Installing green lighting may seem like a small and simple change, but it’s surprising how hefty the bottom line savings can be. Many companies across the globe have been switching to LEDs quietly and saving money, especially now that they offer such pleasing color options that really rival the look of incandescents. This international “switch out” has created green jobs and also helps companies revamp their stores and hire more workers with the cash they save – all great things for the economy. Read on for two success stories featuring companies that have swapped out their bulbs with the help of MSi lighting to achieve significant money and energy savings.

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Read the rest of How Green Lighting Can Save American Businesses Millions of Dollars

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Post tags: AmbientLED bulbs, best bulb, carnival cruise ships, cfl, cfl light bulb, compact fluorescent light, eco design, eco lighting, eco-friendly lighting, energy efficient light bulb, energy efficient lightbulbs, Energy Independence and Security Act, energy saving bulbs, energy saving lights, Federal energy mandate, green design, green light bulb, green lighting, how to green lighting, how to switch to green lighting, incandescent bulb phase out, incandescent bulbs, LED, LED bulb, LED light bulb, LED lights, LEDs, light bulb ban, light bulb makeover, light emitting diode, lightbulb makeover, lighting makeover, lighting renovation, phasing out incandescent bulbs, Philips, Philips 12.5W Ambient LED bulb, rc wiley furniture stores, sustainable design, sustainable lighting

If you read our enlightening “how to switch to LED bulbs” tutorial, you’ve hopefully already seen how much money and energy you can save by replacing your incandescent bulbs, but we wanted to make it even clearer how easy and effective a home light bulb makeover can be. We headed over to Brooklyn to give a light bulb overhaul to the managing editor of Inhabitots, our very own Julie Seguss! Julie is going to be a new mom in just a few months, so saving money is of the utmost importance right now, but she still wanted to keep her Park Slope home illuminated with a warm, bright glow. In just a few hours, the Inhabitat lighting makeover crew (aka Inhabitat editors Jill & Yuka) were able to swap out all of Julie’s electricity-guzzling incandescents and halogens with energy-efficient Philips LEDs, and we think you’ll be impressed with the monthly savings we tallied up for Julie at the end of the day. Check out our video above to see the whole makeover, and find out how much extra cash Julie and her husband will have after the makeover to spend on diapers and baby clothes!

Read the rest of VIDEO: Inhabitat Lighting Makeover – Inhabitots Editor Julie Seguss Gets a Money-Saving Light Bulb Overhaul

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Post tags: AmbientLED bulbs, best bulb, cfl, cfl light bulb, compact fluorescent light, eco design, eco lighting, eco-friendly lighting, energy efficient light bulb, energy efficient lightbulbs, Energy Independence and Security Act, energy saving bulbs, energy saving lights, Federal energy mandate, green design, green light bulb, green lighting, how to green lighting, how to switch to green lighting, incandescent bulb phase out, incandescent bulbs, LED, LED bulb, LED light bulb, LED lights, LEDs, light bulb ban, light bulb makeover, light emitting diode, lightbulb makeover, lighting makeover, lighting renovation, phasing out incandescent bulbs, Philips, Philips 12.5W Ambient LED bulb, sustainable design, sustainable lighting

You may have heard rumors about a so-called ‘light bulb ban’ – but do you know the details of what is actually happening and when? The Federal Energy Independence and Securities act is coming to the U.S. in October of 2012 (i.e a few months), and rather than a ban, it is really more of a gradual phase-out of outdated, obsolete energy-guzzling incandescent bulbs, which encourages retailers to start stocking the latest high-tech, low energy light bulbs. Despite the fact that this starts in just a few months, many people still don’t know much about it. We consider it our mission at Inhabitat to help! A little while ago, we brought you a fun-filled article all about this important new federal law, but if for some reason you haven’t read our handy guide yet, or just prefer old-fashioned face time, we’ve made it even easier for you to digest the most crucial facts behind the light bulb phase-out (what it is, who it affects) with our new video explaining how to swap your bulbs.

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By now, most of you have probably heard about the incandescent light bulb phase-out starting this year (likely as a result of the ridiculous political bickering about the lighting legislation in the count-down to the end of 2011). However, a quick survey of your friends will reveal that few of us actually understand what it entails. The law is merely a way to encourage consumers to purchase more energy-efficient light bulbs – such as LEDs – that will save money and energy, both resources that we could all use more of at the moment. If you’re still unclear about what the incandescent phase-out means in terms of what kinds of light bulbs you’ll be able to find at stores in the coming years, or how you can switch to LED light bulbs while still maintaining the same quality and quantity of light supplied by your old incandescents, read on as we spell it out for you in our easy guide. And though we will be seeing less and less of Thomas Edison‘s most famous invention over the next few years, we think that even Mr. Edison would be swapping his incandescent bulbs for LEDs if he were alive today!

Read the rest of HOW TO: Switch Your Light Bulbs And Get Ready for the Big Light Bulb Phase-Out

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It’s amazing to think that just a few years ago, many people thought of LEDs as nothing more than the tiny red lights in our laser pointers but my, how the times have changed! With more and more people realizing the energy-efficiency benefits of LED lighting, it seems that everything from headlights to TVs to even clothing and wallpaper are now being lit up by the versatile lighting technology. Unlike incandescents, LEDs are super-compact, don’t emit heat and use just a fraction of the energy – plus their flexible, plastic design allows them to be used in a wonderful variety of innovative ways that other types of lighting just can’t touch. We’ve seen so many weird and wonderful uses for LED lighting lately that we decided to put together a roundup of our favorite examples for your viewing pleasure. Click through our gallery to see some of the quirkiest, most interesting uses for LEDs that we’ve ever seen.

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Since the idea was first put forth last fall, we have been closely following the quest of U.S. Republicans to repeal the energy efficiency standards for light bulbs. Introduced by Representative Joe Barton (R-Texas), the Better Use of Light Bulb (BULB) Act (HR 6144) would block parts of the 2007 energy law signed by George W. Bush that calls for phasing out the inefficient incandescent light bulb. In turn, the BULB Act would cost consumers more than $12.5 billion in energy costs annually. The bill is set to be voted on by the House of Representatives today.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", bulb act, bulb act lighting standards, energy efficient lighting, energy policy, green light policies, green lighting, incandescent bulb ban, incandescent bulb ban america, incandescent bulb ban us, incandescent bulb phase out, incandescent light bulb ban, repealing energy efficiency standars