Newsworthy in the World of Lighting

Light bulbs are coming under strict scrutiny, from how brightly they shine and how much energy is used to even the packaging. As of January 1, 2012, thanks to the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), we will be seeing some big changes when we purchase light bulbs. Here are a few of the energy saving, eco-friendly changes to look forward to.

All incandescent light bulbs throughout the United States will be made to shine as brightly, using the same amount of lumens as they do now, while using less energy or watts. Right now, a 100-watt light bulb has a lumen range of 1490 to 2600. After the New Year, that same lumen range should be produced by a 72-watt bulb. Instead of buying light bulbs based on the amount of watts they use, we’ll have to choose our bulbs based on the amount of lumens.

In addition to the way we choose our light bulbs, each package of bulbs will feature a ‘Lighting Facts’ label on the back. Similar to the nutritional facts label on our foods, the light facts labels will include information about the bulbs brightness, energy cost, life expectancy, light appearance, wattage and the mercury content. Unfortunately, these beneficial energy saving changes come with a price tag. Right now, you can buy a 100-watt incandescent light bulb for as little at sixty cents. After the New Year a 26-watt CFL will cost three dollars, a 72-watt incandescent halogen light bulb will cost three dollars, and a 12.5-watt LED bulb will cost forty dollars.

Valley Lighting & Home Decor has an assortment of affordable eco-friendly light bulbs including torpedo, globe, halogen, tube bulbs and many more! To learn more about our eco-friendly lighting options, which are compliant with the new EISA light bulb standards, visit ValleyLighting-CT.com.

There’s no telling when a natural disaster will strike. Next time you find yourself in the mists of danger, be prepared, and know how to take care of you and your family, so no one gets hurt. Here is advice, from Valley Lighting & Home Decor, on handling different types of natural disasters.

During a flood: 

• Stay tuned in to your local radio weather station for updates and emergency information. If you have time before the flood hits, move all furniture to upper levels of your house, bring in lawn furniture, shut off all lights and  lighting fixtures, and unplug all electronics.
• If there is a flash flood warning, get out as soon as possible.
• Never walk through floodwater, but if you have no choice, make sure the water is standing still. It’s extremely easy to fall in even little amounts of moving floodwater. You should also use a stick to check the firmness of the ground before stepping on it.
• Never drive through floodwater.

If you’re caught in a hurricane:

• Close all of the doors inside of your house, and fasten down any outside door.
• Close all curtains and other window coverings in your home.
• Don’t go near doors or windows, no matter what.
• Wait out the storm on the lowest level of your home, in a small room or closet, or lie under a table.

Surviving a tornado:

• Stay informed by listening to your local radio weather station.
• If you’re at home, move to the lowest level of your house. Seek protection in a closet or a small room near the center of the house, crouch down and cover your head.
• If you’re outside, locate the lowest lying area, and lie face down with your arms over your head.
• Never seek refuge in your car!

Protect yourself during an earthquake:

• Get on your hands and knees and cover your head.
• Don’t stand in a doorway; go outside or move to another room.

For more tips of what to do in case of a natural disaster, contact your local government agency. Valley Lighting & Home Decor encourages you to stay safe and be prepared!

Bulbrite Halogen Bulb

For those of you who might be curious about eco-friendly lighting savings, there’s a new tool out there that’s designed to make calculating the savings easy. It’s an application that downloads right to your smart phone and it’s called Light Bulb Finder by Eco Hatchery.

Light Bulb Finder is just that: a light bulb finder. This application helps you find energy efficient lighting equivalents to incandescent bulbs, complete with data on how much you’ll earn back on the investment into the new bulb, the estimated bulb cost, bulb lifetime savings, annual energy savings, and even annual CO2 reduction!

It’s a great way for you to enter into the world of eco-friendly lighting if you need some guidance. It’s a free application and it’s one that can be found in the app stores for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android devices.

Give it a download and let us know what you think! Did it help you find the eco-friendly bulbs that you were looking for? What savings were you surprised to see?

Bulbrite Halogen Bulb

If you haven’t heard yet, Congress has passed legislation that will eventually phase out the traditional 100-watt incandescent bulb, followed by the 75-watt bulb in 2013 and the 60- and 40-watt bulbs in 2014. What does this mean for you? Well, for starters, it means that those traditional bulbs you’ve been used to using in fixtures are definitely going away – but don’t worry. The alternative to incandescents is much better for you – and your wallet – in the long run.

Compact fluorescent bulbs, halogen incandescent bulbs,and even light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are the new choices when you need to replace a bulb and trust us when we tell you that they can save you a bundle! All of these new lighting technologies are sized to fit most standard lighting fixtures, which means you won’t have to stress over finding replacement bulbs that fit your fixtures.

But why is this happening in the first place? What’s so wrong with incandescent bulbs? Don’t worry – there’s nothing wrong there either. New regulations aren’t banning or promoting any particular kind of bulb. In fact, it’s only requiring that light bulbs be 25% more efficient. Traditional incandescent bulbs can’t meet the new standard because of their design. However, the new technologies, like CFLs and LEDs, can.

Although the switch may be a change, it’s a welcome one if you’ve noticed higher energy bills. CFLs, LEDs, and halogen incandescent lights are all energy savers, which mean that you can actually trim your electric bill by using them in all of your household fixtures. While the upfront cost of one of these new bulbs may be a bit more expensive, it’s worth the extra price simply because these bulbs are designed to last much, much longer than incandescents. In the end, you actually end up saving quite a bit by making the switch.

As for features, these new bulbs are great for using in any fixture and come in a variety of styles to suit your needs. Plus, most LEDs and halogen bulbs are fully dimmmable, come to full brightness quickly, and contain no mercury. It’s a win win for everyone – even the Energy Department reports that more than 85% of consumers report they are satisfied with the performance of CFLs alone!

Make the switch, if you haven’t already, to more efficient bulbs. It’ll save you money as well as frustration when the incandescents go away for good. ValleyLighting-CT.com has eco friendly lighting as well as new efficient light bulbs to help you through the transition.

Bulbrite Halogen A19 Bulb

It’s time to say goodbye to the traditional light bulb. It’s true. Traditional light bulbs are going away for good.

Congress recently passed a law that encourages consumer to use more efficient light bulbs nationwide and according to that new legislation, all light bulbs must be up to 30% more efficient starting January 1, 2012. With the stroke of a pen, the Energy Independence and Security Act has changed the way we illuminate our homes.

And thankfully, there’s a lot of new technology to make the leap. Compact fluorescent bulbs are already popular when it comes to energy efficiency, but now there’s another bulb on the market to meet your lighting needs: The Bulbrite Halogen A19 Bulb.

Did you know? Lighting in the US accounts for nearly 14% of the country’s energy consumption between the residential and commercial sector. Now that’s a lot of illumination.

The Bulbrite Halogen Bulb is designed to be an answer to this consumption by offering a smart, energy-efficient alternative to the traditional incandescent bulb. Shaped and made to produce the same light quality as an incandescent bulb, the Bulbrite Halogen Bulb is great for using in a variety of light fixtures and devices. It’s not spiral/funny shaped like a CFL and the light quality is much more like a traditional incandescent bulb. So, if you’re ready to make the switch but don’t want to change the way your lighting looks, then the Bulbrite Halogen A19 Bulb is just what you need.

Learn more about switching to halogen bulbs at ValleyLighting-CT.com in order to save money as well as energy

Murray Feiss Ceiling Light

Did you know that Valley Lighting offers lighting featured on HGTV’s Home Rules?

Home Rules takes a look at the struggles families go through to find relaxation, beauty, and calm within their homes. Life Coach and relationship expert Fran Harris helps dysfunctional families put function back into their lives by uncovering the reasons behind the clutter and giving a second chance to have a better home life. Design team experts help bring everything together with room redesigns that truly make a difference and leave others feeling inspired.

On the show, there have been several pieces by lighting designers, like Murray Feiss, that have made their way into redesigned rooms. Valley Lighting is proud to offer these lighting fixtures so that you can capture that same look and feel in your favorite spaces.

From pendant lighting to flush ceiling fixtures, you can find the piece from Home Rules that you’ve been searching for. Shop our As Seen In… section to get started.

November 15 is America Recycles Day 2010 and if you want to do your part, you can always get around to recycling that pile of light bulbs!

In fact, more and more people are doing their part to help the planet through recycling of burnt out light bulbs. Since 1997, the number of bulbs recycled annually has risen from 70 million to 156 million…and that number is still growing. It’s never been easier to dispose of your old light bulbs. Let ValleyLighting-CT.com help with these tips on how to best recycle those lighting essentials:

1. If you’re looking to recycle CFLs, you’ll need to do some research. Requirements for CFL recycling vary by state. For more information about state specific requirements, please contact your state or local environmental regulatory agency or a recycling center. Oftentimes, they can point you in the right direction.
2. Check to see if your neighborhood or even a local retailer is having a light bulb collection event.
3. Many companies let you mail back your old, burnt-out light bulbs free of charge. Check the packaging on bulbs to see if that’s an option.
4. Visit Earth911.org for a complete guide on recycling light bulbs. You can learn about what the best methods are, how the bulbs are actually recycled, and what benefits recycling can yield.
5. Always practice recycling safety by keeping bulbs from breaking. Put burnt out bulbs back in their packaging as you transport them to a recycling center.

You can find more information about light bulb collection and/or recycling programs at Where You Live or at Earth911.org.

Doesn’t it seem like just yesterday we were having our Free Ice Cream Saturday’s here in our Ansonia lighting showroom? The days go by so fast, and we just can’t believe it’s only 54 days until Christmas! All of us here at Valley Lighting are starting to make our lists and checking them twice, and well, we have to admit, it’s a little hard to find the perfect gift for all the people on our lists. Having a similar problem? Have no fear – the lighting experts from Valley Lighting are here!

1. For The Grandparents: Sentimental gifts are ideal for the grandparents. Purchase a photo collage frame and include photos of the entire family in the frame. Add a Picture Light for them to hang above the photo to make it easier to view all the photos, and voila – such a thoughtful gift for Grandma and Grandpa!

2. Mom and Dad: Your parents just seem to have everything, don’t they? And when you ask them what they’d like for Christmas, they always tell you not to buy them anything – but of course you want to choose something special for them. A comfy Throw Blanket is always welcome, and will keep Mom and Dad warm throughout all those cold winter days!

3. The Kids: If your children are all grown up, create a cozy night in for them – gift them with a bottle of wine, gourmet cheese and crackers, a 5 Bottle Wine Rack, and a Mini Wine Stave Server. For teens and college students, gift Mary Kate and Ashley Table Lamps (in great designs for both guys and girls) to illuminate their desks a bit more, and of course a gift card to your local Best Buy so they can choose their favorite music or computer games to enjoy under that new light!

Landmark Pool Table Lighting

4. Your Husband: Does your husband love to enjoy a game of billiards? Sure, this is quite the gift, but can you just imagine the excitement on your husband’s face when you gift him with a billiards table? Have him first open wrapped Landmark Pool Table Lighting, and then have him close his eyes as you lead him over to his new billiards table!

5. Your Wife: A beautiful, relaxing bathroom can be your wife’s sanctuary – she can unwind after a long day in a bubble bath and let go of any lingering stress.  Start creating this sanctuary for your wife a few months before Christmas, and on Christmas day, gift her with stunning Bathroom Vanity Lighting. She’ll love all the work you put in just for her!

It’s always important to choose gifts that are meaningful – one thoughtful gift is worth so much. Be sure to start planning your holiday list now, and feel free to share your holiday gift ideas in the comments below!

Did you know that we’re celebrating almost 50 years of lighting and home decor excellence? It’s true!

Valley Lighting will be celebrating our 47th anniversary with a two day sale event in our store. Join us  on Friday, October 22 and Saturday, October 23 for things like:

• Huge deals on oil paintings, furniture, crystal chandeliers, and much more, so you can get your home in shape for the holidays. Shop for gifts or for yourself – it’s up to you!
• Raffles! Yes, you can win Valley Lighting Gift Cards, a wireless lighting control system, and more!
• Refreshments! We’ll be serving up treats like hor d’oeuvres, soft drinks, and snacks to make shopping in our store even more special. Plus, what’s a party without a few treats? Be our guest and enjoy a fabulous shopping experience.

These are just a few of the festivities going on this weekend at our Connecticut lighting store, so be sure to stop by and say hello! Thank you for your business. We really do appreciate your support!

Who: Valley Lighting & Home Decor

What: 47th Anniversary Celebration and Sale

When: Friday, October 22 & Saturday, October 23

Where: Valley Lighting & Home Decor

3 Chestnut Street

PO Box 42

Ansonia, CT 06401

Tel 203-736-6921, Fax 203-736-6934

We just received a new MR16 LED lamp to test out. It is designed to take the place of a 20 watt halogen MR16 lamp. For those of you unfamiliar with an MR16 lamp, they are commonly used in low voltage recessed lights and in low voltage track lighting. They are also very common in low voltage landscape lighting. What really impressed me about this new LED version was that it was bright, and it’s color rendition was excellent. You cannot tell that it is a LED lamp at all. What’s the advantage of LED over incandescent or halogen? Well – let’s just compare this new LED MR16 to it’s halogen counterpart. At 3.2 watts, this new LED lamp is extremely energy efficient. You could use six of these for a total of 19.2 watts and it would STILL be less than the 20 halogen it replaces!!! But you only need one because it produces the same amount of light. The halogen lamp lasts about 3000 hours. The LED lamp lasts about 35000 hours. So you replace the halogen lamp about 12 times BEFORE you would need to replace the LED lamp. This means a lot less maintenance, a lot less going to the store and paying for the lamp (in addition to your time and the gas), and less waste in our landfills. I just think it opens up so many possibilities that didn’t exist before both in designing lighting for a space and in energy savings. Let’s just look at a simple outdoor landscape lighting example. If we have twenty outdoor floods lighting up our home, some trees, and some rocks, and those floods use 20 watt MR16 halogen lamps, then our energy usage is 400 watts. This results in us having to design the job with a large transformer, say a 500 watt transformer, and we have to use large wire. We also have to maintain those 20 lamps and probably change a few of them every year. They also produce a lot of heat so eventually they will heat stress the socket and the fixture will need to be repaired or replaced. Now if we switch to LED, we go from 400 watts to 64 watts. Would you feel better about running a 60 watt light bulb for 8 hours a day or a 400 watt light bulb 8 hours a day? Our transformer could be five times smaller (and cost less too). Our wire size could be much smaller and again cost less. LED produces very little heat so you will not have to worry about heat stress burning out the socket. You will not have to replace a few lamps every year but rather every 10 or so years.