This interesting article by the people at Luceplan just arrived in my mailbox this morning, and since it fits so well with my other posts of the last few days, I’ll include the total content.
“Saving resources is a demand that cannot be put off. For companies that produce lighting fixtures it’s an important issue. It entails not only the use of energy saving bulbs but also the design of lamps that make effective use of all types of energy sources and the improvement of standard performance levels. Design also needs to focus on the use of recyclable parts; assembly has to be rationalized to reduce packaging to a minimum; highly efficient new sources of light need to be studied and new types of energy and formal languages need to be explored, without neglecting people’s need to be surrounded by beautiful yet practical objects that enhance the quality of life.
Luceplan has forever committed its efforts to developing innovative solutions to reduce environmental impact. In 1999 Ross Lovegrove designed the outdoor lamp with photovoltaic cells ‘Solar Bud’. Next year, Luceplan’s focus on the environment continued in cooperation with Alberto Meda and Paolo Rizzatto. The duo -in advance of our times- introduced LEDs for domestic use by launching the lamp ‘Starled‘. In 2002, Luceplan funded a research project of two students on the use of natural light in internal spaces: the result was the lamp ‘Zeno’ by Diego Rossi and Raffaele Tedesco – a large luminous disk designed to mix multiple light sources, including sunlight. Technology improved and Luceplan continued to invest: in 2005, the duo Meda and Rizzatto returned their focus on LEDs to create ‘Mix’, a sophisticated and elegant reading lamp that was nominated by Legambiente for the Enviro-Friendly Innovation Award (Innovazione Amica dell’Ambiente). Two new eco-sustainable products were then launched at this year’s Salone del Mobile fair: the outdoor lighting system ‘Sky’ designed by Alfredo Häberli and the desk lamp ‘Berenice LED’ designed by Meda and Rizzatto. This latter creation was chosen for the architect Renzo Piano’s New York Times Building.”
In my last post I proudly showed the savings we had seen on our utility bill at the Form + Function showroom after switching to CFLs wherever we could.
It is indeed exciting, there is no doubt about it.
As a lighting showroom, we of course have A LOT of lights on all day long. We have no choice.
We have, however, over the years become increasingly aware of the fact that we all need to pitch in to reduce the use of items that cause a negative impact on the environment. With the arrival of much smaller CFLs and a variety of shapes that would fit into almost any fixture, we had no excuse not to go for it!
Of course we see it as an added bonus that green lighting is not only eco-aware, but cost effective.
Since you might have a hard time relating to our $600+ electricity bill (which is entirely for lighting) I have included a cost comparison chart published by the US Department of Energy.
To be honest: That doesn’t look quite as impressive. I save $20 in THREE YEARS! (Can’t buy a whole lot of lattes for that!)
But then again, that’s for ONE bulb. It all adds up!
This is exciting!!
Three months ago we decided to make a significant change in our showroom: We swapped all our lamps (bulbs) from incandescents to Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs.)
Our lighting showroom is 4500 square feet and besides our extensive selection of low voltage fixtures and lighting systems, we show a large amount of wall sconces, pendant lights, chandeliers as well as portable lamps. Up until now we only used incandescent lamps in all those fixtures.
Our utility bill shows a charge of $608.64 for 9/16 - 10/16 2006
and - tadaaa: $273.08 for the same timeframe this year!!!!
6953 kW used 2006/ 2870kW used 2007; the utility rates did not change.
Does it pay to go green? - We definitely know the answer now! This month’s savings might pay for our next office party!
Humming, flickering, ghostly color rendering, bulky tubes and fixtures with zero sex appeal – No wonder fluorescent lighting used to be relegated to garages and laundry rooms!
Not anymore!!
Fluorescent lighting has indeed come a long way, and it seems that new and exciting products are entering the market almost daily.
In our showroom in Santa Fe, NM, we are confronted on a daily basis with all the questions, trepidations, uncertainties our customers have with fluorescent fixtures, CFLs and other energy saving options for lighting their home. How much do I actually save?
What is 13W fluorescent equivalent to?
Can I dim my CFL? We’ll try to address some of these issues in our next posts.
