Energy Saving Light Bulbs Being Used as a Learning Aid

Energy saving light bulbs are not just helping the environment, they are also helping school children to get more out of their daily lessons according to one Asian nation.

Around 18,000 classrooms in Vietnam provinces including Hanoi, Hai Phong and Vinh Phuc have replaced their old lighting systems with energy saving light bulbs. The results since launching the replacement drive in 2006 have been nothing short of amazing.

One school has reported a fall in the number of students suffering from short sightedness, reduced electricity bills and a greater student engagement with the learning process. As a result, the children studying in classrooms with more energy efficient lighting are getting more out of their daily education and enjoying lessons a lot more.

The Truong Tieu Hoc elementary school told of one student who was able to downgrade their glasses prescription from a minus 2.5 before energy saving lighting to a minus 2.0 after energy saving light bulbs had been installed in his classroom. Other students also showed signs of improved eyesight with a 2% drop in the number of children suffering from near sightedness after energy saving bulbs were fitted.

With modern technology being used to drive energy savings, new environmentally friendly lighting can contribute to significant savings on electricity costs. Schools and the manufacturer of Vietnam’s new scholastic energy saving light bulbs confirm this, estimating that each classroom using sixenergy saving bulbs in place of old fluorescent tubes use around 226 watts. Used in eight classrooms, the school has saved between 30 and 40 per cent on their energy bills.

These savings are not restricted to schools or workplaces – replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy saving alternatives can also lead to noticeable domestic energy savings. An extended lamp life of up to 15,000 hours also means replacement costs are fewer and farther apart than when using traditional bulbs.

To browse a full range of energy saving light bulbs, learn more about energy savings and to buy online, visit http://www.bltdirect.com.

Energy Saving Light Bulb Wins A Prestigious Design Award

When you think of the light bulb, you likely think of something that delivers function over form. When you think of design awards, you likely think of angular furniture, chairs made of steel bars and sofas made from all manner of strange materials. You probably don’t think of the energy saving light bulb as a design award winner but that is exactly the title it walked away with in the prestigious 2011 Brit Insurance Design of the Year awards earlier this week.

Held in the contemporary, aesthetic-fuelled surrounds of London’s Design Museum, a modern reimagining of the ubiquitous energy saving bulb saw an everyday household object transformed in to a sleek objet d’art. Beating out almost 100 competing entries for the trophy, the new look energy saving lightbulb, designed by British designer Samuel Wilkinson and product design company, Hulger, the Plumen 001 is a thoroughly modern interpretation of an old classic.

With a snaking, bending, curvaceous form the award winning light bulb is both contemporary and design led. It is also incredibly energy efficient with the designer quoting an 80% energy saving compared with a normal incandescent light bulb and an eight times longer life span.

Economical and chic, the bulb is designed to not need a lamp shade so can be positioned in the room as a focal point. As with all energy saving bulbs, it is intended as a direct replacement for any regular incandescent light bulb, making it practical too.

Will Self was a member of the jury committee assessing the dozens of designs. Speaking about the unlikely winner he said, “We felt these bulbs were neat, appealing and covetable in the right, affordable way. Light is, of course, primary to design, without it there can be very little, if any. The design of light sources is thus an elemental component of a design aesthetic.”

The winning light bulb along with its designer challenges is currently on display at the Design Museum. You can buy energy saving light bulbs from BLT Direct, who have a range of hundreds of styles, shapes and wattages to choose from. To browse the range and buy online, visit http://www.bltdirect.com.

Is Silicon Valley About To Make Light Bulbs Super High Tech?

Think of the humble light bulb and you probably imagine a traditional, everyday item that you normally pay very little attention to. Technology leaders in California’s Silicon Valley think very differently however and have take the standard, low tech light bulb and started to create a super high tech version that could revolutionise the way we light both our homes and workplaces.

The incandescent light bulb we know and love today was invented in the 1800s by Thomas Edison and although the product has adapted and evolved to include new variations such as energy saving light bulbs and LED bulbs, few developments have promised as much potential as the major breakthrough currently taking place in Silicon Valley.

Better known for its role in the Internet and Technology boom and as the birthplace of brands like Google and Facebook, Silicon Valley is the American epicentre of technological advance. One company has switched gears away from computers and the internet, focusing its efforts on the light bulb instead. It has produced a ground breaking new 135 lumens-per-watt LED bulb using a new material, gallium nitride-on-silicon. Silicon is commonly used in computer and cell phone technology but, has now been applied to LED light bulb manufacture.

The company using this new material to make LED light bulbs say that it represents a significant step forward as it is much easier to work with than the traditional LED wafers which use sapphire or silicon carbide substrates. Being able to make LED light bulbs much quicker and easier means that they can be more easily accessible and used more widely in the home or office.

Thanks to the new silicone material, the manufacturer estimates that consumers will see a massive 75% reducing in running costs, compared with the current generation of LED bulbs. The new more efficient LED light bulbs may be available on the market as soon as 2013 or 2014.

Commercially available LED light bulbs bought without these high tech improvements still offer a huge advantage of the old style incandescent bulb. Models such as the LED GU10 light bulb, available from BLT Direct, consume notably smaller amounts of energy than incandescent and halogen bulbs, making them more eco-friendly and more pocket friendly. They are suitable for use in numerous locations around the home and have many commercial applications. To browse the range and buy online, visit http://www.bltdirect.com.

Energy Saving Light bulbs v Incandescent Bulbs – The Ban Gets Political

The ban on the traditional incandescent bulb and its mandatory replacement with energy saving light bulbs has stirred up mild feelings of disquiet here in the UK but over the pond in America, the battle is becoming political.

In an interesting development which may have consequences for the incandescent light bulb ban, Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann launched a bill to have the law requiring incandescent bulbs overturned earlier this week. If her bid is successful, the incandescent bulb will go back into production and rival its energy saving alternatives once again.

Rep Bachmann feels strongly about the decision to phase out traditional bulbs, saying the original law oversteps the boundaries of what the American legal system should and shouldn’t mandate to its citizens. She has called for the law to be overturned, and more consideration and studies carried out on energy saving bulbs and whether or not they should replace traditional bulbs in homes and workplaces around the country.

The politician has also stated that the decision to mandate the phasing out of old style bulbs “has sweeping effects on American families and businesses and needs serious consideration before taking effect”.

If the ban on production is lifted in America, there will likely be similar consequences in the UK and around Europe. Most countries have committed to phasing out t he old style bulb, pushing energy saving lamps such as the GU10 and LED bulbs as a more energy efficient alternative.

So why is America leading the revolt against a final move to energy saving bulbs? Some believe that energy saving light bulbs are more expensive than old style bulbs. While this was certainly true a few years ago, energy saving technology and manufacturing processes have developed considerably since then. Most standard energy saving lamps are now just as cheap as traditional bulbs were. Studies also suggest that for more expensive fluorescent lamps, the return on investment is balanced out within a year of purchase thanks to savings on energy bills.

Some also worry that energy efficient bulbs such as the GU10 provide a dimmer light. Again, this was true when the technology was first introduced but now there is a huge range of wattage, colour and style.

With the outcome to this bill likely to have global consequences, light bulb specialist BLT Direct is inviting UK businesses and homeowners to leave their thoughts on its Facebook and Twitter pages. Visit http://www.bltdirect.com for more information and to buy online.