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September Contest Winner Wants Cree LED Lighting to Improve His Kitchen

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

Jeff Jones has his shower to thank for his new Cree LED lighting. That’s because the recessed light over the shower in his bathroom only took up to a 40 watt incandescent bulb. And that just wasn’t enough light for him.

So Jeff began researching other options and found the Cree CR6 LED downlight, which is suitable for damp locations. So he installed it and found that the light output and color quality were outstanding.

“The CR6 was awesome. I have not found anything like it, so many LEDs on the market have a bluish tint to them, or are too pink,” Jeff wrote to me in an email.

So when it came time to replace the recessed lighting in his kitchen, Jeff decided to enter Cree’s monthly LED lighting giveaway. He hoped that his poorly lit kitchen would win the sympathy of our judges, and boy did it. Here’s the photo he submitted:

sept 2011 winner

“With the new CR6s in my kitchen I hope it will improve the light quality and brightness of the room.  Currently the 6” recessed cans I have take a PAR30 lamp, but the lamp is so recessed in the can that I only get a spot on the floor with no light in the room,” Jeff wrote.

We’re confident that Jeff’s new CR6 LED downlights will be a big improvement since they deliver warm, beautiful light. His new lights consume only 10.5 watts and use even less energy when dimmed (they’re dimmable to 5 percent).

And Jeff’s new CR6 LED downlights are designed to last 50,000 hours, which means he could leave them on eight hours a day, seven days a week and they could last more than 17 years!

We can’t wait to see an “after” photo once Jeff gets these installed. In the meantime, we want to see your photos. Submit a photo of the poor lighting in your life to our November photo contest. Someone will win 5 Cree CR6 LED downlights just like Jeff!

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Posted in Contest Winners | 3 Comments »

August Cree LED Lighting Winner rewarded for taking steps to go LED

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

When it comes to our monthly photo contest, our judges are usually on the lookout for submissions showing poor lighting that Cree LED lighting can easily help fix. But this month, the judges wanted to reward someone who has already taken steps to go LED.

Shaun McCance is trying to light his Cincinnati, Ohio, home entirely with LED lighting. He has already made a good dent, as his kitchen is half lit with LED lighting. Sadly, the other half is lit with CFLs. You can easily spot the difference in his photo submission for our August contest (or at least we could easily spot the difference):

kitchen

Shaun is the winner of our August photo contest and will receive five Cree CR6 LED downlights to help him reach his goal of going all LED. The CR6 downlight consumes just 10.5 watts but can replace up to a 65 watt incandescent without compromising light quality. That’s because it features warm incandescent-style light (2700K for you lighting know-it-alls) and is dimmable to 5 percent.

And, if the energy savings and beautiful light quality aren’t enough for you, prepare to drool over its lifetime. The CR6 LED downlight is designed to last 50,000 hours. That means Shaun could leave his new lights on eight hours a day, seven days a week and more than 17 years could pass before he might have to pull out a ladder to replace them.

I wrote Shaun to ask him what he was going to do with his new lights and he responded:

“I’ll put four of them in my kitchen, which will make all of the overhead lights in my kitchen LED. Right now, half of the lights in the kitchen are LED, and the others are CFL. When I come into my kitchen, half of it is poorly lit until the CFLs warm up. I’m looking forward to being able to use my pantry without waiting for light for two minutes.”

We’re looking forward to that for you too, Shaun! Another feature of our CR6 LED downlights is that they instantly come to full light with the flick of a switch. That means no more waiting for those slow fluorescents to warm up.

You have a chance to be a winner just like Shaun. Submit a photo of lighting in your home or office that you would like to replace with our CR6 LED downlight. Or, if you can’t wait, find a distributor near you.

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July Cree LED Lighting Contest Winner plans to light up barn

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Anton Nielsen will be the first person I know who has lit a barn with Cree LED lighting. And it turns out long-lasting LED lighting is the perfect fit for Anton’s newly renovated barn in Massachusetts.

That’s because Anton’s barn boasts tall ceilings that make changing light bulbs very difficult. But thanks to the long life of his new Cree CR6 LED Downlights, Anton could leave the lights on for eight hours a day, seven days a week and not have to replace his lights for more than 17 years!

Anton is the winner of Cree’s July LED Lighting giveaway. He wins five CR6s for submitting this photo to our monthly photo contest:

barn

So far Anton’s only experience with LED lighting has been with a flashlight he has used for night cycling (which he loved). We think he’s going to be even more enlightened once he installs his new CR6 downlights, which deliver the same warm light as a 65-watt incandescent light but consume only 10.5 watts.

Do you want five of your own Cree CR6 LED downlights? Impress our judges with a spot in your home or office that needs these gorgeous downlights. Submit a photo in our September photo contest or if you want to try these lights out now, find a distributor near you.

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June’s LED lighting contest winner can stop playing pool in the dark

Friday, September 2nd, 2011


Playing a game of pool by candle light might sound romantic, but it’s not very practical. I mean, what if the dim lighting causes you to sink the wrong ball into the pocket? The black 8-ball sure can look like the purple 4-ball in the dark.

Bad lighting shouldn’t get in the way of your game.

Unfortunately for Lori Pecchenino, bad lighting has been a staple of the family’s dining room-turned pool table room for 20 years. But that’s about to change thanks to the five Cree CR6 LED downlights Lori won in our June photo contest.

“We have just finished opening up our (past) dining room that we’ve converted to a pool table room and it hasn’t had any overhead lighting in there for 20 years,” Lori wrote me in an email after I told her she won. “We’ve always had to bring in table and floor lamps as well as having candles in there to get some sort of ambiance and lighting at the same time.”

We can’t wait to see how these lights will transform Lori’s new game room. Here’s the before picture that includes unfinished downlight openings just begging for some energy-efficient LED lighting.

pool room june2011 winner

Lori’s new Cree LED lights consume only 10.5 watts, but are designed to replace up to a 65W incandescent light. The CR6 LED downlights are designed to last 50,000 hours, which means Lori could leave her new lights on for eight hours a day, seven days a week and they could last more than 17 years.

And if Lori spends that much time in her pool room over the next 17 years, then she’s bound to be a pool shark, so look out if you come across her in any pool halls.

“We have not used LED lights before and are looking forward to them as our electrician said we’d be very happy with the evolution of the lights that are available today in LED,” Lori wrote.

We’re certain Lori is going to love her new CR6 LED downlights. If you want to get your hands on some, you can locate a distributor near you or enter our September LED lighting giveaway. And stay tuned for the announcement of our July and August winners.

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Cree LED Contest Series: From Spooky to Smiley, Cree LED Lights transform two rooms

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011


This is the second part of a five part series that follows up with winners of Cree’s monthly LED lighting giveaway. Each month, Cree gives away at least 5 Cree LED lights in a photo contest. To enter, submit your bad lighting photo here.

MONDAY: We revisit July 201 winner who has developed a love for Cree LED lights.

TUESDAY: We see how the October 2010 winner made over his office and how a bathroom went from spooky to smiley.

WEDNESDAY: We revisit an energy professional who is using his LED lighting from the December 2010 contest to spread the good word.

THURSDAY: It’s not all about your home. We revisit the February 2010 who shows us what LED lighting can do in a retail space.

FRIDAY: We’ll show you how LED lighting can even help a plein air painter. Confused? Stay tuned to see what our March 2010 winner did.

October 2010 Winner Mark Rogers

One of our big fears is that people will try subpar LED lighting, and that their bad experience will prompt them to forever shun LED technology. That’s why our judges don’t shy away from selecting a winner who already has LED lighting. Back in October 2010, Mark Rogers submitted a photo of his office, where he had installed PAR30 LED spotlights.

We’re not sure whether they were quality LED lights or not, but we are sure that they’re not really working in this application. He won five Cree CR6 LED downlights, which are the right fit for the recessed lighting in his office. It made a big difference. Take a look at his before and after photos: When I wrote Mark last year to tell him he won, he said he was excited because “there are evenings when I would love to work just under the downlights” but they weren’t providing enough light. Well, that’s not a problem anymore.

Before Mark installed Cree LED lights.

Before Mark installed Cree LED lights.

After Mark installed his Cree CR6 LED downlights!

After Mark installed his Cree CR6 LED downlights!

Here’s what Mark said when I recently followed up with him: “The Cree CR6 installed in minutes, without any special tools, looks like they were built-in, and the dimming is smooth and reliable. You can see the light distribution is amazing – a perfectly natural look with plenty of beam angle! Great color temperature and an elegant appearance. I am a fan!”

The color temperature he’s referring to is the warm light delivered by the CR6 downlights, which has an incandescent feel at 2700K without wasting the energy. The CR6 LED downlight consumes only 10.5 watts and is designed to last 50,000 hours, which means he could leave his office lights on eight hours a day, seven days a week, and he could go 17 years without having to replace them. But we hope he doesn’t have his office lights on for that long every day. Mark deserves some downtime!

October 2010 Runner-Up Dan Leighton

Occasionally our judges have had a tough time picking just one monthly winner. Luckily that was the case for North Carolina resident Dan Leighton who won two Cree CR6 LED downlights to replace the CFLs in his master bathroom. “My wife and I noticed an immediate change when we first flipped the switch. The Cree LEDs lit up the small area and made it feel bigger, a dramatic difference from the yellowish-orange glow of the CFLs emitted,” Dan wrote me in a recent follow-up email. “I have not done it yet, but I plan to install a dimmer now that I have that option.”

Before Dan installed Cree LED lighting in his bathroom.

Before Dan installed Cree LED lighting in his bathroom.

After Dan installed Cree CR6 LED downlights in his bathroom.

After Dan installed Cree CR6 LED downlights in his bathroom.

We love that Dan’s new LED lighting provides the same warm light you would expect with 65-watt incandescent bulbs, but conserves significantly less energy. And he would have been hard-pressed to dim the CFLs, if he’d tried. The CR6 LED downlight consumes only 10.5 watts, and is designed to last 50,000 hours, many lifetimes longer than incandescent and even CFLs.  And it’s a good thing too, because it doesn’t look like it’s easy to change a bulb in Dan’s bathroom.

If you have spooky lighting of your own that you want to eradicate with LED lighting, enter our July photo contest. Submit a photo of scary lighting at your home or office for your chance to win five Cree CR6 LED lights.

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Posted in Contest Winners | 3 Comments »

May LED lighting contest winner ready to ditch fluorescent lights

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011


Christopher Cunningham was online trying to figure out what to do about his lighting. The Michigan resident says he “tried going with all fluorescent for the money savings on my power bill but they make everything look like it has a yellow cast. Poor for reading, taking pictures and just about everything else.”

Lucky for Christopher, his online search led him to Cree’s LED lighting photo contest. So he submitted this dimly-lit photo:

May 2011 contest winner

Christopher submitted this photo to our contest.

“I figured it can’t hurt to give it a try and send in a picture of the lighting problem I have in the living room,” he wrote me in an email.

Well, it’s a good thing he did, because Christopher is the May winner of Cree’s LED lighting photo contest. He wins five Cree CR6 ™ LED downlights, which will probably solve his problem, since the lights feature beautiful light quality similar to incandescent lighting.

He’ll also be saving more energy too. The CR6 LED downlight consumes only 10.5 watts, but is designed to replace a 65-watt incandescent light.

“I’m hoping the new addition of Cree CR6s will put some life back into the living room … all while saving on my electric bill,” Christopher wrote.

We don’t think that’s going to be a problem. And, on top of the light quality and energy savings, it will also likely be a very long time before Christopher has to worry about swapping out a burned out bulb. His new Cree LED lights are designed to last 50,000 hours, which means he could leave them on 8 hours a day, seven days a week and they could last more than 17 years!

If you want to try your hand at winning five Cree CR6s, hurry up and enter our June LED lighting giveaway. Submit your photo of your bad lighting situation here. Or if you just can’t wait and you have to get your hands on some Cree CR6s today, find a distributor near you and give them a call!

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March LED lighting contest winners already love LED lighting

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011


Rob Gully is an early adopter. The Missouri resident says he has been using LED lights for five years, back when it wasn’t even on most people’s  radar. The first LED lights Rob bought were only bright enough for use in his refrigerator! Five years later, Cree LED lights are now bright enough to illuminate his entire kitchen.

Rob is the winner of the March LED lighting giveaway. He won 5 Cree CR6 LED downlights, and he says they’re the best LED lights he’s found yet.

“I always pick up a few LED light bulbs every year just to see how things have improved and I must say the CR6 bulbs are currently the peak of the LED evolution,” wrote to me in an email.

rob gully march winner

Here's the photo Rob submitted to the contest.

The CR6 LED downlight delivers the same warm incandescent light you’re used to, but consumes significantly less energy. The 10.5 watt CR6 downlight can replace a 65 watt halogen light. And it’s designed to last significantly longer than a halogen. Rob’s new lights are designed to last 50,000 hours, which means he could leave them on eight hours a day, seven days a week and it could be more than 17 years before he would have to change them!

“A friend came over recently and I took him to the kitchen and told him I wanted to show him some new LED bulbs I got.  Only after I pointed out the CR6 could he tell the difference.  The biggest compliment about these bulbs is the quality of light is nearly identical to incandescent or CFL (once they are warmed up),” Rob wrote.

Rob isn’t the only March winner. Massachusetts resident Jonathan Hunt also scored some LED lights. Jonathan was a runner-up, receiving 2 Cree CR6 LED downlights. Our judges just couldn’t pass up a chance to save Jonathan from this bad lighting situation:

Here's the image Jonathan submitted.

Here's the image Jonathan submitted.

Jonathan and his wife are big on saving energy. They blog about ways to live a more sustainable life. We’re eager to see Jonathan ditch the CFL reflector bulbs that he has been using in the kitchen.

If you think your lighting is bad enough to catch the eyes of our judges, then submit a photo in our June LED lighting giveaway. One lucky winner will receive 5 Cree CR6 LED downlights. We’ll be announcing the April and May winners soon. Stay tuned.

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February Cree LED lighting contest winner is giving his kitchen a lighting makeover

Thursday, April 7th, 2011


Paul Mason is remodeling his kitchen, which means he finally gets to ditch the ugly, three-light CFL fixture in the center of the room.

Paul, of Dearborn, Michigan, is the winner of the February Cree LED lighting photo contest. He gets five Cree CR6 LED downlights to replace the ugly (his words, not ours) lighting in his kitchen.

Feb 2011 Contest Winner

When I wrote Paul to see if he had ever used LED lighting before, he responded that he has some LED under cabinet lighting from IKEA and one LED light bulb. We’re pretty sure our CR6 LED downlights are going to knock his socks off. Here’s what he said about his current kitchen lighting:

“I have two applications for the CR6 bulbs, both over my sink and for general lighting throughout my kitchen.  I like the even, warm light and very low heat generation.  Our current fixture generated way too much heat with incandescent bulbs, and the light quality of the CFL’s currently installed is just poor, so I’m looking forward to fixing both with your bulbs!”

The lights he won consume only 10.5 Watts and can replace a 65 watt incandescent light. Since Paul is upgrading from CFLs, he’ll probably immediately notice that his new LED lights deliver warmer light and come to full brightness instantly. No more waiting for his CFLs to warm up. He’ll also have the option to dim them down to 5 percent, nothing like having the option of mood lighting.

And Paul should also be able to go a long time without replacing another bulb in his kitchen. Since the CR6 LED downlight is designed to last 50,000 hours, he could leave his new kitchen lights on for eight hours a day, seven days a week and he could go more than 17 years without replacing them. Pretty incredible, huh?

Are you jealous of Paul’s new lights? Don’t be. Submit a photo of the lighting you would like to replace in your home or office to our monthly photo contest. Each month we give away five energy-efficient Cree CR6 LED downlights. To enter, submit your photo here. Or, if you can’t wait that long, find out how you can go get them right now.

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January LED lighting contest winner was happy to learn LEDs lights aren’t just for cars

Friday, March 18th, 2011

Nikolas Trenchi loves automotive LED lights, but it was only recently that he discovered LED lighting can actually be used to light his home.

“I’ve always been interested in LED lighting, especially when applied to automotive lighting. I also was curious on how long it would take before they reached the ability for household use, but never really looked around. I just assumed that they weren’t in existence based on what I knew (or thought I knew) about LEDs,” Nikolas wrote to me in an email.

But that all changed when Nikolas bought his first Cree LED for a driving light/fog strip he was building for his car. He said he was so impressed with the quality of the LEDs that he decided to more research on us. That’s how Nikolas found Cree’s LED Revolution site and ultimately became the winner of our January LED lighting giveaway. We sent him five Cree CR6™ LED downlights.

Once Nikolas saw that LED lighting could be used to light entire rooms, he had to snap a photo of the wasteful incandescent lights in his kitchen. Here’s the picture he submitted:

Jan 2011 Winner

So just how wasteful is the lighting in Nikolas’ home and what drove him to enter the contest? He explained it pretty well in his email to me:

“I entered because I hate my home lighting, and have always had trouble trying to get people to turn off the lights inside. I’m not always home, and can’t go around shutting things off all day even if I was. Some of the Incandescent bulbs stay on in my house day after day. For that reason, among others, bulbs in my house are constantly being replaced with the cheapest incandescent screw-ins that can be found on the shelves of ShopRite.”

“Last time, I took it upon myself to buy CFLs (keep in mind I’m 21 and have plenty of other obligations). Everyone in my house was mad and hated the warm up time. I couldn’t even use them in my room because my lamp wouldn’t ignite the bulbs. I have a small desk lamp to light my whole room. Everything about my lighting situation is wasteful. Plus I’ve recently had an LED obsession.”

An LED obsession? Sounds pretty healthy to us. We can’t wait to see what a difference our CR6 LED downlights make in Nikolas’ home. One of the big benefits should be the long life. Our CR6 downlight is designed to last 50,000 hours, which means Nikolas won’t find himself back at the ShopRite stocking up on energy-wasting incandescents. In fact, even if his housemates left the lights on 8 hours a day, seven days a week, Nikolas could go more than 17 years without having to replace them.

And then there’s the energy savings benefit. The lights he won only consume 10.5 Watts, but are designed to replace up to a 65 Watt incandescent light. So his kitchen will be saving energy and still be well-lit.

If you want to get in on the LED light-winning action, enter our monthly photo contest. Each month one winner receives five Cree CR6 LED downlights. Just show us why you need better lighting. Submit a photo of bad lighting in your home or at work.

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December Cree LED lighting contest winner wants to save energy and money both at home and at work

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

Rusty Ponder is always looking for ways to save energy and money. As the Energy Management Coordinator for the third largest school district in Mississippi, Rusty was recently researching new lighting technology for work. In fact, it was his quest to find ways to save energy and money that led him to our website and our LED lighting giveaway.

Rusty is the December winner of our monthly bad lighting photo contest. He wins five Cree CR6 LED downlights for his home. In his entry, Rusty submitted this photo and wrote:

dec 2010 winner

“This house has very little foot candles in every room. Actually it is like living with candles and no electricity!”

Well anyone who talks in foot candles gets a shining star in the lighting geek book. And we couldn’t let Rusty feel like he was living in the dark. Turns out he has bigger plans for his new Cree LED lights. When I wrote Rusty to tell him he won, I asked him why he entered the contest. Here’s what he wrote:

“I thought if I can win these, I can show my bosses the LED technology and do some light meter readings and demos, so they can see firsthand how good they are. Then I can install them in my house and enjoy them for years to come.”

I think that makes Rusty a true LED Revolutionary. Because he’s going to spread the good word about high-quality LED lighting before enjoying them himself. And indeed, these lights could keep Rusty’s home lit for many years. They’re designed to last 50,000 hours, which means he can leave them on eight hours a day, seven days a week for 17 years. The lights are also dimmable, which means he can bring some mood lighting home. And since they only consume 10.5 watts, Rusty will be saving energy and money, which was his goal all along.

“I believe I will have a lot more evenly-spread light with better color and use a lot less energy, which will help me save money and help save the planet at the same time,” Rusty wrote.

This will be the first time Rusty has used an LED light. We’re pretty sure it won’t be his last.

If you want to try to win five Cree LED lights of your own, hurry up and enter our February LED lighting contest. Simply submit a photo of bad lighting in your home, office or business here. Next month, you could be joining Rusty in the LED Lighting Revolution.

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