Getting Started with LED Lighting

Profoundly Change the World with Just One LED Light Bulb

LED Light Bulbs

Since we first introduced the multi-bulb LED flashlights, C. Crane has continued to stay a pioneer of consumer LED lighting products. With just a little planning, you'll be able to enjoy the benefits of LED lighting.

The best way to start using LED light bulbs is to try them in one area first. To get familiar with LED light bulbs, we recommend you experiment with different lighting combinations and see how their light output works for you. Please share your successes and comments with us. All of our products have a 60-day satisfaction guarantee from the time you receive them.

LED Light Bulb Benefits

LED Energy Efficiency

A large percentage of the energy that goes into a standard 40 to 60 watt incandescent bulb is wasted as heat. This is not good for conserving electricity and saving money. LED light bulbs, on the other hand, generate relatively little heat as they glow, transferring more energy directly into light.

Vibration Resistant

In a garage, barn or basement under heavy foot traffic, incandescent bulbs are too fragile to last very long. Too much vibration and the filament breaks. So they'll not only save you money in the cost of bulb replacement, they'll save you the trouble of climbing onto a ladder to change out an incandescent bulb that keeps burning out.

General Illumination

Our GeoBulb®-3 direct replacement, High Brightness (HB) bulb uses just 7 watts of power and is the same size as a conventional incandescent bulb, making it suitable for direct replacement in any indoor open fixture. The GeoBulb®-3 puts out about 520 lumens which is approximately what a 60-watt incandescent bulb would be. The majority of this light is off the top half of the bulb, exceeding that of some 60-watt incandescent bulbs. The GeoBulb®-3 is available in 3 color variations: Cool, Soft and Warm White.

Reading Lamps

Use an LED light bulb in a task or reading light and you'll have a bright, white light to work by. LEDs not only produce more efficient light, they also have a tiny mirror that reflects light in one direction. A directed light means less wasted light. LEDs produce light efficiently and when combined with the right design, the LED light puts the light you need right where you need it.

Ceiling Cans

Ceiling cans (or recessed lighting) have become one of the most common styles of lighting for homes in the U.S. They are typically installed in groups simply for symmetry. Ceiling cans are an ideal place for LED light bulbs.

Shown here is a typical set up of ceiling cans. During the construction of a home, the number of cans contractors install is based solely on providing balance. After you have moved in and arranged your furniture, take a step back and dissect your room. Are there areas where you do not need or want the excess light produced by an incandescent bulb, such as in a can light over a window? Would low level lighting be more appropriate and desirable in that location?

If so, then this is a great place for one of our Power Vivid® LED bulbs. These energy efficient bulbs provide ambience and bring dynamic lighting to a room. We also have the Power Vivid BR30 Dimmable LED bulbs that can be used with dimmer switches. The Power Vivid BR30's come in two color options, bright white and warm white.

With just a little planning you will have light where you need it and you will get paid back handsomely for you efforts - with up to a 80% savings on the bulbs you replace.

Art Lighting

The new GeoBulb® MR16 will save you money and last a long time. These LED MR16 light bulbs use just 3 watts of power and last up to 50,000 hours. The Geobulb® MR16 will save you energy and offer a good return on your investment. If you run an MR16 for 24 hours a day, seven days a week as found in some commercial installations it is possible to save about $200.00* over the retail and electrical cost a standard incandescent M16 bulb over five years.

*An incandescent or halogen bulb costs: 8,760 hours in a year X 20 Watts X 5 (years) = 876,000 Watt hours (876 KW) @ $.12 KW = $105.12 in electricity savings plus the cost of replacing four bulbs per year for five years (20 bulbs) @ $7.95 = $159.00 for a total cost of $263.83. Your savings will vary according to your local electricity costs. To find the cost in your area go to http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_a.html.

The Geobulb® MR16 costs $14.98 and cost about $14.98 in electricity to run for five years for a total cost of $30.70. You can pay off the GeoBulb® in the first year, and you will then be putting money in your pocket as compared to running a halogen or incandescent bulb.

The new High Brightness, energy saving Geobulb® MR16 easily replaces conventional bulbs in indoor applications where a 20 Watt, 30 degree beam Halogen or incandescent bulb is used. New, high-quality materials, techniques and over a decade of white LED experience allow for a five year warranty. You could be conserving precious resources and, for one of the first times, benefiting financially by changing a simple light bulb.

Many commercial and residential situations exist where small MR16 bulbs are the best option to display artwork and to set the right ambience. However, the vast majority of MR16 bulbs are hot Halogen or incandescent bulbs. Compact fluorescents do not factor into this small bulb market because of their inherent large size. The tiny size of an LED lends itself to small bulb applications like MR16 bulbs, allowing for compact, bright bulbs that consume very little electricity and generate little heat. The new GeoBulb® MR16 is a good choice to replace hot, energy guzzling 20-Watt MR16 bulbs. Up until recently, it was impossible to construct a High Brightness long lasting LED MR16 bulb. We have more experience building and testing LED light bulbs over a longer period of time than most companies.

It is smart to use energy as efficiently as possible. Our easy-to-get fuel resources are expected to start running out in a few generations. The Geobulb® MR16 is one of the best solutions to help extend our energy resources and you will be financially rewarded, too, because it is as easy as changing a light bulb. You will also help stop the burning of over 700 pounds of coal or an equivalent energy source to create electricity by using the GeoBulb® MR16.

To keep the GeoBulb® MR16 warranty valid:

• The bulb must be used in an open fixture. Good ventilation is required.
• The ambient room temperature must be 95° Fahrenheit (35° C) or below.

The GeoBulb® MR16 is dimmable, but an Electronic Low Voltage type dimmer must be used. Damage may occur if the wrong type of dimmer is used.

Note:

• The Cool White GeoBulb uses three watts as compared to a 20 Watt halogen MR16.
• The cost of a high-quality MR16 halogen bulb is $7.95.
• The average cost of electricity in California is 12.46 cents a kilowatt
• The bulbs run 24 hours a day 7 days a week. (You can calculate the savings for 12 hours a day by reducing your ROI in half).
• The average life of a halogen bulb is 2,000 hours and you will have to replace it four times a year; this is not the case with the GeoBulb®-3.

LED Night Lights

We think nightlights should be cheap to operate, and we think the bulbs should last a long time which is why we designed our very own LED night light. Runs cool, won't shatter like glass bulbs, and is super energy efficient using less than 1 watt of power. 120 Volts and lasts up to 20,000 hours. Fits most standard night light fixtures.

Children's Rooms/Bedside Lamps

Our Color Changing Party Light Bulb is particularly popular with children. It is a fun light that changes from red to blue to green at a gentle pace. The Color Changing Party Light Bulb is the only man-made object that produces the colors as pure as stained glass.

LEDs at Work

Using LEDs at work and saving money while maintaining good lighting requires thought and some basic change. Most work areas need at least two types of lighting:

1. Light to navigate the work space safely.
2. Light to carry out the task at hand (task lighting).

Since LED light bulbs are directional, they are perfect for task lighting. With a little planning and experimentation, once you achieve the setup that is right for the job the only difference you will notice will be the 90% savings on your electric bill.

At work, LED light bulbs can be real money and headache-savers. Install them in hard-to-reach areas to cut down on maintenance costs, or in areas where a vibration-resistant light is of the essence — like in an emergency corridor, in a workshop, or down by a fuse box.

Why LEDs?

An LED light bulb can last a really long time compared to previous lighting technologies. An LED light bulb rated for 50,000 hours of life, and is on 6 hours a day, will theoretically run for over 22 years. Why do we say theoretically? Because that much time has not passed since this technology was created. We perform what is called, “accelerated testing,” on our LEDs. Using the data from these tests, we can predict how long an LED light bulb will last under normal conditions.

Some LED light bulbs are so energy efficient that, depending on how often you have them on, they can pay for themselves in less than a year.

The best way to conserve energy is to use less of it. Most LED light bulbs are directional — which means they generally put the light out off the top of the bulb and away from the base. Incandescent bulbs, on the other hand, throw their light all over the place including toward the base — wasting electricity and generating heat.

LED light bulbs run relatively cool, so they're safer to use than fragile, burning hot halogen and incandescent bulbs.

LEDs turn on instantly — a welcome difference to CFLs.

LEDs do not use mercury like CFLs — so disposal concerns aren't the same.

C. Crane's History with LED Light Bulbs

LEDs have been around since 1962, and you've probably seen the little red and green bulbs in electronics over the years. Everything changed in the world of LEDs when white LED bulbs were invented in 1993. The new white LEDs were so unusual; we figured they might just work in flashlights. So that's what we did.

Back in 1997, C. Crane was one of the first companies to introduce a flashlight that used two, bright White LEDs instead of a typical incandescent bulb. It was a revolution in lighting, and within just a few years thousands of people discovered the wonder of white LED flashlights.

Today, C. Crane is bringing the same wonderment of the original LED flashlight to 120V standard bulbs that you can use around your home, workplace or outdoors. These bulbs are so energy efficient and durable. You can expect them to last up to 50,000 hours, so long you could pass them on to your grand kids. Their many benefits and long life span make LED light bulbs the new way to light your home and save money.

Helpful Links:

http://www.dsireusa.org/Index.cfm?RE=1&EE=1

http://www.fypower.org

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