Add Extra Savings to the Winter Months with Energy-Efficient Lighting

Riverside, New Jersey (October 4, 2007) – The reality of longer nights and shorter days is fast approaching with the coming of winter and reality of setting our clocks back one hour.   

Set to end on November 4 at 2:00 a.m., Daylight Saving Time will conclude in 2007 with a run that lasted weeks longer than in past years given the enactment of the Energy Policy Act by Congress in 2005. 

Driven by the need to conserve greater amounts of energy and oil, 2007 expanded the length of Daylight Saving Time from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. In past years, this period normally lasted from early April until the end of October. 

However, despite the added hour of darkness to our evenings, Americans in the ability to stylishly light their homes and offices with energy-efficient fixtures that can help save energy and reduce energy costs.           

That’s because ENERGY STAR® qualified lighting now exists in hundreds of indoor and outdoor styles that rival the elegance and ambiance of traditional lighting fixtures. Ranging from chandeliers, sconces, pendants and wall lanterns to hall/foyer, close to ceiling and wall/bath lighting, these fixtures can be found with a wide assortment of finishes and lamp shades to complement and even enhance the look and feel of nearly any home or office.  

In addition, many Americans are only now beginning to realize the full cost savings benefits of ENERGY STAR qualified lighting. In fact, by switching the five most frequently used fixtures in the home or office to ENERGY STAR® qualified lighting, users can expect to save hundreds of dollars in energy costs. This is because ENERGY STAR qualified lighting not only uses less energy to produce the same amount of light as traditional fixtures, it is also guaranteed to last more than 10 times longer.  Still unconvinced? Here are several other reasons why Americans should light the winter darkness by turning on ENERGY STAR qualified lighting.

--Once known for a green hue and slight flicker, ENERGY STAR qualified lighting is also rigorously tested to ensure “no-flicker”, “no-hum” operation, instant starts, warmer color output and substantially reduced internal heat gain. They are also safer and easier to manage since they require less bulb changes, are cooler to the touch and reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse gases

--ENERGY STAR qualified lighting uses about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent fixtures, while producing about 78 percent less heat. This often translates into cooler rooms during summer months and additional savings on utility costs for air conditioning

--ENERGY STAR qualified lighting fixtures use bulbs that last at least 10,000 hours compared to typical incandescent bulbs that last about 750 hours.  Thus, ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures used for an average of three hours per day will not require bulb changes for at least seven years substantially reducing the nuisance of buying, stocking and changing new bulbs.·          

--Companies such as Sea Gull Lighting have worked closely with the EPA and others to advance fluorescent lighting technologies and fixture styles to manufacture a vast assortment of ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures that are virtually indistinguishable from their traditional incandescent counterparts. This is because the ENERGY STAR mark is only awarded to products that meet strict EPA criteria for efficacy, color rendition and temperature.

--To maximize the energy savings and cost benefits, the EPA recommends replacing traditional lighting fixtures with ENERGY STAR qualified models that are used at least 15 minutes at a time or several hours per day. These fixtures are most often found in family and living rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms and the outdoors 

About Sea Gull Lighting Products LLCHeadquartered in Riverside, New Jersey, Sea Gull Lighting Products, LLC, a Generation Brands company, is a leading manufacturer and marketer of decorative and functional lighting for residential, commercial and architectural applications. The 88-year-old company provides more than 3,500 product designs spanning 15 categories to a multi-national network of electrical distributors, lighting showrooms, furniture and gift specialty stores as well as various niche markets. Recipient of the ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year award in 2004 and 2005 as well as the 2007 ENERGY STAR® of Sustained Excellence Award, the company also offers the industry’s most expansive line of ENERGY STAR products with more than 550 ENERGY STAR lighting fixtures and ceiling fans included in its product line.