Appliance Design - March 2008 - (Page 5)

EDIToRIAL ® www.applianceDESIGN.com publishing staff Fern Sheinman Publisher Richard J. Babyak Editor Larry Adams Managing Editor Daryl Delano Economics Editor Amy Alef Production Manager MaTT Britcher Art Director (858) 259-4585 sheinmanf@bnpmedia.com (440) 886-1210 babyakr@bnpmedia.com (773) 467-8590 adamsl@bnpmedia.com (508) 746-7986 ddelano@adelphia.net (248) 244-6409 alefa@bnpmedia.com (734) 354-1874 britcherm@bnpmedia.com W Lights in the Fog standards are available in a medium screw base with a standard A-shape. The murk obscuring lighting arose largely from the industry itself by marketing its products with a misleading metric – watts instead of lumens. The intent was noble: safety. Makers of lighting fixtures emphasized maximum wattage ratings to avoid having their products cause fires. Makers of bulbs emphasized watts so consumers could properly match bulb to fixture. Lost in the process was actual light output – the lumens – which is a lamp’s reason for being. While there is some rough correlation between power consumption and light output in incandescent bulbs, watts have always been a crude metric. Few people realize, for example, that three 60-watt bulbs (180 watts) deliver fewer lumens than a single 150-watt bulb, or that a 50/100/150 three-way on the high setting provides significantly fewer lumens than a single-filament 150-watt bulb. The recent publicity surrounding light bulbs provides a golden opportunity to retrain consumers to think about lumens. Instead, we see the packaging on new alternatives talking about wattage equivalencies. (“Same as a 100 watt bulb!”) And so the confusion continues like a legacy. Innovative light sources coming down the pike won’t clear things up, either. Because the current metrics for judging light output aren’t well suited to non-spherical light sources such as LEDs or OLEDs, lighting based on those technologies may also rely upon wattage equivalencies for comparisons. This pervasive fog hanging over lighting provides a lesson for all technology areas, a reminder to market products by clear, sensible standards that empower people to make informed decisions. The model for such a posture can be found in the company motto established by legendary newspaper publisher E.W. Scripps: “Give light, and the people will find their own way.” < circulation Christine Baloga (248) 244-8262 Corporate Audience Development Director balogac@bnpmedia.com Amy Schuler (920) 231-4932 Group Audience schulera@bnpmedia.com Development Manager Alison Illes (248) 244-1730 Corporate Fulfillment Manager Illesa@bnpmedia.com Catherine M. Ronan (248) 244-8259 Corporate Audience ronanc@bnpmedia.com Audit Manager Robert Liska 800-223-2194 List Manager robert.liska@edithroman.com marketing Amanda Podina Marketing Director Paul Dykstra Trade Show Coordinator (248) 244-8257 podinaa@bnpmedia.com (248) 786-1609 dykstrap@bnpmedia.com editorial advisory board Mark Skaer, Senior Editor, The News Susan Sutton, Editor, Ceramic Industry Roy Sakelson, Editor-in-Chief, Circuitree Tom Williams, Publisher/Editor, Quality Magazine Darlene Brezinski, Ph.D., Editor, Paint and Coatings Industry Don Hegland, Editor, Assembly BNP Media Helps People Succeed in Business with Superior Information BNP Media 2401 West Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084, (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317; www.bnpmedia.com For subscription information or service, please contact Customer Service at: call (847) 763-9534 • Fax: (847) 763-9538 or email: AD@halldata.com APPLIANCE DESIGN (ISSN 1552-5937) is published 12 times annually, monthly, by BNP Media, 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $128.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $159.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $172.00 (airmail) payable in U.S. funds. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: APPLIANCE DESIGN, P.O. Box 2148, Skokie, IL 60076. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2008, by BNP Media. GST account: 131263923. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to APPLIANCE DESIGN, P.O. Box 2148, Skokie, IL 60076. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. For single copies or back issues, contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or KalbA@bnpmedia.com. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Send returns (Canada) to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. hat do you call a “lighting consultant” who knows little about lighting? A common fixture. Unfortunately, that’s more of a lament than a joke. While browsing lighting stores for a new reading lamp, I found that none of the sales people could tell me exactly how much light a given lamp emits. They could only tell me the maximum wattage bulb it could handle. Even then, they had to look it up. And none could compare the luminous efficacy (lumens per watt) of halogen lights to incandescent lights. So, when people who make their living from lighting have a flickering grasp of it, we should not be surprised that many ordinary people are in the dark about it, as well. This includes journalists, as indicated by their coverage of the lighting provisions of the energy bill signed into law in December. A great many of their stories suggested that the common incandescent light bulb was being banned, and everyone would be forced to use compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) instead. This elicited cheers by advocates, projecting the massive energy savings that will result from the CFLs’ higher lumens-per-watt output. It also drew howls of scorn by critics listing the things they don’t like about CFLs, including high cost, ghostly light quality, odd shape, slow warm up, lack of good dimming options, debatable longevity claims, and the 5 mg of mercury each one contains. Lost in much of the discussion is that people who don’t like CFLs probably won’t have to buy them. For the record, the law does not ban incandescent bulbs, merely establishes higher efficiency standards to be met by certain dates. Last year, GE’s lighting division revealed progress on a high-efficiency incandescent (HEI) lamp that will offer luminous efficacy comparable to CFLs and be ready for market before the new regulations go into effect. Another company, Advanced Lighting Technologies, Solon, Ohio, has acquired highefficiency technology using a nano-engineered film inside a halogen quartz bulb that reflects infrared light back into the bulb, offering the potential to double efficacy. For those who don’t want to wait, Philips’ Halogena Energy Saver bulbs that already meet the new Richard Babyak, Editor E-mail: babyakr@bnpmedia.com | HVAC | Majors | Water Processing | Housewares | Commercial Appliances | | Vending | Medical | Lab | Test & Measurement | Lawn & Garden | Electronics | | Computers | Communications | Business Equipment | applianceDESIGN March 2008 5 www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com http://www.bnpmedia.com http://www.appliancedesign.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Appliance Design - March 2008

Appliance Design - March 2008 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch A New Appliance is Set to Break into Homes Soon - the Micro CHP Unit, which Generate both Heat and Power. Thermally Enhanced Varistors Help Protect Low-Power Systems Against Damage Caused by Over-Current, Over-Temperature and Over-Voltage Faults. Hybrid Controller Reduces Standby Power Consumption and Improves Active-Mode Efficiency. Battery-Management ICs Solve Design Challenges for Cordless Appliances Using High-Voltage, Lithium-Ion Battery Technology. A Semiconductor Solution Protects the Relay in a Temperature Controller for a Cooking Appliance. New Polyurethane Foam Insulation System Optimizes both Insulation Performance and Productivity. Innovations in Decorative, Pre-Finished Metals Expand Range of Design Options for Appliance Designers. Design Marts Association Report: AHAM Advertiser's Index

Appliance Design - March 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.