Fluorescents aren’t the only alternative — light-emitting diodes offer an energy-efficient and non-polluting way to illuminate our lives
Title 24
There is a dark shadow, however, for California designers and installers: LEDs, for the most part, do not yet comply with Title 24, the state laws regulating energy consumption. For new construction and residential remodels that require building permits, such as kitchens and bathrooms, and certain other locations, the wattage consumption must be kept in accordance with required mandates. Standards do not yet exist to prove that LED lights are efficient.
Engineer Kevin Gauna of the California Lighting Technology Center at UC Davis is among the researchers perfecting uniform ways for manufacturers to test the true efficiency of their LEDs. He expects these testing procedures to become part of the state’s Title 24 revision package in 2008.
“It’s kind of a lawless frontier out there right now,” Gauna says, “but soon the Wild West will be tamed, after we have all the laws in writing.”
With the LED technology “exploding,” Gauna anticipates that in three or four years LEDs will be as common in the home as dimmer switches.
Designer Whitehead predicts: “These are the lightbulbs your children will inherit.”
LED facts
Lasts thousands of hours
Creates a full spectrum of color
Works with PCs to produce special effects
Emits minuscule amounts — if any — of ultraviolet light
Don’t really burn out; they mostly just fade away
Requires a good heat sink (to absorb or dissipate heat)
Not considered hazardous waste (unlike fluorescent bulbs, which contain mercury)
For more information
www.ledeffects.com
www.lightswitch.net
www.permlight.com
www.randallwhitehead.com
www.rpi.edu (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)
Tips
Best when used as focused, not general, light
Use less wattage for “punch” accenting
Should be kept in the range of 2,700-3,500 degrees Kelvin
Good for garden path and stairway lighting
Good for out-of-the way places such as under cabinets and in toe kicks, coves and niches
May reflect little white dots on shiny surfaces
Can be dimmed with special controls
Don’t come in an inexpensive screw-in white bulb — yet
May meet Title 24 requirements for kitchens and baths in 2008
Should be tested before you buy big
E-mail comments to home@sfchronicle.com. source : www.sfgate.com written by : Anne Marie Jordan
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