VU1 ESL Light Bulb

Retailers are gearing up to meet deadlines for the incandescent light bulb ban. Ikea has already stopped selling the inefficient bulbs. And California has pulled the plug and is letting current supplies run down. Many incandescent lovers are shedding tears and hating on the mercury-containing CFLs and the more expensive (though infinitely more efficient) LEDs. So here come the ESLs. The VU1 Corporation has developed a light bulb using Electron Stimulated Luminescence that the company claims to be more efficient than incandescent, CFL, and LED bulbs.

Though using this patented technology in lighting is new, the science itself is by no means cutting edge. It works in the same way that a cathode ray television works- electrons stimulate phosphors inside the bulb to make them glow. The VU1 Corporation is marketing their bulbs as having the same light quality as an incandescent, yet up to 70% more efficient. They’re taking on the LEDs with a cheaper sticker price. And by not containing any mercury, they are a safer option over the CFLs.  They also have dimming capability and come on instantly, fit into a standard socket and have a similar shape to the Edison bulbs. Here is a comparison photo from the VU1 website:

VU1 Light Quality

Energy efficiency compared to an LED though is still in question. The VU1 bulb produces 30 lumens per watt, the equivalent of a 65 watt incandescent. LED technology continues to advance rapidly with some LEDs producing 3 times that many lumens per watt. And the LED holds the top spot when it comes to longevity. The VU1 bulb lasts 10,000 hours, while LEDs average 40,000-60,000 hours. Check out our guide to LEDs here.

Nevertheless, the ESL is an energy efficient and environmentally friendly lighting option and VU1 could find a nice slice of the light bulb market, especially as the incandescent bulbs leave the building. As stated in this report on Bloomberg, VU1 is in talks with two major retailers in the U.S. to begin selling the ESL bulbs. The bulb, which received UL certification in October, currently sells on the company’s website for $19.95.

[Via: Technology Review]

Best LED Christmas Lights

LED Christmas lights have come a long way since they first hit the market. Now you can get just about any shape, size, and color to please the most die hard of holiday decorators. Most agree they are even more brilliant than the traditional incandescent Christmas lights, but perhaps the greatest benefit is that they are up to 90% more efficient. Making the switch will reduce your utility bill and your carbon footprint.

Though the price has come down over the years, they are still more costly than their incandescent counterparts. However, LED Christmas lights can be a better investment in the long run with many providing a long lifespan of up to 100,000 hours and the fact that they are encased in a durable plastic, which offers less chance of breakage than with glass bulbs. And say goodbye to the frustration of having the whole string of lights go out when one bulb dies. That doesn’t happen with LEDs. These Christmas lights are safer as well, especially if you have little kids running around, because they don’t get hot.

Don’t just throw your old lights away. If they’re still working, donate them to a local charity. Your broken ones can be recycled. Christmas Light Source is an online LED company that will take your old lights and recycle them for you, then donate the proceeds to buy books for Toys for Tots. So go ahead and be a Griswold instead of a Grinch this holiday season. Here’s our list of the best LED lights for your Christmas display.

GKI/Bethlehem Lighting 50-Light FlexChange LED Light Set

GKI/Bethlehem Lighting 50-Light FlexChange LED Light Set

GKI/Bethlehem Lighting, a company who have long provided commercial light displays including lighting State Street in Chicago for Christmas, offers high quality LEDs to the consumer. Their patent-pending FlexChange are sealed with non-corrosive components for indoor or outdoor use. This 50 light set features 5 mm wide angle replaceable LED bulbs that are 6 inches apart. These sets can be connected and are Energy Star certified. Amazon reviewers give the FlexChange LED light set an average 4 star rating with most commenting on the high quality. Also available in single colors: blue, green, red, purple, and white.

Sells on Amazon for $25.86.

100 LED Energy Smart Mini Holiday Christmas Lights by GE

100 LED Mini Holiday Christmas Lights by GE

These miniature LED Christmas lights by GE measure 33 feet in length, but you can make them even longer by connecting up to 25 sets together for indoor or outdoor use. The lights are 4 inches apart. All the other lights will still work even if one LED is burned out or loose. They are replaceable, break resistant, and cool to the touch. Keep these glowing even after Christmas as accent lighting. It should be noted that some Amazon reviewers point out that since LED lights are so energy efficient, they are not strong enough to power the motion ornaments. This set uses 8 watts of power.

The Energy Smart GE Mini Christmas Lights are sold on Amazon for $23.00.

GKI/Bethlehem C9 LED 25 Multi-Color Christmas Light Set

GKI/Bethlehem C9 LED 25 Multi-Color Christmas Light Set

Hard to believe these LED lights as they look like a throwback to the traditional lighting of Christmas past. Another selection from GKI/Bethlehem Lighting, who boast the brightest and truest color of LED Christmas lights, this set of multi-colored candle-shaped bulbs is Energy Star certified with 6 inch spacing between bulbs that are UV protected to prevent fading. The C-9 size is perfect for outdoor use, but would also bring some Christmas nostalgia inside. Comes with a 3 year warranty.

Sells for $39.99  on Amazon.

Good Tidings Holiday Christmas Light Set

Good Tidings Indoor/Outdoor Holiday Christmas Light Set

If you’re looking for something a little smaller than the C-9s without skimping on brightness, this set from Good Tidings features 70 multi-colored flame shaped LED bulbs that are 4 inches apart. The green cord measures 23 feet long and can be connected with up to 20 other sets. If one bulb goes out, the others stay lit. Using less than 10 watts of power for the whole set, they are cool to the touch. Authorized for both indoor and outdoor use.

The Good Tidings Christmas Light Set is sold on Amazon for $17.99.

Gemmy LED Color Changing Icicle Light String

Gemmy LED Color Changing Icicle Light String

These LED multi-color icicle lights by Gemmy provide a multi-function light pattern to create your own holiday light show. The glass-like appearance delivers a cleaner look when the lights aren’t in use, compared to the traditional icicle lights. Each string is 24.5 feet long with 24 icicle bulbs that are 12 inches apart. They can be connected to other light show sets for display inside or outside.

The Gemmy LED Color Changing Icicle Light String can be purchased at Lowe’s for around $40.00. There is a smaller set available on Amazon.

Color Selectable Rope Lights

Color Selectable Rope Lights

Orange Tree Trade, an American company, designs LED rope lights that render a low maintenance alternative to bulbs. This 10 foot version contains 60 blue LEDs and 60 white LEDs with 1 inch spacing between them. Using the controller, you can select blue only or white only or a mix of the 2 colors. The rope is 1/2 inch diameter and has an average life of 100,000 hours. Safe for indoor or outdoor use, LED rope lights do not heat up and this one uses about 6 watts of energy for this 10 foot rope. Comes with 10 mounting clips. You can connect with other rope lights up to 100 feet.

The 10 foot color selectable rope light sells on Amazon for $40.60.

Lawn Lights

Lawn Lights

These LED lights for your lawn have become so popular over the past couple years, the company has struggled to keep up with demand. If you’re not one for getting up on a ladder and stringing lights across your house, these lights will still give you a beautiful Christmas display without the hassle. According to their website, you can set them up in about 15 minutes. You can read more about Lawn Lights here. Each set covers 2500 to 3600 square feet. Amazon reviewers have given Lawn Lights an average 4 star rating. One reviewer said the lights still glowed through the extensive snow cover on her lawn which made for a cool effect.

You can get Lawn Lights on Amazon for $59.88.

Solar Powered Christmas Lights

Solar Powered Christmas Lights

Want to completely eliminate your energy cost for Christmas lighting? Try out these solar powered Christmas lights by GudCraft. The 100 LED lights are solar charged during the day to come on automatically at night for approximately 8 hours. Each string is 35 feet in length. What’s great about these is you can decorate anywhere without the use of extension cords or worrying about where you’re going to plug in. Comes in a choice of white or blue. The blue lights have a flash setting as well.

Sold on Amazon in white or blue for around $30.00.

GKI/Bethlehem Christmas Tree Topper with Morphing LED

GKI/Bethlehem Christmas Tree Topper with Morphing LED

Add some energy efficient lighting to the top of the Christmas tree with this color changing star by GKI/Bethlehem Lighting. The LED lighted star flows through a variety of holiday colors. It has a crystal-like appearance when not lit up and attaches to either a real or artificial tree with the 24 inch flexible mounting arm. Energy Star certified, the Bethlehem Star tree topper has received a 5 star rating by Amazon users.

Sells for $50.88 on Amazon.

When researching energy efficient appliances, we often turn to the recommendations of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The ACEEE continues to publish helpful information about all sorts of appliances, including freezers. The ninth edition of their Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, published in fall 2007, contains helpful information about selecting a freezer.

The most efficient type of freezer is the chest freezer. This is because a chest freezer opens from the top, and cold air (which is heavier than warm air) does not escape easily from a chest freezer. The weight of the lid also helps to seal chest freezers tightly. Chest freezers are 10% to 25% more efficient than upright freezers.

A useful thing to know about U.S. freezers is they’re almost all manufactured by three companies: Frigidaire (owned by Electrolux), W.C. Wood (based in Canada) and Haier (based in China). Frigidaire makes freezers under the Frigidaire and Gibson names, and makes some freezers for Kenmore and GE. W.C. Wood makes freezers for Amana, Magic Chef, some units for Maytag, Danby and Whirlpool. Haier makes freezers for GE, Kenmore, some units for Maytag and Amana in addition to selling some models under its own name.

Because of the different branding, many times customer are paying a premium for a differently branded freezer. For example, Frigidaire freezers sometimes cost more than GE freezers and Maytag freezers may fetch a premium over a W.C. Wood freezer.

Recently, the US Department of Energy launched the Recycle My Old Fridge campaign that encourages Americans to recycle their old, inefficient refrigerators. The web site includes a calculator so users can determine how much energy their current refrigerator consumes, what they can save by replacing it with a new Energy Star model, and where they can take the old fridge to be recycled locally.

Here’s a look at the most efficient chest freezers currently available:

Whirlpool Chest Freezers

Whirlpool Chest Freezer: Energy Star Qualified

Whirlpools makes a very energy efficient chest freezer, model number EH151FXR (similar models are EH151FXQ or EH150FXQ). This 14.8-cubic-foot freezer is rated at 354 kWhrs per year. The average cost to run this freezer for year is $29, according to Energy Star.

Though it requires manual defrosting, it sport a number of other features including an interior light and a temperature alarm. Its key-eject lock means that the freezer can only be opened when the key is pushed in and turned — a safety feature helpful in homes with small children. Four baskets (two upper, two lower) make it easier to organize the contents — especially on the lower level.

It’s available from Amazon for $405.

Sundanzer DC-Powered Chest Freezers

Sundanzer DC Chest Freezer

The most efficient DC-powered chest freezer is the SunDanzer. This eight-cubic-foot capacity freezer has an exceptionally low energy consumption — it uses around 140 kWhr / year. It incorporates the highly efficient Danforst compressor. It also has a super-insulated cabinet that is wrapped in four inches of polyurethane. Because it runs on either 12 or 24 volts DC, the SunDanzer freezer is mostly used in off-grid homes or in remote locations, because a 75 watts solar panel and and two six-volt golf cart batteries can power the freezer.

It’s available from the Alternative Energy Store

Most Energy Efficient Bottom Freezer Refrigerators

For consumers looking for an energy efficient refrigerator these days, the choices (thankfully) are numerous.  It seems that just about every major appliance manufacturer has developed a model that is energy efficient enough to garner the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program seal of approval.

While the most popular refrigerator model in terms of sales is the side-by-side configuration, that is also the least efficient in terms of energy usage. Energy misers would be wise to choose a configuration that has the freezer on the bottom and the refrigerator on top, which happens to be the most energy-efficient fridge/freezer configuration available. While this variety – known simply as the bottom freezer model – often does not come with the ever-popular built-in ice maker, some models do include this amenity, and are large enough to accommodate the typical family.

Looking at the energy usage of bottom freezer models earning the Energy Star Tier 3 designation – the most efficient category – consumers have several options. These are some of the top energy efficient refrigerators, given the typical American’s choice of size and amenities:

LG Electronics Model LFD25870

Most Energy Efficient Refrigerators / Freezers:LG Model LFD25870 Bottom Freezer Refrigerator

This highly efficient unit boasts a comfortable 25 cubic feet of space and an ice maker. With annual energy usage rated at 476 kilowatt hours per year, this model comes in at 31 percent lower than the 687 kWh/year federal standard.

As an alternative, LG’s Model LFC25776 offers the same space, but lacks an ice maker. It has a four compartment crisper system, which gives easy access and numerous ways to organize fruits, vegetables and beverages. This energy efficient refrigerator also comes with two humidity-controlled crisper drawers, a full-width Glide-N-Serve drawer, and a bonus drawer for fruits and vegetables. Because it has no ice maker, this unit uses just 416 kWh/year, 30 percent below the federal standard of 596 kWh.

The LG Electronics Model LFC25776 Bottom Freezer Refrigerator is available via Amazon.com for $1,499.

Crosley Appliances Model CFD26WIS

Most Energy Efficient Refrigerators / Freezers: Crosley Appliances Model CFD26WIS Bottom Freezer Refrigerator

This model offers slightly more space than the LG unit above, with 26.5 cubic feet. Also with an ice maker, this energy efficient refrigerator uses an average 487 kWh/year, coming in at 30 percent below the federal standard of 696 kWh/year. Among other features, it has cubed/crushed ice and water in the door, digital temperature display, dual-level incandescent bright lighting, a full width pantry drawer, two sliding half-width and one-fourth-width Spillsafe Shelves, two crispers with humidity control and two adjustable clear 2-gallon bins.

For those who can live without an ice maker, Crosley Models CFD26SDS and FGUN2642L each offer the same amount of space but use just 422 kWh/year, 30 percent lower than the 603 kWh/year standard.

Crosely appliances are sold through independent retailers and distributors. Click here to find one in your local area.

Electrolux Model EI27BS26J

Most Energy Efficient Refrigerators / Freezers: Electrolux Model EI27BS26J Bottom Freezer Refrigerator

This energy efficient refrigerator offers 26.5 cubic feet of space and includes an ice maker. It’s energy usage is 487 kWh/year, 30 percent lower than the 696 kWh/year standard. It includes such features as patented Luxury-Glide Drawers, which smoothly glide out and keep produce fresh with adjustable humidity control and minimal temperature variation; LED lighting; Cool Zone drawers that keep contents chilled – perfect for wine and beer or even snacks and juice boxes; and a tri-level freezer organization system features three Luxury-Glide baskets with removable/adjustable dividers and two removable baskets

For more energy savings, skip the ice maker and go with Electrolux Model FGUN2642L , which uses just 422 kWh/year. That’s 30 percent lower than the federal standard.

The Electrolux Model EI27BS26J Bottom Freezer Refrigerator is available via Amazon.com for $1,999.

Frigidaire Model FGUB2642

Most Energy Efficient Refrigerators / Freezers: Frigidaire Model FGUB2642 Bottom Freezer Refrigerator

This unit offers 26.5 cubic feet of space while using 487 kWh/year, a 30 percent reduction from the 696 kWh/year standard. Features include Frigidaire’s patented SpaceWise Organization system, which makes it easy to keep food organized and easy to find when you need it; PureSource Ultra Water Filtration, which offers best-in-class water filtration so you get cleaner, better-tasting water at your fingertips; a large capacity full-width drawer; Effortless Glide crisper drawers that keep fruits and vegetables fresh; and Effortless Glide freezer drawers that glide out smoothly and fully extend, giving you easy access to what’s inside.

The Frigidaire FGUB2642L Bottom Freezer Refrigerator is available via Amazon.com for $1,749.

Note: Both Maytag and Whirlpool have garnered Tier 3 Energy Star designations for several models of bottom freezer units. However, these models are not yet available for sale. Maytag Models MFI2665XE and MFI2670XE will each provide 25.72 cubic feet of space, with an ice maker and annual energy usage of 481 kWh/year. Whirlpool Models GI6FARXX, GI6FDRXX and GI6SDRXX will each offer 25.72 cubic feet of space, with an ice maker and annual energy usage of 481 kWh/year, or 30 percent less than the federal standard.

A company called Fabrik has released an external hard drive called the [re]Drive that it is said to be the world’s most energy efficient. The drive’s cover is a sheet of bamboo — this is good choice for a drive casing, given bamboo’s tensile strength and durability. The drive’s chassis is made with recycled aluminum. It has an undulating surface that increases the drive’s ability to passively cool itself. Matt McRae, vice president of marketing at Fabrik, said that even the extra pieces of aluminum that are carved off during the manufacturing process are recycled into future products.

Fabrik has also attempted to minimize the packaging by using just a small amount of recycled corrugated cardboard. Most of the interior packaging, such as plastic bags and thick manuals, has been eliminated, with just a few pieces of tape holding the extra cords in place. The drive rests securely in another corrugated cardboard shell.

The company chose an energy-saving drive from Western Digital, although future versions may contain drives from other manufacturers. There is no on-off switch — instead, the drive turns itself on and off as required. The drive uses Turbo USB 2.0 to connect to your PC, promising 25% more transfer speed than USB 2.0 alone. The drive comes with an Energy Star-qualified power adapter. The drive itself is 500 gigabytes for and sells for about $160.

Link: [re]Drive