SWITCH Lighting Named Best of Innovations honoree

The SWITCH 3-Way is a “Best of Innovations” honoree in the Eco-Design and Sustainable Technologies product category. The SWITCH 3-Way is the first and only 25/50/75 watt-equivalent LED bulb for use in three way lighting fixtures. The actual Watts input will be 3.3/9/18.5 and the lumen output 200/600/1100 respectively.

The Innovation Awards honorees were officially announced today at the 2013 International CES Press Preview, a sneak peek which gives journalists a look at the hottest technology products of the year months before the official CES show in Las Vegas in January. Products entered in the CES Innovation awards are judged by a panel of independent industrial designers, engineers, and members of the media to honor outstanding design and engineering in cutting edge consumer electronics products across 29 product categories.

"We're thrilled to be back as a CES Innovations Award Honoree," said Tracy Bilbrough, CEO of SWITCH Lighting. "We were recognized last year for the SWITCH75 so we're proud to return with the latest addition to our full family of LED bulbs, the SWITCH 3-Way. This is the first LED A-Lamp that works in three way lighting fixtures to produce three levels of light in a low-medium-high configuration – it's a great achievement in our industry.”

The SWITCH 3-Way was designed to provide the same warm, familiar glow of an incandescent, while using approximately 80% less energy and offering the convenience of a three-way bulb. The three power settings give users control over light intensity, ambiance, and energy use in each fixture, with no changes in color temperature. For the first time, users can select different levels of lighting (low, medium, and high) for different moods at the flip of a switch on an LED lamp.

Like all of SWITCH's full family of LED bulbs, the SWITCH 3-Way uses the company's patented LQD Cooling System - the most innovative and effective thermal management system on the market today. The LQD Cooling System is a blend of the company's overall electronic design and proprietary technologies: a coolant made of liquid silicone, and a patented, highly efficient and reliable electronic driver. SWITCH is up to 40% more effective at diffusing heat and cooling LEDs than air-cooled bulbs.

The prestigious Innovations Design and Engineering Awards are sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the producer of the International CES, the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow, and have been recognizing achievements in product design and engineering since 1976. The Best of Innovations honor is awarded to the products with the highest judges' scores and will be featured in the Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase at the 2013 International CES.

UK Christmas World Teams Up With Channel 4's

To help with the countdown to the festive season, UK Christmas World has signed up the ‘King of Christmas’ Paul Toole to highlight a selection of their vast range of Christmas trees, lights and decorations.

With Paul Toole’s help, UK Christmas World will release a new video every few days in the run up to Christmas. Each video will showcase various products, giving festive fans different ideas as they look to decorate their homes for the holiday season.

Paul Toole can proudly say that he has the biggest and best Christmas light display in the country, spending almost 10,000 on lights each year and attracting thousands of people to Manning Close every evening in the run up to Christmas.

Every year, Paul Toole takes Christmas decoration to a whole new level with the Manning Close Christmas Light Show, which features over 60,000 LED lights. It also includes live music, mince pies and mulled wine, whilst raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Eddie Riby, Managing Director of UK Christmas World, stated: “With Paul’s experience with Christmas decorations, there is clearly no one better suited to help fellow Christmas enthusiasts get ready for the holiday season. Through our videos, you will see all the different options available for anyone looking to brighten up their homes this winter.”

For the upcoming holiday period, UK Christmas World has released 3 new catalogues highlighting their wide range of decorations. This includes a large selection of artificial Christmas trees, LED indoor and outdoor Christmas lights and Christmas tree decorations.

UK Christmas World is part of the Direct Global Trading group, which was started in 2008 by young entrepreneur Eddie Riby. Direct Global Trading runs several multi-channel e-commerce websites. As part of the company’s continuing growth, the business has recently moved to a new head office and larger warehouse facility in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

Just like last year, there are a number of colors for the Christmas tree – white, silver, blue or pink, besides the classic green. We offer this time classic dark green color but all snow covered tree. Artificial snow could be bio, powder, scatter, crystal or just gently iridescent, decorating Christmas wreaths and trees. Glitter and freezing rain effects are conquering the glass baubles, stars and danglers. Classic elements, such as baubles, stars, angles and nativity figures can give Christmas a traditional character, but if they are in Scandinavian light blue, rich red, pink and yellow they will bring playfulness and some dollhouse romanticism.

The market for LED lighting is continuing to bloom – wax hollow cylinders, for instance, integrated with LED lamps create an authentic candle-flame look while electro-magnetic candles accurately reproduce a natural flame.

As a whole, primary source of inspiration this year is nature. Hand-made decorations and Christmas gifts are very innovative. You can try and make them on your own – you can be creative and original as much as the professional designers. The designs of the seasonal marketplace’s style in 2012 are various, and the best idea is to combine them in order to bring a real personal touch to our home.

Big hitters from Korea

FROM humble beginnings is a saying that is truly appropriate for Kia Motors. The company was founded in 1944 and was known as the Kyungsung Precision Industry and produced bicycle components. Then in 1951 the company mass- produced Korea’s first local bicycles and 10 years later moved onto motorcycles.

The first foray into larger forms of transport occurred in 1962 with the production of a three-wheeler truck known as the K-360. It was 1974 before the first Kia car was built and exported to the Middle East under the name of the Brisa. Then it was the Ford Festiva, locally known as the Pride, which carried the company from 1986.

The company was declared bankrupt in 1998 due to the then financial crisis and it proved to be advantageous as Kia was absorbed by the Hyundai group and never looked back. It was rated as the eighth largest global brand in 2011 and this year has shown growth of 11% and production will pass the 2- million mark.

Last week in Yeosu on the southern tip of Korea the company launched a facelifted Sorento and an all-new premium sedan, the Quoris.

Facelift is really not the term that should be applied to the Sorento as it is a lot more than skin deep. It has definitely had an upgrade at the hands of chief designer Peter Schreyer who has taken the brand to new levels of styling, in collaboration with Tom Kearns, chief designer from Kia Design Centre America.

New headlights with LED positioning lights, a new tailgate with LED combination lights, and new front and rear bumpers with vertical axis fog lights and an expanded choice of wheels up to 19-inch are all key new design features. An optional new-style panoramic sunroof is also available. Exterior dimensions are the same as the previous model while height is down 10mm due to the lower suspension ride height.

The other reason for the drop in height is due to one of the biggest changes with the new model. The front and rear sub- frames are completely new, and revised mountings reduce noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) dramatically. These sub-frames provide a lowered cabin floor, and that results in more interior space ― 30mm more legroom for the second row and 9mm extra for third row passengers.

The interior of the Sorento has also received a refresh and the finish is extremely good. Our launch model featured every possible accessory that you could imagine.

I drove the 3.5l V6 Lambda MPI-engined 4x4 with a six-speed automatic transmission. The unit produces 206kW at 6,300r/min with torque of 336Nm at 5,000r/min. The Sorento is also available in 4x2 versions and with a six speed manual transmission.

The ride quality is good with high comfort levels and good handling. It is nice to drive an SUV that is not over sprung at the rear, bouncing passengers all over the cabin. The engine provides more than adequate power to meet the demands of any family motorist.

Alternative power trains are available but at the time of writing I have no clarity as to which derivatives will hit our shores when the new model arrives during the first quarter of next year .

Without a doubt the highlight of the trip was the opportunity to drive Kia’s new flagship model, the Quoris. Unfortunately at this stage it will not be available in SA as there are currently no plans for a right-hand drive model, with the Quoris set for the markets of the Middle East, Asia and the US.

It may seem strange to report on a car not destined for SA, but my time with the Quoris demonstrated the high level of design and build quality that the Korean manufacturer has attained.

Checking out EmPOWER's free check-up

Delmarva Power customers can get a one-hour visit from an energy efficiency technician. The program is paid for by EmPOWER Maryland; the money comes from a small surcharge on all electric bills. State-licensed and certified contractors are the only ones allowed to make the visits.

To see what is involved, I signed up for a free audit on the Delmarva Power website.

I was especially curious because I worked in a county weatherization effort for senior citizens for several years around 1980, when I lived in Northampton, Mass. Back then, we mainly caulked, sealed windows and provided weatherstripping and water heater blankets.

Within a couple of weeks, Robert Bucher from American Home Energy Corporation of Elkton rolled up the driveway, right on time.

He did confess that Still Pond Road, Still Pond Neck Road and Old Still Pond Road were a bit much to someone from "away."

Bucher brought a tote full of light bulbs and other goodies – and an iPad, where he logged answers to a few basic questions about our heating (oil and a wood stove), hot water (electric) and AC (window units if we need them). The information helps the state track Delmarva Power's efforts to take basic energy-saving steps on behalf of its customers. The goal is a 15 percent reduction in energy consumption through conservation.

The first stop was the basement, where he looked at the oil furnace and water heater. Because the water heater was replaced a few years back, it is much more energy-efficient than an old one, so it didn't need a water heater insulating blanket.

Then we walked through different rooms, identifying the incandescent bulbs that could be replaced with compact fluorescents.

Bucher said he had all different kinds and sizes, including the globes that fit table lamps with clamp-on shades, but no candelabra-base replacement bulbs, which are what we have in some kitchen lights.

He also has instant-on CFL bulbs. "Some people don't like that (the old style fluorescent lamp bulbs) start out dim and get brighter," he said. The newest bulbs are also more reliable.

There's a 16-bulb limit to replacements. Bucher put in all 16, in ceiling fans, a hallway light, lamps, and the mudroom, among other places. The old incandescent bulbs get taken away and recycled, he said.

He also gave us two faucet aerators, which cut down hot water without reducing the pressure.

A replacement shower head – the hand-held kind with the flexible hose – went on in one of the bathrooms. It has gotten rave reviews, and it saves hot water.

Bucher said part of the idea behind the free check-up is to explain energy efficiency and interest people in a full energy audit, called "Home Performance with Energy Star."

The audit takes everything into account: appliances, insulation, efficiency of the heating and cooling equipment, and a pressure test for air leaks. (Cracks and crevices let cool air out or cold air in, depending on the season, and can make quite a difference in the size of the checks that get written to pay heating and cooling bills).

One rule of thumb is to check if you pay more than $1 per square foot each year for your energy consumption. If you do, chances are there are problem areas making your house less energy-efficient than it could be.

A Guide to End of Term Options in a Solar PPA

A Power Purchase Agreement ("PPA") can typically last fifteen to twenty years, but solar PV systems have an operating life of twenty-five years or more. So what happens when the PPA term expires and the system is still operating? The party that purchases the electricity - the "host" or "offtaker" - usually has three options at the end of the PPA term: renew the PPA, purchase the system at fair market value, or have the equipment removed.

Renewing a PPA at the end of the agreement term is arguably the simplest choice for a host customer. If the customer has had a positive experience over the term of the original PPA and enjoyed the benefits of purchasing solar electricity at predictable rates, renewal is an easy way to continue to experience those benefits. Some solar companies even offer a system upgrade with the latest technology when a PPA is renewed, and renewal term/extension lengths can vary. Additionally, renewal of a PPA can make more economic sense for the host customer compared to purchasing the system at a discounted rate, since PPAs do not require upfront capital expenditures by the host.

In the negotiation of any PPA, the host should preserve the ability to have this renewal option. The extension of the PPA can be made based on the economic needs of the owner at the expiration of the original PPA. Many PPAs have extension provisions built in which can provide some degree of economic certainty for both parties.

Another option for the host customer at the end of the PPA term is to purchase the generating asset from the system owner. The purchase price can either be negotiated near the end of the PPA term or established, to varying degrees, within the contract terms of the initial PPA. However, any predetermined price for the purchase option cannot be less than fair market value due to tax requirements, as the risks of project ownership must remain with the investor that enjoys the tax benefits. Typically, the PPA may include a purchase option starting in year 6 of operation. This purchase option can be exercised at periodic intervals but cannot be a continuous option.

If the host customer is not interested in renewing the PPA or in purchasing the solar system, the system owner can remove the system from the premises. The party responsible for the cost of the removal of the system should be established in the initial PPA. Host parties should consider requiring Removal Bonds or establishing reserve funds to make sure project owners have the financial resources to meet any removal obligations they may have.

The Power Purchase Agreement has proven to be a very effective tool in the financing of solar PV systems. Our team feels that as the solar industry matures even further, module manufacturers consolidate, and the quality of PV technology continues to improve, renewal will become an increasingly popular option at the end of the initial PPA term.