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Introducing the new CREE bulb!

3/21/2013

2 Comments

 
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Dear The LED Lady: What do you think of the new CREE LED lamp. Is it something that we should recommend to our teams over the Phillips?  Looks like they cost only $13.97 for a 60 watt equivalent and are only available at Home Depot. 
 
The LED Lady: Thanks for asking this very important question which can help residents interested in saving energy, getting rid of Compact Fluorescents (CFL's) and do right for the planet. First of all yes this bulb gets an A++ and why is that here's the list of why:
1) Because it is made by CREE who got their start in the semiconductor industry and eventually turned towards LED. What makes them so appealing is they are an LED only company, rather than being a lighting company that is still manufacturing Incandescents or CFL's, CREE is 100% committed to LEDs.
2) It puts out 450 lumens for 40 watt comparison or 800 lumens for 60 watt comparison (see below for lumen explanation)
3) It only costs $13.97 for all those lumens and it has a CRI of 80. (See below for CRI explanation) 

What you need to know is there is a major shift taking place in the lighting industry that has to do with the way we produce light. In the far away past it was with candles and wicks and now it has moved to semiconductors, electronics, diodes, metal and plastics. The key thing remains, what color of light do you wish to have and how much do you want where.

Enjoy replacing your incandescents and CFL's (Be sure to take your CFLs into a place that disposes of them properly and never simply throw them in the trash as they contain trace amounts of toxic mercury).

CCT- Color temperature. Lord Kelvin years ago heated up a black piece of metal called a black body and as the temperature grew hotter it went from bright orange to violet. So when you are in a restaurant you are likely sitting under a 2700K (Kelvin), which some like to think of as sunset or if you are in an office with lots of bright light you are probably sitting under a 5000K, which is like being outside in the middle of the day.

Lumen is the amount of light coming out of a light bulb and wattage refers to the amount of energy it consumes. However 60 watt light bulbs have been around for decades and we've come to know thenLumen is the amount of light coming out of a light bulb and wattage refers to the amount of energy it consumes. However 60 watt light bulbs have been around for decades and we've come to know then

Color Rendering Index: The sun is 100 CRI which means colors that appear under the sun or natural daylight no matter what time of day are their actual colors. Artificial light is always trying to achieve a number as close to 100 as possible. Hands down whenever I demo test an LED against an incandescent or fluorescent it always wins based on the true colors. Also, LEDs are all full spectrum. 

Beam Spread- If you are buying an A bulb like the CREE bulb you are getting omni directional light, however if you buy something like a PAR or MR16 lamp then you will be looking at different beam spreads. Art Galleries are the most specific when it comes to beam spread as they are interested in lighting their paintings with a very specific light.



2 Comments
Tamra link
3/29/2013 07:11:25 am

Thanks for the great advice LED Lady! I'll share the information with others.

Reply
Spark Decor link
6/20/2014 05:34:22 pm

Compared to conventional technologies, Cree LED Lighting products can deliver the same amount of light using as little as 10 to 15% of the power. This huge reduction in energy consumption can enable consumers to save hundreds of dollars over the life of each light.

Reply



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    Lindsay Wood "The LED Lady" is a video blogger for the lighting industry.  Her intent is to share with others the changes occurring in the lighting industry and how to take action to change the way we light our world. 

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