Once in a while, a fixture comes along that just blows your mind. The New Airis, from Hubbardton Forge, the leader in hand forged wrought iron lighting, item # HUB-30-7920-18-1211, is just such a lighting fixture. This aluminum outdoor wall sconce measures 24.3″ in height by 5″ in width and extends out 5.2″.  It is constructed of hand made wrought iron, coated in an opaque brushed steel finish. It uses a GU 10 35 watt halogen bulb, and it is suitable for wet locations. So, for those of you in Florida, the Gulf Coast, or the Northeast, this one’s for you!But what makes this so hip is the seedy glass tube, giving off an almost ethereal quality like the glow from the Aquarium of the Pacific, or the set of a new blockbuster sci-fi flick. It is quietly re-assuring, while also just a tad future-shock in its design. There are smaller versions available, as well as different outer finishes like cast aluminum, or stainless steel mesh, for an even more futuristic look and feel.

These will bring your home into the next century, in style.

Use these LED bulbs for Bathroom Lighting, Chandeliers, Ceiling Fans, Table Lamps, Highlight Lighting and Wall Sconces, they say. So what if it costs anywhere from $23.00 to $99.00 or more for a light bulb, you will be saving money, protecting the environment, going green! Get with the program dude! CFL’s are passé. The future, Conan, is Light Emitting Diodes.

What are they talking about? LED clusters, that’s what. They have been around for least 10 years. They have been used in commercial and professional applications. They emit very little heat, and they will save you, if you believe the hype, 87% off you electric bill compared to halogen equivalents. But why, why so bloody expensive? Is this another AIG con, or what?

Well, for starters, a six way LED MR 20 will provide the same as a 60 watt bulb. A 3 watt MR 11 will perform like a 25 watt, and a 3 watt MR 16 will be the same as a 45 watt bulb. There are smaller LED bulbs, available for applications like night lights. Or this one: 5 Watt E27 LED Light Bulbs (40 W Equivalent) for Decorative Fixtures , Or this one: 10 watt E27 PAR30 LED EarthPAR Lightbulb (60 - 75 W Equivalent) for Down Lighting , and you get the idea. And the revolution has just started, so expect prices to go down over the next year, as production increases.

So if you can, start experimenting with these, here and there, throughout your home. See if you like the output, the color temperature, and the huge savings on your energy bill. Because you will see more of these LED clusters all over the place in the next couple of years, and with a little luck, you can get ahead of the curve, and even get a tax credit to boot.

We moved into our new digs about 14 months ago, right about the same time the recession started. We had come off a very good year, and had outgrown our old headquarters in West Hollywood. At that time, we had 3 full time sales people, three full time writers, one full time bookkeeper, plus management. Despite the downturn in the economy during the last Bush year, we seemed to be bucking the trend, and continued to perform well. But late summer, the slowdown, and the economic crisis finally caught with http://www.affordablelamps.com , and we started to let a few people go.  Several had already found other work, and a few went back to school. We wish them well. After a rather disappointing holiday season, we moved into a smaller office across the hall, and at that point we said goodbye to Jason, our early morning salesman and product manager. He went on to other pursuits, as well, unrelated to lighting. So that left us with me, Bart, Andrew and Michael, plus his brother Payam, who runs the separate website BuyTiffanyLighting.com. Not quite back to square one, but tough times need tough choices.

But through all of this, we kept one goal in mind: the personal customer service and one- on-one salesmanship that you have come to rely on. Our prices are still the guaranteed lowest on the web, our knowledge of lighting is second to none, and after 10 years on the internet, and 20 in the lighting business, we know our product and we know our clients.

We are far from perfect, but because we are a small business, and not some soulless corporation, we truly care about our customers. And they come back time and again, for that extra knowledge, experience, and customer care.

So remember, when you order form us, you are getting that mom and pop quality, with the modern convenience of the World Wide Web.

IMAP (Internet Minimum Advertised Price)
TAKE AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF SELECT BRANDS

10% OFF Forecast Lighting (Offer Expires 3/31/09) - Coupon code: forecast-sale
10% OFF Quoizel Lighting (Offer Expires 3/31/09) - Coupon code: quoizel-sale
10% OFF Murray Feiss (Offer Expires 3/31/09) - Coupon code: feiss-sale

Why are some lamps on sale and others not? It is a common question from customers, and I would like to explain. Currently, for example, the above mentioned companies are offering a 10% off sale from their IMAP, or Internet Minimum Advertised Price. They do this periodically, to clean out inventory, or prior to a new line arriving. Or in some cases, to just bolster the economy and their clients, and to help us help you, the consumer, in these trying times.

As you may know, most lamps are made overseas, or their component parts, and then assembled here for wholesale and retail sales. Stock fluctuates from the time to time, and some lamps go on back order, or get phased due to slow sales, or new designs. The manufacturers are constantly adding new lines, and their goal is to clear out of their warehouses as much product as they can before inventory. Hence, the sales.

So, the already low prices are lowered year again, and it is an ideal time to take advantage of their largess. So watch our website, as different manufacturers will post sales on unique months, as their needs warrant, and we in turn will let you know. Because an extra 10% off at AffordableLamps.com is a good thing right about now, don’t you think?

When it comes to your landscape lighting needs and desire, does efficiency trump style? That is a personal question, and only one you can answer, but I will provide some statistics for you.

LED’s, or Light Emitting Diodes, generate a warmish white light that is cool to the touch, at 2800 Kelvin temperature. Using a 2,000 square foot home as the measurement, and 340 watt a day for 6 hours, @ 10.64 cents per kilowatt hour, LED’s come in at 80.2 watt per comparable system, a 75% savings!

With Standard lighting fixtures averaging $762.50 versus LED’s at $1412.50, you save money on the original purchase at the outset. But transformers for standard run $1,070.00 versus $647.50 for LED transformers. And the cost of lamps for standard: $1,560.00. For LED’s: $0.00. Nothing, Zip!

Electricity for standard” $1447.04 versus $341.33 for LED’s.  Now that’s what I call energy efficient lighting. Total savings for using LED’s : $2,401.33. That’s four times the cost differential on the original purchase. Plus, it is better for the environment, and you get about 40,000 hours of use on the system before the LED’s fade away. That’s over 18 years! You could give birth to a child, and send them to college in that time frame before you have to think about changing your landscape lighting.

So what’s the downside? Style selection, no doubt. There is just a heck of a lot more outside landscape lighting fixtures on the market, in a plethora of styles like traditional, transitional, gothic, Victorian, Mediterranean, etc. So if you have an older, more traditional home, you probably don’t want modern LED light systems as part of your décor.

Of course, when the electric bill comes, you may sing a different tune. As I said upfront, it is a personal decision.

Are LED’s really the future, or just another lighting design gimmick? Light Emitting Diodes, or LED’s for short, have been around for a decade or so, and have finally trickled down into the popular lexicon of lighting design. But what do we really know about them? Well, we do know that they have been used for movie aisle light, reader boards, casinos signs, home theater starfields, kitchen undercabinet lighting, exhibits lights, stop signs, and special effects. But for lamps?

Yes, finally for lamps, and more specifically, wall swing arm lamps such as the Gooseneck 1 Light Super White LED Wall Lamp by Access Lighting. The Gooseneck 1 Light Super White LED Wall Lamp features full mobility in its flexible arm. Cool to the touch, these LED lights will last 26 years, if you believe the industry hype.  We do not yet know if that is true, but in my personal experience working with Lighting and Electronic Design and Lazarus Lighting Design , specifying LED systems and fixtures like the Turbo Flare, so far so good. What I like about Access fixture is that it uses super bright LED’s, adding more lumen bang for your buck. This fixture and its twin version are the perfect wall swing arm lamp for your child’s rooms, as it will not emit any significant amount of heat, and therefore will not burn your kids, like a halogen lamp could. So yes, the LED fixtures have a limited shelf life, but what appliance in your home has a 26 year guarantee? With the possible exception of my old Toshiba stereo receiver, I can’t find anything else I have that has lasted that long. One other thing about the Access Gooseneck 1 Light Super White LED Wall Lamp; It is energy efficient, easily as much as any Compact Fluorescent fixture, and that is really important. Also, this fixture has separate switches for the dual version, for partner convenience. So, LED’s, the future, Conan? Wait and see