The US Department of Energy (DOE) just awarded Philips Lighting America the Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize along with a cool $10 million for the development of their new energy efficient LED light bulb that uses just 9.7 watts of electricity. The award – a.k.a. the “L Prize” – challenged manufacturers to create a 60-watt light bulb equivalent that could keep up with the demands of real-world consumers. Philips’ new bulb incarnation seems to have stood up to the DOE’s standards over 18 months of testing its performance, quality, lifetime and cost. If everyone in the US were to switch to this bulb we’d save a collective 20 million metric tons of carbon emissions, 35 terrawatt-hours of electricity and $3.9 billion each year.

Read the rest of Philips Wins $10 Million Prize with 60-Watt Equivalent Bulb That Uses 1/6th of the Power

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Post tags: Bright Lighting Tomorrow Prize, cfl, compact fluorescent light, department of energy lighting competition, doe lighting competition, energy efficient light bulb, energy efficient lighting, green lighting, l prize, led light, light bulb, lighting competition, low energy light bulb, low energy lighting, philips light bulb

What do you do when you have a room that needs a side table, and an accent lamp? Look to Rotoluxe, a company that makes sustainably, eco-friendly illuminated tables and planters. Their glowing pieces come in a variety of colors and sizes, and are made exclusively from recycled plastics!

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Post tags: 100% recycled plastic, cfl, eco design, green design, illuminated planters, illuminated table, LED, Recycled Plastic, rotoluxe, sustainable design

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "sustainable architecture", CalTech, cfl, CHIP House, eco design, fabric exterior, green design, hvac, LED, net zero, photovoltaic panels, Sci-Arc, Solar Decathlon 2011, sustainable design, thermal mass

Sometimes design shows can feel so serious and pretentious. I mean, how many plastic chairs and wood veneer lamps do we really need to see? That’s why we were thrilled to discover Frances Ranno‘s funny and fun “Sneaks” sneaker lamp at the Pratt Student Show during NY Design Week’s. Designer & graduating Pratt student Frances Ranno tells us that his breath-of-fresh-air of a lamp was inspired by the growing world of sneaker fanatics. Meshing a symbol of urban culture with energy efficient lighting, the fixture incorporates a compact fluorescent bulb for long lasting life. The resulting kicks are a fun way to light up a room, and can even be hung as a pendant lamp (may we suggest over a telephone wire, og style?)

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Post tags: cfl, contemporary furniture, eco design, eco-friendly design, energy efficient lighting, Frances Ranno, Furniture Fair, green design, green furniture”, green lighting, ICFF, icff 2011, icff 2011 nyc, icff new york city, inhabitat icff, inhabitat icff reporting, International Contemporary Furniture Fair, new york city furniture fair, nyc furniture fair, pratt design student, pratt id student, Pratt student show, sneak lamp, Sneaker lamp, sneaker shaped lamp, Sneaks, sneaks lamp, sustainable design

When it comes to energy efficiency, the easiest way to start cutting down your monthly bill is through your home’s lighting. By making simple changes to the types of bulbs you’re using, you can be more eco-friendly while saving yourself a pretty penny. Due to all the changes the green lighting industry has undergone in just the last few years, it’s easy to be overwhelmed with all the options that are available. But fear not – if you’re looking for some insight into the wealth of green lighting alternatives available today, this handy guide will give you the basic foundation you need to upgrade your bulbs and reap the financial and environmental benefits of energy-efficient lighting!

Read the rest of Green Lighting 101: Your Guide to Energy Efficient Interior Lighting

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Post tags: ambientled, cfl, ciralight, compact fluorescent, company fluorescent bulbs, daylight, Daylighting, eco lightbulb, eco lighting, eco lights, energy efficient lighting, green design, green lighting, green products, halogen bulbs, heliostat, how to green your lighting, incandescent bulbs, kelvin, LED bulbs, LED light bulb, LED lights, LED replacement, LEDs, lumens, natural day light, OLED lights, OLEDs, parabolic mirror, Parans, Philips, philips 12.5W LED bulb, philips led bulb inhabitat, solar lamps, Solar Tube, Solatube, sunglight transport devices, sunlight lamps, sustainable design, tungsten bulbs, understanding green lighting, watts

Cool, modern and undeniably chic, Coroplast Pendant Lights are the intersection of craft and digital fabrication challenging the principles of mass production as we know it today. Individually assembled by hand, all Coroplast Pendant Lamps feature efficient compact fluorescents and are made from laser-cut shapes inserted into CNC-cut polycarbonate discs. Each lamp is produced by BBIITT and designed to maximize flat stock material and minimize waste. All byproducts are recycled at the end of production.

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Post tags: cfl, CFL lamps, colorplast pendant lamps, compact florescent lamps, flat packed lamps, green lamps, sustainable lighting

Not a fan of CFL bulbs but don’t want to shell out the cash for LEDs? Enter the Electron Stimulated Luminescence bulb (ESL), designed by Vu1 Corporation. The bulb just passed UL certification — meaning it will soon be headed to store shelves.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", bulbs, cfl, esl, green design, LED, light bulb, vu1

One of the best ways to cut down your electricity bill is to switch over to LEDs. Not only are these lighting systems more energy-efficient, but they boast a much longer useful life and emit just a fraction of the heat as compared to the typical incandescent bulb. So if you’ve been looking for a way to dress your home or office up in an eco-friendly way, then look no further – we’ve rounded up 7 LED desk lamps are so stylish that you’ll be looking for any excuse to stay in!

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Post tags: cfl, Desk Lamp, energy saving, green design, lamp, LED, renewable energy

If you’ve been wanting to swap out your electricity guzzling incandescent lamp with a smarter option, the world of LEDs may be just the illumination you’re looking for. These radiant light sources are incredibly energy-efficient, emit very little heat, and can shine forty times longer than incandescent bulbs – forty times! If that isn’t enough to sway you, many LED desk lamps are so stylish that you’ll want to display them on your desk just to be able to look at them. Check out our top picks for these low energy lamps here!

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Post tags: cfl, Desk Lamp, energy saving, green design, lamp, LED, renewable energy

At first glance, you wouldn’t expect this luminous lamp to be made from paper pulp — but lo and behold, the Strobilus has been designed for near 100% recyclability. A beautiful and organic form dreamt up by designer Jonathan Coles, the Strobilus utilizes a compact fluorescent bulb enclosed within an array of pinecone-inspired pieces of paper pulp. With its subtle color and smooth texture, the eco-friendly material reduces the cool glare of sometimes-frigid CFL lighting while emitting a soft glow that is ideal for any home.

+ Jonathan Coles

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Post tags: cfl, compact fluorescent lighting, Jonathan Coles, organic lights, paper pulp, paper pulp furniture, paper pulp lamp, pine cone lamp, recyclable lamps, Recycled Materials, Strobilus

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has just announced a new labeling program for light bulbs that will help consumers compare the wide range of products available. Although CFL and LED bulbs have been available for a while now, they offer a bewildering number of choices and have vastly different performance and quality issues. The program consists of two labels — the front label gives the product’s brightness, energy cost, life expectancy, light appearance (from “warm” to “cool” light), and wattage. The back label will add an energy-star label if the product qualifies, and a mercury warning if needed.

Read the rest of New Light Bulb Labeling Program Coming Next Year

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Post tags: cfl, compact florescent bulbs, Comparing lighting, energy efficient lighting, FTC light labeling, ftc light labels, green design, green lighting, incandecent bulbs, LED, light bulb label, light bulbslighting choices, light emitting diode, lighting lumens, sustainable design

Read the rest of Toshiba Kills Incandescent Bulb Production

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Post tags: Australia and incandescent lights, cfl, climate legislation, environmentally friendly light bulbs, EU and incandescent lights, green design, incandescent bulbs, LED, light bulb legislation, Toshiba, Toshiba halts incandescent production, US and incandescent lights

Compact fluorescent light bulbs are the light source of choice for budget-minded greenies everywhere, but they come with one big drawback:  a potentially dangerous mercury-filled center. If you accidentally drop a bulb, beware; you could be exposed to the toxic stuff. But now, finally, a company has come up with a CFL option sans the risks of mercury — the ArmorLite bulb.

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Post tags: armorlite, Bulb, cfl, clear-lite, compact fluorescent, eco design, green design, light bulb, mercury

Due to a bad drought that’s dried up the hydroelectric plants that supply more than two-thirds of its power, Venezuela has been suffering through its worst energy crisis in the last 50 years. President Hugo Chavez’s solution? Change all the light bulbs! Well, that might not be the only action the country is taking (they’ve also put electricity rationing into effect) but an army of Venezuelan soldiers has been given direct orders from the president to distribute thousands of Firefly energy-efficient CFL bulbs. The big switcheroo may not make it rain, but the president sure hopes that it can cut the energy his citizens consume in the meantime.

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Post tags: "clean energy", cfl, compact fluorescent light bulb, eco lighting, energy crisis, energy efficient lighting, green energy, green lighting, hugo chavez, light bulb, south america, venezuela

Want to ditch your inefficient incandescent bulbs for some energy-saving compact fluorescent (CFL) ones? Be prepared to deal with toxic chemicals inside the bulbs.  Now there’s another option: nanofiber bulbs, which are safe, energy efficient, cost-effective, and emit a warmer, more pleasant light than CFLs.

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Post tags: alternative energy, cfl, green design, green lighting, incandescent bulbs, LED, nanofiber bulbs, sustainable design

The ubiquitous incandescent light bulb has come a long way since its invention 130 years ago and is now the star of Tim Fishlock’s memorial art piece entitled What Watt? This dazzling chandelier speaks to the transition away from the widespread use of old school bulbs towards greener, more sustainable alternatives. Talk about a bright idea!

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Post tags: cfl, eco design, Fishlock, green design, green lighting, incandescent, incandescent bulb, light bulb, recycled chandelier, sustainable design, tim fishlock, What Watt?

Ever pass by the giant glittery Coca-Cola billboard in downtown San Francisco and wonder just how much energy it sucks up? Not nearly as much as it used to, now that the whole thing has been replaced with an LED display that is 80% more energy efficient than the original sign.

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Post tags: billboard, cfl, Coca Cola, Coke, green design, LED, neon, San Francisco, sustainable design

Despite lasting longer and being more efficient than both incandescent and CFL bulbs, LEDs haven’t caught on because of their sky-high prices. But now Panasonic wants to bring LEDs to the mainstream — at least in Japan — with a 60-watt household bulb that the company claims can last up to 19 years, or 40 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

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Post tags: cfl, Everled, green design, incandescent, LED, light bulb, panasonic, sustainable design

Shortly after Al Gore debuted An Inconvenient Truth the general public started giving a damn about climate change — at least superficially. And in a massive wave of effort to show off our new enviro-consciousness, every apartment, townhouse and megamansion from Norway to New Zealand swapped their incandescent light bulbs for more energy efficient CFLs, or compact fluorescent lamps. Watt for watt, there’s no question whether or not CFLs save energy as compared to their predecessors. But with the concerns of toxic mercury and the recent developments in LED technology, CFLs may not be the smartest choice for long-term sustainability. Read on for our in-depth report!

Read the rest of IS IT GREEN?: The Compact Fluorescent Light

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Post tags: cfl, compact fluorescent lamps, energy efficient lighting, green design, green Interiors, is it green, sustainable design

Energy-efficient LED light bulbs may be more expensive than CFL’s, but Sharp‘s new DL-L60AV LED could be worth the high cost. The tricked-out bulb comes with a remote control that features a dimming function as well as the ability to select seven different shades of white… so your guests can never complain that they don’t like the ambiance.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", cfl, DL-L60AV LED, Japan, LED, Light, light bulb, sharp