Dominion Electric Lighting Blog

Monday, April 25, 2011

The 5Ls of Lighting





Ah, Monday, Monday...
Trying to get caught up on my Sylvania email newsletters. You can read last month's if you click here:
http://tinyurl.com/3czqg2t/

They featured this great cheat sheet from NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) that I have been meaning to feature here, so that was a nice reminder. You can also go to http://www.lightbulboptions.org/ to see the chart, if clicking on it here doesn't work. It is called the 5 Ls of Lighting, The Consumer's Guide to Choosing Energy-Efficient Lighting. It has great tips on what to look for in a light bulb and how to understand all the new terminology.

There is also a coupon for $1.00 off any Sylvania CFL or Halogen Supersaver product!


Next, here's a link to the newest Sylvania newsletter:
http://tinyurl.com/3mtxfkh/

This one has some great "Energy Saving Tips":

It's time -- to save energy and money! Here are a few easy tips to help to show you how:

Start with Lighting:
Lighting accounts for more than 15% of the electricity used in a home, so you’ll see an immediate difference in your energy bill by changing incandescent bulbs to the more energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or light emitting diodes (LEDs).

The standard incandescent bulbs you currently have in your home have changed very little from Thomas Edison's first light bulb in 1879. Only 10 percent of the energy used by these standard bulbs contribute to light; the other 90 percent is wasted as heat.

ENERGY STAR® -qualified CFLs use 75% less energy than an incandescent lighbulb, so they save you money. ENERGY STAR-qualified LED bulbs use 80% less energy than an incandescent lightbulb and last 25 times longer.

If you’ve never tried a CFL or LED bulb before, you might start by replacing lights that you don’t use directly every day, such as in a fixture you might leave on at night in your house, or in hard-to-reach areas to avoid excess replacements. Not climbing a ladder to replace a lightbulb is a great incentive to try a new technology!

Use Dimmers:
Dimmers can reduce the energy used by halogen and incandescent lamps. Consider using dimmers to control light levels in your home, and save money as well.

Try Automatic Timers:
Putting light fixtures on timers eliminates the possibility of leaving lights on when you don't need them.

Turn Off Monitors:
Most computers today are ENERGY STAR qualified, and will enter a low-power sleep mode when not in use. But 80% of the energy consumed in a system is from the monitor, and that extra energy used in sleep mode can still add up. So even if you don’t plan to turn off the computer, consider turning off the monitor for a little extra savings.

Look for the ENERGY STAR® Label:
ENERGY STAR is a government-backed program that helps consumers identify products that will save energy and money. There are dozens of SYLVANIA CFL and LED products that carry the ENERGY STAR label.










And then they have "Fast Facts About Energy-Saving Bulbs":

Incandescent bulbs as we know them today will begin to phase out beginning in the year 2012. Enjoy some fun facts about efficient lighting options:

LED Bulbs:
LED bulbs can make your life brighter and more energy efficient. Using just 12w, a replacement for your 60-watt incandescent can last 25 times longer and provide 80% energy savings.

LED bulbs are instant-on, dimmable and mercury-free and are ideal for lighting your entire home, from wall sconces to table lamps to ceiling fixtures.

An LED bulb is designed to replace any incandescent light bulb and meets government requirements so consumers can feel good about their lighting choices.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs):
All CFLs are not created equal. To earn the government's ENERGY STAR mark, a CFL must meet strict energy efficiency standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

SYLVANIA CFLs use 75% less energy and generate less heat than ordinary bulbs .

The SYLVANIA ENERGY STAR qualified micro-mini Twist CFL lasts 12,000 hours or 50% longer than standard CFLs.

SYLVANIA CFLs can prevent more than 400 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions each over their lifetime, the equivalent to burning 200 pounds of coal.

Halogen SuperSaver®:
SYLVANIA Halogen SuperSaver bulbs produce a bright light that is the same warm color as incandescent light.

Halogen bulbs turn on instantly, without a warm up time. Plus, they are completely dimmable in any type of lamp.




Thank you to Sylvania & NEMA for such great, easy-to-understand tips & guides!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Spring Tiffanies Have Sprung!

In yesterday's post, I showed you some of our mission-style tiffanies. Today I wanted to show you some more flowery (and one fruity!) styles we have from Dale Tiffany. Actually, I should say some are buggy ~ two have dragonflies, and one has a butterfly!






Dale Tiffany TH10097 ~ I love the embellishment at the top of the tiffany shade... And who can resist the classic dragonfly pattern?








TH100599 ~ Such a unique shape for a tiffany shade (and can you spot the butterfly?).




7362/1LTA ~ How about some fruit?



TH50114 ~ A different style, with the tiffany shades on the chandelier arms.







TH10501 ~ Here's another dragonfly, on this semi-flush fixture.






8780/3LTF ~ I've always been a big fan of the mosaic style.








TH10493 ~ A more mission-styled semi-flush.








TT50103 ~ We have tiffanies as table lamps, too!








8642/3LTJ ~ And another not-so-flowery stained glass piece.







Mission Style Tiffanies

As I was making a lap around our Chantilly showroom this week, I noticed we have some wonderful new pieces that I would call "Mission Style" tiffanies:



Progress P4102-46



Meyda 67849




Landmark 70047-3





Kichler 66121



Kichler 65328




Kichler 65163




Kichler 65174





Kichler 65294



We also have a lot of new, more flowery tiffanies by Dale Tiffany ~ I'll post pictures of those real soon (once I get some log-in info to access their web site!).

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Washington Post Magazine

We had a 10% off coupon in the Washington Post magazine dated April 3rd, 2011, so I thought I'd try to extend its shelf life and share it on our blog, Facebook, and Twitter!
We are featuring Hinkley Lighting's "Hampton" family. This first picture shows the #3204 in Antique Nickel finish. We have exactly this size and finish on display in our Chantilly, VA showroom, if you'd like to see it in person. I love their little bit of extra hardware that jazzes up the drum shade. Here is the 10% off coupon. Go ahead and print it off and bring it in!

It's good through August 31, 2011.



This is the editorial piece that accompanied our ad. It reads:

If you are looking around your home for budget-conscious updates you can make right now, one of the biggest bangs for your buck is the investment you make in your lighting. Casting your space in the right light is incredibly transformative, and Dominion Electric Supply, with showrooms in Laurel, Arlington, and Chantilly, has been one of the region's leading lighting distributors since 1940.

One of the most popular lighting upgrades Dominion Electric Supply customers are making these days are chandeliers with large drum shades like the Hinkley fixture pictured here. The Hinkley is available in five sizes and style variations and a variety of finishes, ranging from one with a 15-inch drum size, priced at $358, to one that features a 40-inch drum shade for $682. The line also includes a coordinating wall sconce.


If you'd like any more information on anything, our web site is www.dominionelectric.com, and Hinkley's is www.hinkleylighting.com.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Gulick Group's Autumn Wood model

Last week, 3 of us got to attend a fabulous open house for Gulick Group's new model home in Great Falls called Autumn Wood. I tweeted pictures while we were there, but I wanted to get them onto the blog, which will then get them on to facebook! Bear in mind that I took these pictures on my BlackBerry, so they are not at all good, but you can also refer to an older blog post about it ~ see Sep. 27, 2010, with the tag of Gulick ~ and that one had better pictures!

But the following pictures were live action shots, and truly, you need to go see this model home! It is beyond spectacular ~ every detail is to die for!



First of all, we just HAD to take a picture of their cookies! Custom made with their logo ~ aren't these great? Erin got the name of the person who made them, so let me know if you want her info!



So now on to the lights! This is a Framburg 24" drum in the morning room.



Murray Feiss sconces in the Master Bath.




A shot from above of the Troy lantern in the foyer.




This doesn't do anyone any justice here, but it's my buddy at Gulick Group, Cindy Vance, in the dining room with my favorite indigo smoke Cyan chandelier, along with Cyan sconces.




Another terrible picture, but we got lots of complements on this Currey & Company chandelier in the conservatory. You definitely want to see the pictures on the other blog post I mentioned, because this piece really is stunning in person.




And I couldn't resist this one ~ I have a fair amount of Justin Bieber teen girl fanatics in my life, so this collage made by Susan Gulick Interiors in the girls' bedroom brought a smile to my face!