What You Need to Know About the Phase-Out of Incandescent Light Bulbs

On January 1, 2012, the incandescent light bulb has started becoming a thing of the past. These bulbs are being phased out as part of the Federal Security Act of 2007, otherwise known as the Energy Bill.  The goal of the Energy Bill is to encourage the use and technological development of more energy-efficient lighting alternatives. Common household bulbs that use between 40 and 100 watts will be mandated to use at least 27% less energy by 2014. Since traditional incandescent bulbs are not energy efficient enough to do this, manufacturers will be looking to new alternatives, such as LED lighting, to become the common household bulb of the future.

We’ve written about this phase out in the past, but want to re-visit the topic to make sure you, the consumer, know’s exactly what’s happening and what your options are. Over the course of the next two years, you’ll start to see these changes take place:

·         100-watt bulbs were the first to be phased out

·         75-watt bulbs will start a phase out in January of 2013

·         40-watt and 60-watt bulbs will start a phase out in January of 2014

The law mandating the phase out says that the bulbs can no longer be manufactured or imported after Jan. 1 but will let stores continue to sell them until stock runs out.

What does this mean for consumers?

LED Lighting is one of the options to take the place of the inefficient incandescent bulb for a few reasons:

1.       LED lighting is up to 75% more energy efficient, longer lasting and safer than traditional incandescent bulbs.

2.       The estimated cost per year of an LED light is $1.58 compared to $7.90 for a 60-watt incandescent bulb.

3.       LED lighting will last approximately 50,000 hours.

4.       LED’s are the most energy efficient and long lasting and come with dimmable options.

5.       Are best for your health, as they are mercury free, as well as other health benefits.

Another thing that will be different is the labeling. The new standard for measuring a bulb’s brightness will be “lumens”, not “watts”. To give you an idea of how lumens scale, a standard 60-watt incandescent bulb produces about 800 lumens.

Fortunately, New Tek Partners offers LED lighting solutions to counteract the negatives of owning incandescent bulbs. Our bulbs give off virtually no heat, meaning no wasted energy or risk of accidental burns. LED technology also does not utilize the wasteful filament that so often burns out in incandescent bulbs and causes frequent change outs.  In fact, we are so confident in our LED technology that we offer a 3 year warranty on all of our products.

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients. Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment. Like our Facebook Page for helpful tips and info, lighting ideas, pictures, and much more!

Make the Switch to LED Lighting - Your Electric Bill Will Thank You

In today's economic state, people are looking for everything they can do that will help them save some of their hard earned money.  Whether you are looking to make drastic changes or just a few minor ones, there are ways you can save.  Reducing your electric bill is a great place to start and LED Lighting is part of that answer.  Not only will reducing your electric bill keep some money in your pocket, it will also help to reduce your carbon footprint on the earth!

But why is LED lighting so energy efficient?  What are the real differences between traditional incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs, and even halogen bulbs versus LED bulbs?

Pretty soon you won't be able to purchase incandescent light bulbs anymore.  In January 2012, the Energy Independence Security Act began phasing out production of general-purpose incandescent lightbulbs, starting with 100-watt bulbs.  Exceptions will be made for some incandescents, however, including 3-way, appliance, and ceiling fan bulbs.

Fortunately, the alternatives are more energy efficient, better for the environment, and provide similar - or better - light quality.

Let's take a look at the comparison of LED's vs. compact fluorescent vs. halogen.

LED
1. The estimated cost per year is $1.58 compared to $7.90 for a 60-watt incandescent bulb (keep in mind that currently there are no 100-watt equivalent LED bulbs on the market).
2. Will last approximately 25,000 hours
3. Are the most energy efficient and long lasting and come with dimmable options.
4. Are best for your health, as they are mercury free, as well as other health benefits.
5. They do cost more to purchase, but you make up for it in energy savings over the life of the bulb.

COMPACT FLUORESCENT
1. The estimated cost per year is $3.42 compared to $13.17 for a 100-watt incandescent bulb.
2. Will last approximately 10,000 hours
3. Are a cost-effective, energy saving solution.
4. Many color temperature options are available.
5. Do contain mercury and requires safe disposal.

HALOGEN
1. The estimated cost per year is $9.48 compared to $13.17 for a 100-watt incandescent bulb.
2. Will last approximately 1,000 hours.
3. Produces a high quality of light.
4. Give off a lot of heat.
5. Are not as energy efficient as CFL or LED.

Well there you have it, an actual comparison of the three lightbulb choices you have.  It seems pretty clear to us which bulbs you should choose!

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.   Like our Facebook Page for free shipping on certain bulbs, helpful tips, lighting ideas, pictures, and much more!

The Uses for LED Lighting Technology are Endless; From Home to Business

We’ve seen how LED lighting can impact business directly; from lighting food, displays, and saving businesses money, the applications for LED’s in a business environment are endless.  The same can be said for LED lighting in the home; screw-in bulbs to outdoor flood packs.  The point is this: LED technology is versatile.  It can even be extended into more industrial environments, like warehouses, which serve as an important component of the business supply chain.  It might not be an application which consumers think of immediately, however this step in the process indirectly affects the prices that consumers pay for their goods.

Lighting is just a part of the new technologies and material handling procedures that the warehousing world is experiencing, but it’s also one of the most important.  Lighting is responsible for half to three quarters of a warehouse facility’s lighting needs.  Overhead lights are needed in loading areas for general illumination for better safety during loading procedures. Supplemental lights may also be needed to further improve illumination in certain cases.  At workstations low glare lights that enable office staff to comfortably read documents is needed. Good horizontal and vertical illumination is required for open storage areas as the aisles may be repeatedly reconfigured.

Similarly good lighting is needed in rack storage areas. Besides these, lighting levels in a warehouse depend on the activity pattern, space design (open or confined), age and visual acuity of workers and size of items.  LED lighting can be used in any of these areas of a warehouse and save on maintenance and energy costs.  In the long run, workers will be able to focus more on their job in a comfortable environment without worrying about lighting outages which render a particular area of the warehouse dark and unsafe.

New Tek Partners is an LED lighting company which produces commercial and industrial lighting solutions to cover a wide range of needs.  Their High/Low Bay LED lights produce at least a 60% energy savings and offer other options such as remote control, resistance to shock and vibration and a patented heat dissipation design.  These lights are perfect for warehouse applications and can benefit companies by saving money and benefit workers by creating a safer, and brighter, work environment.

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

LED Lighting – The Best Lighting Choice for Hospitals

Healthcare is one of the hottest topics heading into the New Year.  Hospitals worldwide are investing in energy efficient lighting to provide better patient care while saving in operating costs. 
LEDs are the best substitutes for incandescent globes and halogens and have very low maintenance cost, but high efficiency.  They not only provide a clearer, whiter light, which helps patients feel more at ease, but they also help lower operating costs for the hospital, allowing for that money to be better spent on front-line patient services such as medical supplies and staffing.  A recent report shows that sealed LED lighting units protect patients from harmful bacteria, while providing uniformly-distributed dimmable light. 

The long LED lifespan (estimated at 60,000 hours or seven years) also eliminates the need for routine bulb replacement, which stops harmful bacteria from being distributed into the atmosphere.  Using LED lighting in place of incandescent lighting can also lead to tax breaks, such as the Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction. 

Within the hospital itself, LED lighting can serve as an important component in different patient services.  MRI facilities require nonferrous lights because of the magnetic fields from the equipment.  Incandescent lighting tends to give off minute impurities that are affected by the high intensity magnetic field of the MRI.  This drastically reduces the life of the bulb.  Fluorescent lighting is not suitable either because of the noise artifacts generated in scans.  In comparison, LED lights are virtually unaffected by magnetic fields, provide no noise interference and last longer.  

LED lights are also dimmable, making them ideal for CT scan, ultrasound rooms and other places where adjustable lighting is needed.  LED bulbs and tubes are a great “assistant” for surgeons in operating rooms.  They deliver high quality light without high temperatures.  This allows for surgeons to view body tissue in its natural colors, while at the same time providing a safe environment for the patient. 

Not only does New Tek Partners have LED lighting solutions for home and office, they also provide optimal solutions for the healthcare industry.  The variety of bulbs, retrofit tube lights and flood lighting is perfect to fully equip a hospital inside and out.  Next time you are thinking about healthcare, consider how the proper lighting can impact your care.

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

The Future of LED Lighting

LED's are on the verge of reaching nearly every technological sector of your daily life.  From remote control key chains to household lighting to even industrial warehouse applications, this young technology is quickly gaining a foothold and looking to become the standard of lighting for years to come.  Before it became mainstream, LED lighting was used in niche applications.  With technology growing at such a rapid rate, it gave LED technology a chance to become involved with recent technological advances, like video displays on GPS and handheld devices.
 
While LED lighting prices remain high, their energy-efficient qualities combined with the phasing out of incandescent bulbs are combining to give this technology a platform on which to prove itself.  Prices, however, are expected to steadily decline in the next few years.  LED's are semiconductors, and since they are solid-state technology, they follow a fairly predictable curve as far as affordability and technological advancement go. 

A Hewlett-Packard semiconductor researcher estimated that light quality in LED's would increase by a factor of 20 per decade, while the cost would inversely drop by a factor of 10.  LightFair, an annual international architectural and commercial trade show, has seen its displays of LED lights rise of the last few years, reflecting this LED curve.  The industry as a whole is depending on LED's to supplant incandescent and fluorescent technology.  Even the government is joining the mindset of business enterprise. 

Just last year, the Department of Energy announced over $30 million in grants for solid state lighting research.  This grant money will go towards research and manufacturing of current LED's, in addition to new LED based technology.  Government estimates show that widespread LED use could cut U.S. electricity costs for lighting by up to a third by 2030.  This includes using LED's for traffic signals and flashlights and throughout civic centers and sports arenas.
 
New Tek Partners provides the latest in LED technology for private and commercial use.  With the increase in demand of LED products, New Tek Partners has an expanded line which features screw-in bulbs, wall packs, floor lights, and street lights.  As LED technology continues to follow the curve, New Tek Partners will be there to guide the way and inform you of the latest LED upgrades.

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

Indoor Gardening with LED Lights

Do you have a green thumb, yet can’t find the time to get outdoors?  Do you live in a place where the whether isn’t conducive to gardening?  LED lighting is everywhere these days and it was only a matter of time until alternative applications were found for this up and coming technology.  Gardeners are now hopping on the trend by using LED lighting to grow and maintain indoor plants.  It’s the perfect application for those who like to maintain a small spice or vegetable garden or even for those who garden on a bigger scale. 

Like incandescent bulbs you use in your home, traditional indoor growing lamps burn out periodically and can get really hot; i.e., they are highly inefficient.  Gardening is a skill that requires the use of reliable tools, and lighting is no exception.  LED lights are a reliable solution that can last up to 50,000 hours, are cool to the touch and are recyclable.  These lights are perfect for indoor growing applications because they can remain close to the plants without overheating the soil or stunting a plants’ growth.

The low voltage operation of LED lights also reduces the risk of accidental fires or electric shocks in wet environments.  You can even customize your lighting configuration, so you don’t have to use light reflectors.  LED lights come in small and maneuverable sizes, so you can install them anywhere you want – in corners, above or below a plant, or you could eve use multiple lights circling the plant, which is beneficial for long or cascading plants.  Some plants you grow might require different colors of lighting.  LED lights, such as those provided by New Tek Partners, come in a variety of colors best suited for your indoor plants’ needs.  These lighting solutions provide targeted light, which is not only softer on the human eye, but also the best light for indoor growing needs.
 
Whether you want to use a simple screw-in bulb to maintain a small hobby spice rack or bigger flood lights and tube lights, New Tek Partners has a variety of LED solutions in all shapes, sizes and lumen efficiencies to equip your gardening layout.  New Tek Partners lighting solutions are flexible to fit your growing needs; whether you need color lights, small maneuverable lights, or tube lighting to keep rows of plants growing.  Next time you decide to garden, think of how LED lighting can benefit your growing plan all year round.

Lighting Your Food With LED Lighting

Have you ever walked through a grocery store and noticed the lighting?  Next time you’re there take a closer look at the fruit, vegetable and fresh meat displays.  I’m willing to bet that you’ll notice how appetizing these foods look, and for good reason; grocers have long known that proper lighting can cause those shiny drops of dew and ice to dazzle under the lights, adding a “fresh” look to the food.  Not only can lighting turn common food items into crowned jewels, it can also help with operating costs.

Since LED lighting is known for its bright white light, in contrast to the yellow glare of incandescent and fluorescent lighting, it makes them an ideal candidate for grocery stores and markets everywhere.  Additionally, LED lighting has been proven to use a fraction of the energy of incandescent and fluorescent lighting.

An industry that relies so much on keeping its products fresh, cannot afford to have bad lighting solutions in place.  For example, more than 35 percent of energy use is on refrigeration, with the greatest usage occurring in display cases, freezers, coolers, and beverage dispensers.  If a store used fluorescent lighting in one of these areas, they would experience a large waste of energy due to fluorescent lighting putting off heat equaling a 25-50% increase in energy consumed.  Replacing this lighting with more cost effective LED lights can drastically decrease energy consumption.

LED lighting can also have industrial applications for food packaging and processing plants.  These warehouse areas are typically well-lit with rows of heavy duty tube lamps.  Lighting such a large space with these types of lights is a huge drain on energy and LED lighting can only help to lessen that burden.  There is also a new movement of horticulture companies experimenting with LED lighting for plant growth; ultimately, this could help grow more food for the world’s increasing population and impact the pricing at your local grocer.

Whether it’s food growing applications, better product placement or simply energy conservation, there is a place for LED lights in an industry were lighting is rarely noticed by consumers.  New Tek Partners provides proper lighting solutions to equip the smallest restaurant or bar all the way up to a large grocery store or industrial warehouse.  Their lights can brighten a display case or dim to set the mood in a bar.  It is a great time for food retailers to invest in LED lighting and New Tek Partners can help lead the way in equipping your retail business with cost-effective LED lighting.

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

LED Lighting Solutions for Retail Stores

We’ve seen how small business owners save money with LED lighting: the low energy consumption of this technology means a lower electricity bill.  Better, clearer lighting, such as provided by LED bulbs and tubes, can also lead to increased productivity.  Easy solutions like upgrading fluorescent tube lighting with LED retrofits and replacing work area bulbs with LED bulbs are the best way for businesses to start; however, not all businesses are created equally.  Lighting is often used differently in an office environment, like that of a lawyer or call center, than it might be in a retail store.  So how can LED lighting benefit those businesses that customers frequent on a regular basis?

In a retail setting, lighting is a critical part of the business strategy.  Lighting sets the right mood for shopping, highlights desirable products, illuminates display cases and creates an overall identity for the store, whether it’s a brightly lit grocery store or a stylishly lit clothing boutique.  The U.S. department of energy estimates that 42% of electricity bills of U.S. retail stores are made up by the lighting they utilize.  Chain stores especially can experience this multiplied across all of their satellite affiliates. 

In this environment, operating expenses become a large concern and all stores must be equipped with the same infrastructure to maintain stability in the operating budget.  LED bulbs are a great solution because they last so long and use only a fraction of the energy-impact than incandescent and fluorescent lighting solutions.  Retail stores also tend to leave certain lights on 24-7; whether it’s outside signage or indoor display lighting.  Since cost-savings with LED is more apparent over an extended period of time, those businesses which leave lighting on at all hours will notice savings sooner than the average private business.

Food retailers can not only notice cost savings with store lighting, but also in refrigeration costs.   The refrigerated display cases you find in every grocery store use a large amount of electricity.  Keep in mind that incandescent bulbs are typically used in these display cases: the same incandescent bulbs which give off a large amount of heat.  Food retailers, from large chains all the way down to a small privately run deli, could all benefit from using LED lighting in their display cases.  LED lighting is cool to the touch and can assist in making sure cold items stay cold.  Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs do not contain mercury and are thus safer for use in close proximity to food.
 
New Tek Partners carries lighting solutions that any retail establishment could implement into their strategy, including LED tube lighting retrofits and screw-in bulbs.  Their bulbs can be used for task lighting in a back work-office or as accent lighting as part of a retail display.  Whether a single retail business is looking for ways to cut costs or a chain retail outlet seeking to improve its bottom line across the board, New Tek Partners provides lighting strategies to help reach those goals.

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

LED Lighting Solutions for Business Owners

When thinking about saving money, one of the first things that comes to mind is “what can I do at home to save money?”  But if you’re a small business owner, or manager, you should seriously consider extending that savings to your business.  Even if you don’t own a business, having your employer change to more energy efficient lighting solutions could positively affect your work environment; this means less noise, better lighting and increased concentration.  The low energy consumption of LED lighting makes it an ideal candidate for businesses to start moving towards the “Green” technology and help achieve carbon reduction commitments for a better all-around environment.

There are easy ways to start the change in technology.  Start by replacing bulbs around your employees desks or work areas to improve lighting and remove unwanted background noise.  Also look to replace the main lighting source in your business, which is most often fluorescent lighting.  You can purchase LED retrofit solutions to update this old lighting technology.  Next, look at your outdoor lighting.  If you have street lamps on your property, consider using LED lamps to cut down on breakage and maintenance.  If the street lamps are maintained by the city, you can still implement a solution closer to the building by upgrading or installing LED flood/wall packs.

While switching out screw-in incandescent bulbs and retrofitting old fluorescent technology with LED tube lighting can help decrease the cost of your energy bill, you should consider these changes as an investment to your business.  What starts as a change in LED lighting can be a piece of a larger savings plan to upgrade infrastructure, such as heating and cooling systems, appliances and security systems. 

There are federal tax credits for energy efficiency that can help your business in the long run.  There is a tax deduction available now, for example, which offers a deduction of up to $1.80 per square foot to owners of commercial buildings which meet a certain heating and cooling energy-saving standards.  This same deduction offers a partial deduction of up to $0.60 per square foot for additional measures for lighting.   An energy audit, such as the free audit offered by New Tek Partners, can help you evaluate how to get your business on track to meet these tax credit requirements.
    
New Tek Partners offers tried and true solutions for your businesses LED lighting needs.  You can equip your business on the outside, with street lamps and flood/wall packs, while also improving your lighting efficiency indoors, with screw-in bulbs and LED lighting retrofits.  Not only can these upgrades in lighting save money on your electricity bill, it will also positively impact your employees’ environment and improve production.  Next time you assess your company’s energy consumption, turn to New Tek Partners to help provide you with the best lighting solutions for your business.

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

Where to Decorate Your Home With LED Lighting

LED lights bring functionality, efficiency and quality together into one package, which makes them the perfect decorating idea for your home.  LED lights give off a directional light, making them ideal for highlighting features around your house.  Being hard to break and cool to the touch, LED technology also functions as a safety net, so you can leave them on without worrying about potential fire hazards.  The energy-saving benefits of LED lights are an added bonus if decorating and making your home look good is at the forefront of your mind.
 
There are many places around your home you can use LED lighting as a supplemental decorating piece.  You could start by using LED lighting to outline surfaces in your home, such as tables or steps.  You might choose white LED lighting for a cool, classic look or colored lighting to pull together a room featuring a common color.  It’s not only about making your home look good, however.  LED lights are practical solutions for lighting those hard to see areas, while still acting as a decoration.

Basement steps, for example, could be well-lit by strategically placing LED strip lights below the steps or by hanging low-lumen bulbs around the staircase in different configurations.  Since LED lights have a low-impact on energy bills, they’re great for placing in those less-traveled areas that you still want to look good for company.  Even those dim areas of your kitchen could be lit up without turning on every light in your home.  Just use a couple of LED strips or bulbs under those cabinets and you’ll be able to brighten your entire kitchen without wasting energy.  You’ll be able to eliminate those dark, secluded areas and show your guests your entire home. 

Next, try extending LED lighting to your yard or garden.  Lining your outdoor tables with LED lighting will give your home a sense of brightness and fun even in the darkest of nights.  You can even place LED’s down your walkway; they will be invisible during the day, but look great at night.  You might also decide to outline statues or hang string lights; the possibilities are really endless!
New Tek Partners continues to offer quality lighting solutions to brighten your home and offer solutions to all your decorating possibilities.  The flexibility that LED lighting provides is mirrored in the types of products that New Tek Partners offers; from screw-in bulbs to wall packs to strip lighting and everything in between, you will have the ability to choose the best lighting solution for your home or office.  During that next home decorating session, think what lighting options would be best for you and turn to New Tek Partners for your home lighting needs.

Where are you inspired to add LED lighting in your home?

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

LED Lighting for the Holidays

The holiday season is fast approaching and this means that decorating your home will finally make it on your “to do” list.  LED lights are not just for regular use around your home or office.  They can also be used in a creative manner to spruce up your home around the holidays; and with the extra lighting strung up around your home, it is important to use an efficient solution to minimize the impact on your electricity bill, while still increasing the quality of your lighting.  

LED strip lights and neon lights are extremely versatile and can be used to outline a doorway or even drape over a Halloween decoration, such as a skeleton.  They even come in a variety of colors to match the holiday you are decorating for.  Strip lights from New Tek Partners are backed with adhesive tape to make enhancing decorations even easier.  With Christmas coming up in December, lighting decorations become an even bigger focus; from wrapping lights around your house or adorning Christmas trees, wreaths, centerpieces, garlands and lawn decorations, lights can play a huge part in how noticeable and festive your home is during the decorating holiday of the year. 

Think about swapping out your old Christmas lights with newer LED lights to reduce the impact lighting will have on your electric bill throughout the holiday season.  Since LED lights are cool to the touch, there is no concern with using them outdoors and having them come in contact with your house or shrubbery.  If you even wanted to keep your colorful decorations confined to certain times of the night or weekends, you can purchase dimmable and sensor activated lights to give you the extra flexibility.
New Tek Partners carries a variety of LED lights for your indoor and outdoor home decorating needs.  Their inventory includes everything from screw-in bulbs to neon lights and strip lights.  New Tek Partners carries flood lights that can be used for not only producing a bright, white light to keep the outside of your home well-lit, but they also come in a variety of colors for producing a holiday atmosphere.  They are perfect for supplementing your existing holiday decorations or even used by themselves to provide a subtle holiday warmth.  With the holidays around the corner, let New Tek Partners light the way towards saving money.

Have you switched out your old Christmas lights for LED lights yet?

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

Outfitting Your Home with LED Lighting

Using LED lighting to make your home energy-efficient is one of the main reasons to explore this new technology; however, LED technology is not limited to just saving money on your electric bill.  You can also use it to decorate your home for a more convenient, stylish look without the constant changing of old lights.  Updating or replacing your old lighting fixtures with LED lights is easy and sure to impress your guests.

You should start with the basic and practical option: replacing your screw-in bulbs with LED bulbs.  This can cover a wide range of areas, such as wall fixtures, table/stand-up lamps, kitchen lighting and bathroom lighting.  Next, get creative with it.  If you entertain guests frequently, consider installing track lighting strategically along your ceiling to highlight different areas of your home.  You can also install neon lighting to give your home a festive feel.

The best part about neon lighting is that you can go with a classic white light to leave in your home all year round and accentuate paintings, tables, or other areas of focus, or go with colored lighting to put up for parties or around the holidays.  New Tek Partners offers waterproof strip lights so you can even decorate your tub and sink in your bathroom to make sure every area of your home is lit to its optimum potential.

New Tek Partners provides affordable LED lighting solutions for your home.  From screw-in bulbs to colored, decorative lighting, there is a solution to fit all of your lighting needs.  New Tek Partners LED neon lights come in a variety of colors, including yellow, green and red, and are flexible for easy installation and application all over your home.  There are no LED dots visible, so you get a soft and easy light without it looking tacky. 

Additional accessories, like a power cord, retaining clip, and connection cap are included to help mount and power your lights.  Waterproof LED strip lights are also available for even more flexibility; they are ultrathin, cuttable and come with adhesive backing.  If you are looking to outfit your home with contemporary lighting solutions, turn to New Tek Partners to help provide you with all of your lighting needs.

Where are you going to switch to LED lighting in your home?

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

LED Lighting Tips and Tricks Part 2

As LED technology use continues to grow, so does it’s everyday use for consumers.  Though some of the more popular facts are well-known to consumers, such as the energy savings, ease of use, and great lighting quality, it’s important to continue to keep up-to-date on the latest trends of this growing technology to make sure you can make the best of all the benefits.   Here are a couple of lesser known items for you to note as you consider LED technology as part of your daily life.
• LED lighting technology continues to evolve with the addition of Hybrid Capacitors.  LED’s are already a much improved technology over incandescent and even CFL lighting.  New, recent advances in technology, called hybrid capacitors, increase the already limitless benefits of LED lighting.   A hybrid capacitor is the combination of an ultracapacitor and a lithium-ion battery and is replaceable and rechargeable.  They provide higher power and longer life beyond what current LED powering solutions, such as nickel cadmium or lithium-ion batteries, can provide. 
• LED lighting retrofits can offer benefits to businesses.  It is important for businesses to consider retrofitting to add new technology to older systems.  It is possible to gain up to 85% energy savings with the right fixtures.  LED tube lighting is also known to last up to 50,000 hours and significantly reduce the amount of maintenance needed.  A business should always evaluate their current wiring and circuitry before deciding on the proper retrofit fixture.  Checking with local utility companies for energy-efficient rebates and/or tax deductions is also advisable.  Their pointers can help guide your business in the right direction for lowering your energy bill.
• Consider energy audits to evaluate potential savings.  Determine what areas your business feels it needs to advance in energy efficiency and select an auditor to provide your business with a prioritized list of recommendations.  Aside from lighting, your business could benefit from knowing its shortcomings with heating and cooling systems, appliances and security systems.  Possible lighting suggestions could include swapping out incandescent screw-in bulbs with longer-lasting LED’s, using retrofit lighting fixtures to update old fluorescent tubes, and replacing outdated flood lights with more efficient LED lights.
New Tek Partners provides LED lighting solutions to benefit both residential homes and commercial businesses.  Prior to jumping into the world of LED technology, you can take advantage of their free lighting audit to evaluate where you can save in your home or business.  Their UL classified fluorescent retrofit conversion kits in particular can offer businesses a large amount of savings over traditional fluorescent tube lighting.  When thinking of ways you can save money on energy, turn to New Tek Partners for expert advice and solutions.

What questions do you have about switching to LED lighting?

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

LED Lighting Tips and Tricks

Part of the reason the LED technology is becoming so popular is because of its versatile nature.  With incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lighting, most consumers feel like they know the typical behaviors: you can set them on a dimmable switch, you know when they burn out because they “pop”, they give off large amounts of heat and they are typically inexpensive.  Consumers should get to know LED lighting the same way and realize that they have features that go beyond benefitting the “green” community and lowering your electric bill.

• LED’s give instant light and are dimmable.  Notice that when turning on a fluorescent bulb, or CFL, that there’s a slight hesitation and flicker before the light achieves its full brightness.  LED’s reach their full brightness potential as soon as the switch is flicked and maintain a steady light which does not flicker.  Today’s LED bulbs can also be hooked up to a dimmable switch to provide mood lighting throughout your home or office.  Unlike incandescent bulbs, which burn out and pop when their life is over, LED’s simply become dimmer over time.

• LED bulbs do not contribute to heat buildup in your home.  This is especially important for consumers who are living in the South and recently experienced one of the hottest summers on record.  During some of these humid and muggy nights, you’ll find that the incandescent lights in your home are contributing to the heat buildup and are actually causing you to run your air conditioning at lower than normal temperatures.  Incandescent bulbs generally have a low lighting coverage area, thus requiring more of them to be used.  LED bulbs, however, produce an ideal amount of light over a wide area and remain cool to the touch.  High power LEDs in particular are designed with heat sinks, which keep operating temperatures low.

• Choose your LED bulbs wisely.  You should always look at the package when purchasing any lighting solution.  Soon, all new LED packages with contain the new unit of measurement: lumens, making it easier to compare to old-fashioned lighting solutions and see the benefits of LED lighting more clearly.  You should also be sure to choose LED bulbs that are “UL Listed” or “UL Classified”, and not “UL Compliant”.  “UL Compliant” bulbs have not been tested or approved by the Underwriters Laboratory to show that the bulbs have passed stringent tests.

New Tek Partners offers LED lights that you can tailor for your home or office needs.  In addition to high quality screw-in LED bulbs, they manufacture “UL Classified” Fluorescent Retrofit Conversion Kits using LED Green technology.  All of these products carry a minimum 3 year warranty to prove just how long lasting they are.  The above tips can be applied to New Tek Partners lighting solutions because they provide a wide variety of high quality products, which meet and exceed the industry standard.

What questions do you have about switching to LED lighting?

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

LED Lighting – Busting Electricity Myths

Whenever exploring new technology it’s common to hear many different arguments which blur the line between fact and fiction, making it hard for the average consumer to make an educated choice.  Here are a few myth-busting facts to help clear up any misconceptions you might have had about LED lighting:

• Myth:  An LED bulb is more expensive than an incandescent bulb.  Truth:  Although the one-time cost of an LED may be slightly higher than an incandescent bulb, it lasts up to 10 times longer and uses a much as 80% less energy than a standard incandescent.  Factor in the decreasing prices of LED bulbs due to the phasing out of incandescent bulbs and you have superior technology for a considerable increase in long term savings.
• Myth:  It is better to wait on LED technology and use my existing incandescent bulbs until they burn out.  Truth:  Every hour an old incandescent bulb is used, they more money is added to your electricity bill.  Incandescent bulbs burn more energy than they give out; thus there is no benefit for waiting for them to burn out, even if it does only take a few short months for them to do so.  Replacing them immediately with energy saving LED bulbs will prevent wasted electricity, possible safety hazards from the bulb popping and radiating intense heat, and provide an immediate return on savings.

• Myth:  Installing CFL lights will help me cut my electricity bill more than LED lights.  Truth:  Compared to LED lights, CFL lights consume twice as much energy to produce the same amount of light.  LED lights also last up to 5 times longer than CFL’s.  Additionally, CFL lights contain mercury and have to be safely disposed off to prevent this hazardous material from harming the environment.
Energy efficient, myth-busting LED lights are a must have technology for your home or office.  New Tek Partners provides the latest in LED technology, helping you fight against increasing electricity bills and environmental issues.  These cost effective solutions from New Tek Partners can save you a bundle when paired with energy consumption reducing techniques such as switching off lights when not in use. 

However, replacing your 50-watt bulb with a 6-watt LED light from New Tek Partners, for example, will give you the same amount and quality of light and use a fraction of electricity.  Through offering proven solutions in the LED lighting world, New Tek Partners can help bring your household into the emerging world of LED technology.

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.

Health Benefits of Switching to LED Lighting

LED lighting has been praised for its numerous benefits: they help you save money on your energy bill, have a long lifespan and use a fraction of the electricity that traditional incandescent bulbs use.  It also turns out that LED lighting not only helps you save money; they are also a healthier option over traditional lighting solutions.

Consider that general lighting features such as flicker, hum, burnout, wasted heat and mercury, can be harmful to your health.  We’ve all seen these features and experienced their negative effects, which range from headaches, eye strain, and irritability to hyperactivity, fatigue and attention deficit.  Fortunately, using LED lights can eliminate these ailments, especially for those who already experience health problems and need to limit any potential negative effects the environment can cause.

LED lights are typically powered by DC voltage, which does not cause flickering.  Additionally, the humming sound associated with fluorescent lights, commonly used in hospitals, is also eliminated because LED’s use no filaments or extraneous moving parts.  Other common negative effects such as heat, burnout and mercury emissions are eliminated due to the long-lasting, environmentally safe way these next generation lights are constructed.

Even hospitals are realizing the positive health effects of LED lighting.  Recently, select hospitals in the UK started using a sealed LED lighting unit to protect patients from harmful bacteria, while also providing an evenly lit and relaxed environment.  Hospitals are also one such place where the need for quality and cost-effective lighting is paramount.  Using LED lighting and being able to reduce AC costs, eliminate mercury emissions and cut down on general maintenance costs are just a few ways that hospitals can redistribute their funds to the needs and comfort of patients.

New Tek Partners is a company that focuses on designing and manufacturing quality LED lighting products.  This means that issues, such as health and environment, shape the way they make their products.  From tube lights to screw-in bulbs, New Tek Partner’s LED products are cost effective, carbon-reducing and mercury-free.  If you are looking for a proven solution for safely lighting your home, street or place of business, turn to New Tek Partners for the latest in LED technology.

Where else are you seeing the switch from traditional lighting to LED lighting?

LED Lighting is Most Cost Effective Lighting Solution

Consumers commonly hear one main argument against LED bulbs: they are too expensive.  However, factor in that LED bulbs last up to 6 times longer, use as little as 1/30th the wattage of incandescent bulbs or CFL’s, and can offer a large dent in your electricity bill, and buying LED bulbs becomes more cost effective than purchasing new incandescent bulbs.  Although the cost of current LED products are higher than that of incandescent or CFL bulbs, the savings are recovered in the long run because your LED bulb will last longer, use less energy and ultimately result in less trips to the store for more bulbs.

As LED bulb usage picks up steam, new LED products are hitting the shelves at lower prices.  Certain new LED products will be priced for less than $15 and represent a new move to not only be superior to incandescent and CFL technology in terms of quality, but also in terms of cost effectiveness at the check-out counter.  As incandescent bulbs are phased out and LEDs take the forefront in the lighting battle, prices will continue to lower on LED products.  By 2015, LED lighting should hold around 30% of the commercial lighting market alone.  The upcoming change to packaging by the Federal Trade Commission will also make buying LED bulbs as simple as incandescent and CFL products.  No more need to calculate across lighting products; you will be able to directly see the energy efficient savings that purchasing LED products provides.

The trend in lighting is moving towards more widespread use of LEDs for residential as well as commercial use.  As LED bulb prices continue to go down, this trend is going to grow.  New Tek Partners is an LED provider who can help you save during the phasing out of incandescent bulbs.  They carry cost effective LED lighting solutions for residential homes and commercial use, such as screw-in bulbs, flood/wall packs, street lighting and tube lighting.  New Tek Partner’s LED GREEN technology provides a state of the art and cost effective product to this trending market.

Your Guide to Making the Change From Watts to Lumens

Most times, with new technology comes a new vocabulary.  Many consumers have gotten used to using “watts” to refer to how much energy an incandescent bulb will use when lit.  We can see the difference in brightness between a 60-watt and 150-watt bulb, but the term gives us a basis of comparison for when comparing across the different lighting platforms such as LED, CFL and incandescent.  For example, with the introduction of CFL’s, consumers had to get used to thinking about watts in a new perspective, since a 15-watt CFL bulb produces equivalent light of a 60-watt incandescent.  To take the comparison even further, a 6-watt LED is equivalent to a 15-watt CFL bulb. 

Mental lighting math, however, will become a thing of the past.  Now that regulations are changing in the lighting industry and new technologies are emerging, consumers will have to get used to new terms such as Coloring Rendering Index (CRI) and Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) to help standardize the lighting solutions available.  Luckily for consumers, to make this easier, the Federal Trade Commission has mandated a change in the packaging for all bulbs. 

Effective in 2012, the new standard for measuring a bulb’s brightness will be “lumens”.  Lumens will replace wattage as the reliable way to gauge a bulb’s brightness.  To give you an idea of how lumens scale, a standard 60-watt incandescent bulb produces about 800 lumens.  Even though a CFL bulb uses fewer watts to produce that same amount of lumens, you don’t need to convert since lumens refer to light output rather than energy consumption.  This means that lumens can be used to compare brightness of any bulb, without conversion, whether it’s CFL, incandescent, or LED technology. 

The good news for consumers is that this change in labeling allows you to better compare lighting solutions available and determine which is best for your budget.  Pairing this change in labeling with the emergence of LED technology and the phasing out of traditional incandescent bulbs, consumers will find it even easier to choose their lighting solution.

New Tek Partners can help ease this transition.  We carry a wide range of LED products to help familiarize you with the latest in lighting technology.  Our lighting products are efficient, durable and environmentally safe.  In addition, our products meet the latest changes in packaging and lighting regulations.  Let us show you how to save with LED lighting today!

Prices on the Rise for Fluorescent Lighting

A blow to non-LED lighting solutions in the market occurred recently when Sylvania, GE and Philips all announced that they were raising prices for their fluorescent lamp products, including CFL’s.  This is the second price increase in the past 3 months for these particular products.  This is due to the reduced amount of rare earth oxides that China is making available for export; a move that has led to the drastic rise in prices for these materials. 

Rare earth elements contain phosphors, which are substances that radiate visible light when energized.  An increase in global demand and restricted supply across multiple industries has been the cause for limited supply to the lighting industry itself; an industry which uses less than 10% of the Chinese export quota for these materials.  China’s economic growth is creating a greater need for them to use these rare metals for their own products. 

Overall, consumers can expect the price for all fluorescent bulbs to increase by 25% as of August 1, 2011.  These rare earth elements are also an important component of some incandescent and halogen products and will affect their pricing as well, raising them by as much as 10%. 

Consumers, however, should not worry about this price increase.  The need for fluorescent and incandescent bulbs has waned in recent years due to the emergence of LED technology.  LED bulbs are more cost effective and safer than common lighting solutions and do not utilize any of the phosphors or mercury that standard bulbs do.  A move towards energy efficiency has prompted companies to explore alternative means of lighting, thus making LED lights poised to take over the lighting market in the near future.

New Tek Partners is one such company that offers relief for those looking to part ways with their expensive and outdated lighting solutions.  With their cutting LED technology, New Tek Partners can offer lights that last up to 10 times longer, use less electricity and need to be changed less often than ordinary lighting solutions.  Whether you desire street lamps, tube lamps or simple LED bulbs for your home, New Tek Partners has a lighting solution to cover every need.

How to Lower Your Energy Bill with LED Lighting

These days, everyone has gadgets around there homes.  TV’s, computers, multi-use monitors, kitchen appliances and many other electronics that make it necessary to have power strips protruding from almost every electrical socket in your home.  Not every gadget is completely necessary for daily function, however it is nice to retain the ability to use your devices when you want them, while also being able to employ cost saving techniques to lower your energy bill.  Also, don’t forget: the bigger the gadget, the more power you will draw.  So how do you cut down on electricity?
 
A couple of common sense solutions spring immediately to mind.  You can start by turning off your devices when they are not in use, unplugging appliances when they are not in use and setting you’re A/C at an acceptable, consistent level.  Another common energy drain is lighting.  Simply turning your lights off when they are not in use, especially if your current lights are incandescent bulbs.  Incandescent lights use up to 6 times more energy (measured in KHW) and have a tenth of the lifespan of LED bulbs. 

While your common household appliances and devices are limited in how often you can change them out (because of the cost, convenience and material attachment), light bulbs are easily replaceable.  In the case of LED lights, due to their approximately 60,000 hour bulb life, the ease of replacement is increased ten-fold.  Using LED lights in your home means less bulb swapping and less energy usage and ultimately results in a significant savings in your energy bill; especially when paired with the aforementioned common sense solutions.

New Tek Partners offers LED lighting products which can complement the common sense solutions you implement around your home.  New Tek Partners even offers a free lighting audit to help you ascertain how much energy your current lights are using and provide you with an assessment of how much LED lights could save you.  With the way the lighting market is moving, LED lights are poised to be the future lighting solutions for your home; and with good reason: they will save you money and help you lower your energy bill.

What other tips do you have to help lower your electric bill?