Rapid Growth of Energy Saving LED Lights

As the legislation ban of Incandescent bulbs in the US and Europe, a large-scale adoption of energy efficient LED lights are forecasted in the next five years, it is expected to generate more than 4 billio units by 2016 in the lighting market. Consumers are now realizing the long-term savings associated with LED light bulbs over competitive options such as halogen and compact fluorescent bulbs.

Lighting accounts for approximately 19 percent of the world's energy use at present, according to most studies. IMS Research forecasts that in 2016 about 15 percent of all lighting on the market will be based on LED lighting technology, which would reduce global energy consumption of lighting by at least 20 percent.

Smart LED Lighting, LiFi, Optical Alternative of Wi-Fi

Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) is a new optical wireless version alternative of conventional wi-fi, using a LED light bulb to carry and emit communication streams, say, transmission of data through illumination.

Although the idea of transmitting data via the visible light spectrum is not new, the development of super high-speed transmission using off-the-shelf LED light bulbs initially came from research carried out by Professor Harald Haas, Professor of Mobile Communications, School of Engineering / Institute of Digital Communications, University of Edinburgh.

His research created the technology that can transfer vast quantities of information across a spectrum 10,000 times wider than the radio frequency spectrum.

Turning a light source – a simple household LED light bulb from LE for example – into a localised data communications centre is a potentially viable alternative. Where we have an LED light source configured with VLC’s own IP, we have a powerful method of carrying data, not just in a single data stream, but thousands of data streams in parallel at high speed. Moreover, it can be used in intrinsically safe environments – petrochemical plants, hospitals, aircraft, etc where the use of radio frequency Wi-Fi can have restrictions. Our research has shown that the long term potential for Li-Fi over Wi-Fi is one which cannot be ignored.

Smaller Energy Bills and Bigger Wallet for This Winter

Winter. For many of us, the season means holiday shopping, hot chocolate, and time spent with friends and family. For those of us who love saving energy, the winter season also means that there are many ways to save money by conserving energy. Check out these top 10 tips below:

1. Air seal and insulate your home: you can prevent heat from escaping or cold from entering your home – lowering your heating bills – by insulating and air sealing your home.
2. Use a programmable thermostat: you can reduce your waste heat by using a programmable thermostat that can reduce the heat at a specific time when you're away from the home and increase the heat before you get back for dinner.
3. Install ENERGY STAR doors and windows: doors and windows are places where cold/warm air can easily come through, so by installing energy efficient doors and windows, you can save energy and money with their better quality insulation.
4. Use LED holiday lights: Light emitting diodes, or LEDs, are at least 75% more efficient and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent lights. By using Christmas LED lights, you can be at ease knowing that you won't be spending a bundle to keep those lights on.
5. Turn off the lights: If you're out on vacation this winter, you can save energy by making sure the lights are turned off. 
6. Use lighting controls: you can save additional money on your electricity bill by using motion sensor, gu10 led dimmable lights and timer controls.
7. Lower the water heater: one significant way to reduce energy consumption if you're away on vacation is to simply lower the water heater. If you'll be gone three or more consecutive days, set the water heater to the lowest or 'vacation' setting if there is one.
8. Unplug electronics: when you are away, unplug those kitchen appliances, DVDs, TVs, and computers to save energy and money. These electronics, when plugged in, use up energy even when they are turned off. Here are some more tips.
9. Use a power strip: if the idea of running around the home to unplug everything is a bit too much, use power strips to plug in multiple appliances, and then turn it all off with the flip of the power strip switch.
10. Adjust the blinds and curtains: last but not least, another useful way to conserve energy while on vacation is to lower the blinds and curtains. Close your curtains and shades at night to protect against cold drafts; open them during the day to let in warming sunlight.

Hope it will help you save big for your energy and electricity costs in this winter!

From: energy.gov