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Cree and LED lighting are starting a revolution

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November LED lighting contest winner plans to transform family room

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

When Colleen Locchi began planning lighting for her kitchen, she thought she would go with CFLs. But the more investigating she did, the more she realized that mercury-containing CFLs likely weren’t the energy-efficient solution she wanted.

“Initially I was all about CFLs,” Colleen wrote me, “but the more research I did, the less enchanted I have become. LEDs seem to be the way to go. I did incorporate some into my new kitchen and find I now prefer them over my incandescent lamps.”

Once Colleen got a taste of LED lighting, she wanted more. So she entered (and won) our November LED lighting giveaway by submitting a picture of her large family room, which is lit almost entirely with lamps. Colleen won five Cree CR6 LED downlights, which she says she plans to use to accent her fire place and provide overhead task lighting without an assortment of lamps. Here’s the photo she submitted:

Collleen November 2011 winner

“We purchased the house in the mid-90s and the lighting in this room has been a thorn in my side ever since. The expense of the lighting always put it on the back burner so I am quite thrilled to be able to move forward with this project. I really think it will finish off the room,” Colleen wrote.

Not only will Colleen’s new Cree LED downlights deliver beautiful light quality (warm, 2700K color temperature), the lights will also save her energy. The CR6 LED downlight (pictured below) consumes only 10.5 watts, but delivers the same warm light you’d expect from a 65-watt halogen light.

cr6 small

And once Colleen installs her new recessed LED lighting, she won’t have to worry about changing them for years – possibly decades – to come. That’s because the CR6 LED downlight is designed to last 50,000 hours, which means Colleen could leave them lit eight hours a day, seven days a week and they could last more than 17 years. And, let’s be real, chances are Colleen’s family isn’t going to be using the lights that frequently, which means they’ll likely last even longer.

If you want to see how Cree LED lighting can solve your lighting challenges, submit a photo of the lighting you want to replace to our January contest. One lucky winner will receive five Cree CR6 LED downlights to transform their light-style.

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Posted in Contest Winners, Cree, LED Homes | No 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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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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Posted in Contest Winners | 1 Comment »

Cree LED Contest Series: Winner Teaches His School a Lesson about LED Lighting

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011


This is the third 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.

December 2010 Winner Rusty Ponder

When Rusty Ponder talked foot candles to us in his December 2010 entry, we knew we had a lighting geek on our hands. As the energy management coordinator for the third largest school district in Mississippi, Rusty us he wanted to do more than just make his home more efficient with his Cree CR6 LED downlights. He also wanted to expose his school district to the technology.

Once Rusty’s LED lights arrived, he decided to put three on his front porch and take the others to school. He chose to light his front porch with our long-lasting lights (the CR6 downlight is designed to last 50,000 hours) because “these lights get left on for many hours a day and I felt these LED lights would help cut back on my energy usage.” And Rusty doesn’t have to fear how the lights may perform in the Mississippi weather, because CR6 downlights are cULus Listed® which makes them suitable for wet locations.

“I really like how easy they were to install and the light output is the same, if not better, than the 65 watt reflector flood lights they replaced,” Rusty wrote in a follow-up email.

Rusty installed his Cree CR6 LED downlights on his front porch.

Rusty installed his Cree CR6 LED downlights on his front porch.

Rusty took his other two LED lights to school, where he is using a Kill-a-watt meter and light meter to show his boss how they can use energy-efficient lights in the school district to save energy. “Since I am the Energy Management Coordinator for our school district, I am always looking for more energy efficient ideas and these are top notch – I really like what I see. Thanks for this opportunity to try these out!”

No, thank you, Rusty, for using your prize to spread the word about LED lighting. That’s Revolutionary!

If you want to be an LED lighting revolutionary like Rusty, submit a photo of bad lighting in your home or office to our July photo contest. Each month our judges select one bad lighting situation to improve with Cree LED lighting. Submit your photo here.

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Posted in Contest Winners | 2 Comments »

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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Posted in Revolution | 2 Comments »

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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Cree dedicates all LED-lit Habitat for Humanity House in Durham, NC

Monday, December 13th, 2010

It’s hard to believe that four months ago Cree employees were framing the world’s first all LED-lit Habitat for Humanity House.

A lot has happened since that August morning when Cree employees met at the home site in Durham, North Carolina to frame the house.  For starters, we broke a local record for fastest framing of a Durham Habitat home, completing the entire process in just a few hours.

Then we worked hard to build a three bedroom house for our family, the Rahlan-Ksors. The experience gave us the opportunity to learn new skills (if you need anyone to drill holes into the foundation of a home to anchor the frame, I’m your gal) and to help give a new family an energy-efficient home.

We gathered at the completed home on Saturday to celebrate with the family. As we set up for the dedication ceremony in their new driveway, Del Rahlan grabbed a broom and started sweeping away mulch that was kicked onto the sidewalk. I wouldn’t have even noticed the mulch if he hadn’t started sweeping. Then I realized how much pride Del truly had in his new home that he wanted every detail to be perfect for the ceremony.

As we stood in the family’s driveway with their church members and fellow Habitat volunteers, our CEO Chuck Swoboda announced that the LED lighting in the new home would save the family about $300 in electricity annually. It’s possible that Del and his wife won’t have to change a light bulb until their children graduate from college.

And while it was rewarding to help build this energy-efficient a home for Del and his family, we feel even better knowing that Cree’s commitment to Habitat for Humanity doesn’t end there. Nationwide, we’ve pledged to install two Cree CR6 LED downlights in the kitchens of every Habitat home constructed during the next three years. It’s a move that will help bring energy-efficient, long lasting lighting to new homeowners.

So as we celebrate the completion of the home for our Habitat family, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the beginning. Here are some scenes from the ground breaking, way back on Aug. 7. Take a look at where we started and how it ended.

)

The local newspaper highlighted the dedication ceremony as part of its 12 Days of Giving series. It was wonderful watching this house turn into a home.

JOIN US IN CELEBRATING (Twitter Contest)

This week we’re going to giveaway 2 Cree CR6 LED downlights to one lucky tweep in our Twitter contest. Simply join us in celebrating the completion of our all LED-lit Habitat house by tweeting us with the hashtag #CreeHabitat. We’ll randomly pick one winner to win the lights (which are the same lights we’re installing in Habitat homes throughout the country) at 4:30 p.m. EST Friday, Dec. 17. Not sure what to tweet, simply Retweet what we’ve posted here.

And, of course, our standard contest rules apply: Cree’s decisions are final and binding. The contest is limited to legal residents, 18 or older, of the 50 United States and District of Columbia.  Void where prohibited.  Void in Arizona, Florida, New York, and Rhode Island. Winners will be notified via Twitter and must claim prize within 30 days of email notification.

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Posted in LED Homes | 4 Comments »

September Cree LED lighting contest winner to prove naysayers wrong

Thursday, November 11th, 2010

Michigan resident Carol Thompson wanted to try LED lighting – or so she thought. But then someone told her that “the color spectrum was altered and they didn’t light too well.” Curious Carol didn’t let speculation stand in her way. She set off to Google the prospects of LED lighting.

“I found the information quite contrary to what I had been told,” Carol told me in an email.

Her quest to find out the truth about LED lighting led her to our contest. She submitted a photo of the lonely recessed light in her home office. Carol is the September winner of our LED lighting giveaway. She wins five Cree CR6™ LED downlights.

Here's the photo Carol submitted in our September contest.

Here's the photo Carol submitted in our September contest.

Here’s what Carol is going to find out when she installs her new lights. They deliver beautiful light, providing the quality you would expect from an incandescent. And her new lights won’t slurp up a lot of energy. Each CR6 LED downlight only consumes 10.5 Watts, and can replace a 65 Watt incandescent light. (Yes, the time has come to say goodbye to those Halogen lights warming up the cans in your ceiling.)

Carol’s new lights provide warm light (2700K for those of you in-the-know) and they’re dimmable to 5 percent. Bonus: She’ll use even less energy when the lights are dimmed.

And, Carol’s new Cree LED lights are designed to last 50,000 hours, which means they could last more than 17 years if she leaves them on for eight hours a day, seven days a week. It’s a good thing too, because Carol says the office lights are on a lot because her husband works at home.

When she installs her new CR6 LED downlights, she should invite over the person who told her that LEDs don’t make good lighting. We’d love to be there when she flips the switch so we can see their surprised look and hear her offer a big “neener-neener-neener” under her breath.

Congratulations, Carol! If you want to prove any LED lighting skeptics in your life wrong with Cree LED lights, enter our November contest for your chance to win five Cree CR6 LED downlights. And if you just can’t wait, look up a distributor near you.

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