I was at the Starlight Bowl in beautiful downtown Burbank this last Sunday, watching the Little River Band rock out the audience with some of their old hits from the 70s and 80s. What was cool about this show is that prior to the concert, Burbank Water and Power handed out LED flashlights to everyone in attendance. This is part of an energy awareness program BWP is involved with, and since they are one of the sponsors of this concert series, they use these concerts to promote their programs. As you can see in the photo, I am there in the foreground, with the vox populi of Burbank shining their little LED lights, in sync to the band. No more lighters, as this is a no smoking venue, but the tradition is still the same. It was cool moment, and one that would not have happened a year ago. LED Lighting is here, bright, cheap, and easily procured.

Next week, they will have the Mariachi Divas performing. I can only guess at what freebie they will hand out. Lit castanets, perhaps? Stay tuned.

LED’s are coming of age, and whether they are LED task lights or contemporary floor lamps, they are going to give compact fluorescents and linear fluorescents a run for their money. Bear in mind that the technology to go from a 1 watt LED to the 3.6watt LED module took ten years, as long as I have been in the lighting field. I first saw the prototypes for the ultra bright LED’s through Lighting and Electronic Design, back when I worked for Lazarus Lighting Design. They were very pricey in those days, and I’m just talking about the bulbs here. An entire lamp, modified, similar to this, would have run you over $1,000.00, assuming it even exited, which it did not. These Generation LED Pharmacy Floor Lamps (product page: http://www.affordablelamps.com/hot-g300.html) will end up replacing their normal line of HOT floor lamps, over the next couple of years, of that I am certain. You get energy efficiency, green technology, tax credits, lower energy bill, no real heat, long lamp life, and they look so cool, in retro sort of way.

What is funny is that just 2 years ago, people were clamoring for brighter floor lamps, with halogen bulbs exceeding 200 watts. Congress passed legislation phasing them out, so most people opted for CFL’s or compact fluorescents instead. Meanwhile, LED’s kept plugging along, perfecting the technology, and they are by no means done yet. Give it 3 years, and LED’s will be as bright as halogen. I’ll lay even money on it.

LED lighting and more specifically, LED Task Lights are getting creative as of late, as shown in this ET2 lighting fixture, the Jasper Modern Three Light LED Table Lamp (product page: http://www.affordablelamps.com/et-e20900-10.html). I find it funny though, that a company like ET2, that prides itself on futuristic designs, would come up with a 19th century name like Jasper for this Tokyo style, modern table lamp. I mean, Jasper, come on! The only Jasper I know was an old friend from Odense,  Denmark who I used to visit frequently, and he spelled his name Jesper. I should give him a call and told him they named a lamp in his honor.

OK, that being said, this Jasper is pretty darn cool, and I mean that literally. With only 3 watts of juice, LED style, at 3500°K, this LED task lamp puts out a lot of light, for very little energy expenditure. The three frosted spheres help distribute the light nicely, and it is an ideal fixture for study, reading, or playing cards, like I used to do with Jesper. This fixture measures 17.5” long by 10” tall, so it is large enough for most desks, yet sleek enough not to overwhelm them.

It is a little pricey at $331.00, but in Denmark it would cost 1986.00 Danish Kroner, so when you look it in those terms, it’s a bargain.

Are you board with your lighting? The Access Lighting LED Headboard Lights (product page: http://www.affordablelamps.com/acc-70006led.html) are the ideal LED Task Lights for bunk beads, head boards, book shelves, display racks, or just mounted to the wall behind your bed. It measures 24″ wide by 4.75″ tall and extends 3.5″ from the wall & up to 7″ with lights extended. This LED task light only uses 2 watts, and is super cool, temperature wise. Great for ADA compliance, the Access Lighting LED Headboard Light is manufactured in either bronze or brushed steel. Each light is adjustable, for individual comfort. So spice up that IKEA furniture you just bought on sale, and add the Access 70006 LED to it. Go on, you can afford it.