5 Lighting Trends for 2012

Advances in lighting technologies (especially LEDs) have opened up the door to all kinds of interior lighting possibilities. The fact that LEDs are energy efficient and save money only adds to their appeal. One of the coolest things about LEDs is how widely they can be used—from very casual to very ornate applications. Here are a few of the trends we’re seeing lately.

1. Contemporary lighting fixtures in neutral colors and pastels are being used to add soft, stylish accents to interiors.
2. Nature inspired themes and ethnic motifs coupled with contemporary lighting fixtures, that incorporate Asian and African patterns and forms are stylish and interesting.
3. Chic, elegant, contemporary lighting fixtures with shades made from silk, exotic leather, wool, or eco-friendly (recycled) felt are increasingly popular.
4. Modern crystal abstract patterns complimented by silver and gold details add stylish accents are being used to create a personal, comfortable and cozy feel.
5. Baroque style wall lights and table lamps have been updated to bring bright and lightweight designs into today’s homes.

As you can see, there’s not a single, unified trend or direction in today’s lighting options—other than making your home your own unique expression of your personality.

The unifying factor is homeowners’ desire to control their lighting conveniently, safely, and economically. Regardless of the specific lighting style that homeowners may choose, they want to be able to control their home lighting with the touch of a button. And they want more control than the ability to simply turn lights off and on as they pass by. They want dimming capabilities for individual rooms and hallways. And in many cases they want the ability to turn lights off and on remotely—even from the comfort of their bedroom.

Whether your residential customers are looking for single room solutions, whole home solutions or shading solutions, Lutron has what they need—and we can help you find it and put it together for them.

Six Reasons to Turn Your Customers and Clients on to LED Lighting

You’re a lighting expert—at least that’s one way your customers and clients view you. Whether you distribute the light fixtures they use, specify them for a home or office, or install them; people expect you to steer them in the right direction. So why will customers and clients be happy when you turn them on to LEDs? Here are six reasons.

LED Lighting saves electricity—and money. More and more individuals (and companies) are concerned about energy use. And everybody loves it when they can save money. LED light bulbs are eight times more efficient than incandescent bulbs–and twice as efficient as compact florescent lights (CFLs). You can be an economic hero by saving your clients a lot of money.

LED lights are “kind” to sensitive materials. Because they don’t produce ultraviolet light, LED lights are safer for things like photos, artwork, and other sensitive materials. That means, unlike florescent or halogen lights, they won’t cause fading or aging.

LED lights don’t require warm up time. Florescent lights take time to get to full strength. CFL lights are much faster, but still have a bit of “lag” time before they reach full brightness. LED lights are at full brightness as soon as you turn them on.

LED bulbs don’t have to be replaced as often. One LED light bulb will last longer than 30 incandescent bulbs. And even though CFLs last longer than incandescent bulbs, a single LED bulb will last longer than 6 compact fluorescents. As a matter of fact, an LED bulb can be in operation for more than 30,000 hours. LEDs are less sensitive to some of the things that destroy conventional bulbs, such as shock, vibration, and the extreme temperature changes.  Unlike florescent bulbs, they aren’t affected by being turned on and off frequently.

LED lights contain no mercury. That’s a big deal when it comes to disposing of bulbs. Fluorescent lights contain mercury and have to be disposed of as hazardous waste.

LED lights are really cool! Really! Because they operate at much lower temperatures than halogen and incandescent bulbs, the risk of fire is dramatically reduced.

If you’ve been around the lighting industry for a while you know that energy-saving Compact Florescent Lamps (CFLs) have been available for many years. You’ve also seen the relatively recent arrival of a broad range of screw-in Light Emitting Diode (LED) dimmable bulbs. And you may have had customers who’ve struggled using these bulbs (especially CFLs) with standard incandescent dimmers. It’s not uncommon to run into problems such as:   

Reduced range: Incandescent or halogen bulbs typically dim lower than CFL or LED bulbs. Dimmable CFLs generally dim down to 10% to 30% of measured light output. Dimmable LEDs on, the other hand, can be dimmed as low as 5% to 15% (The actual range is dictated by the bulb’s circuitry).

Drop out: As CFL or LED bulbs are dimmed they occasionally turn off before the slider reaches the bottom. This “drop out,” can make it very difficult to set the desired dimmer level without bulbs turning off.

 Lights not turning on: After dimming CFL or LED bulbs to a low light level bulbs sometimes will not turn on until the dimmer’s slider is moved up. Called “pop-on,” this is especially challenging for 3-way situations where lights can be operated from different locations besides the dimmer.

Unexpected Turn-off: Line voltage fluctuations can affect dimmable CFL and LED bulbs, causing incandescent bulbs to dim or flicker excessively (or even turn off) when a device such as air-conditioning or a hair dryer is used.

Lutron has developed a family of C·L dimmers for dimmable CFL and LED bulbs that address all these issues. These new dimmers incorporate HED Technology to improve the performance of dimmable CFLs and LEDs. Unlike conventional dimmers, these new dimmers:

• Keep lights on during dimming
• Ensure that lights turn on at all levels
• Reduce or eliminate excessive flicker
• Maintain light performance even during line voltage fluctuations

If you have questions—or would like more information about the new Lutron dimmers, please give us a call at 1-855-588-7661or shoot us an email.