feature spring clips for easy, hardware-free mounting, and also include DC plugs, so they can be plugged in and unplugged easily, and are available in a variety of finishes that coordinate with cabinets and furnishings.

You’ve got several options to choose from when installing recessed LED lighting, and we here at Elemental LED want to help. Call or chat live with one of our product specialists today and we’ll help you figure out which solution is right for your living space.

Custom Steak House Very Warm White LED Light Installation

The owners of the Isleta Steak House shared some behind-the-scenes photos of their LED strip light installation, including a look at how some of the LED lighting was installed. The LED strip light used was warm white SOFTVIEW™, which has a low, mellow light quality that is further enhanced by the almost orange bar top. Using a white frosted top, a similar effect could be achieved with the very warm white color temperature of AURIS LED Strip Light dimmed down slightly.

A group of 12V Constant Voltage LED Drivers power the LED strip lights. These constant voltage drivers can be dimmed using a low voltage LED Dimmer–in this particular installation the dimmer used is Elemental LED’s REIGN™ Wall Mount LED Dimmer. This stunning installation shows how much you can achieve with LED lights–that you can’t with other lighting technologies like fluorescent and halogen–and a little elbow grease, of course.

Creativity Sets Cruise in LED Set up “Voyage”

Increasing up in Los Angeles, it was always a bit of an “event” when the generally warm sky select to complete up with atmosphere and add down rainfall. On those days, my sis and I would develop little vessels out of bottles corks, toothpicks and document, which we set cruise down the gushing sources that established in the rainfall gutters on our road. Child years remembrances like this are exactly what “Voyage,” a amazing, entertaining RGB LED light set up in London’s Canary Wharf, plans to stimulate.

DMX LED

Created by London-based specialist duo Aether & Hemera and requested by the Canary Wharf to release its 2013 “Sculpture at Work” system, the DMX LED set up will be on show until Feb 15, 2013. Members can communicate with the part by signing onto the Journey WI-FI system on their cell cellular phones. From there, they can impact the shades and styles shown by the vessels. Each of the 300 vessels, which the performers developed using customized application and developed using eco friendly and durable polypropylene contains an RGB LED, a small operator and a information recipient, which work together to gather and procedure audiences demands over the WI-FI system. The outcomes are a wonderful show not only of what impressive technological innovation can promote creative appearance, but also a exclusive, exclusive way of lighted, marine art that allows audiences to, as the performers put it, “make a conversion from truth to creativity, reliving childhood remembrances and adopting our freedom; clouding the collections between the actual and hyper-real.”

With LEDs, A Downer is Not a Downer

Northbound on the Fantastic Checkpoint Link, a little shock is waiting for as you quit onto the Marin offramp. The very last road mild in a row of a number of or so lemon Great Stress Salt (HPS) lighting has been transformed to LED. Someone is doing a test set up.

A experienced viewer might ask, why? HPS arc mild lighting have an performance of about 120 Lumens/Watt. Don’t fear about what a lumen is, all we need to know is that no completed LED illumination fitting (as compared with raw LEDs) has yet achieved that performance stage. So why do it?

Ahhh… there’s a capture. The HPS mild is an omnidirectional emitter: It extends up and out as well as down. And in a downlight program, you can reduce a third or even 50 percent of your outcome getting all those radiation curved around and indicated downwards. Some individual radiation will go through as many as five insights or refractions through cup.

Guess what? This omnidirectionality is real of every mild emitter ever invented—candles, incandescents, halogens, mercury arcs, as well as arcs in searchlights, fluorescents—all except for one. The LED. The completed LED processor is a unidirectional emitter, and the LED in the road mild victories because the road mild is a downlight.

From this moves a concept to consider while choosing the illumination for your venture, whether house, workplace, or personal: If you go for unidirectional LED illumination, you’ll get 50% to 100% more deal. The greatest classification is downlight alternatives. This implies troffers, par can lighting, and other recessed roof lighting. There are a extensive variety of other excellent applicants for unidirectional LED lighting: Under cupboard illumination in your kitchen place, outside pole-mounts, garage place illumination whether internal or external, and decorative sconces (commonly experiencing in the way up direction). Walls units are another unidirectional illumination program. The key also is appropriate to flooding, but flooding are another topic for another day.

By comparison with downlights, units and flooding, omnidirectional lighting such as units are much more complicated to create into an LED mild bulb (this is one purpose why it took such a lengthy time for the $10 thousand L Award for an LED Thomas edison mild bulb alternative to be claimed). Reducing start a currently available LED mild bulb reveals architectural techniques that are innovative or complicated.  Omnidirectional LED illumination may still be value doing, though, especially in soft applicatons as costs keep falling, but the energy and money preserving benefit will not be as fast.

One warning about downlights: With 120V AC LED Thomas edison lighting and anything else that combines all the digital devices into the mild bulb, a downlight causes the warm from the mild emitter to increase into the digital devices. This has been associated with improved failing prices in Lightweight Neon lighting, and the market is carefully viewing to see whether identical problems occur with LED lighting.  However, an benefits of 12V DC LED illumination, such as that taken in the Essential LED production, is that the greatest aspect of the digital devices tends to be distant from the fitting and is not topic to warming from it.

A extensive wide variety of the Essential LED production is easily appropriate to downlighting.  Examine out the choice of Kitchen and Under Cabinet Lighting and Walls Washers.

Doug Widney is a San Francisco Bay Area-based Electronic Greentech Advisor. He focuses primarily on high-power LED routine style and has designed arrays up to 1.5 energy for various clients. He is a adding author for Greentech Press on LEDs, automobiles, and developing performance. A 30-year Rubber Area expert of organizations such as Htc and Huge, he keeps several U.S. patents. He is LEED V2.2 qualified by the U.S. Natural Building Authorities.
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