Chickens raised using an intelligent poultry LED lighting system have been found to produce higher quantity and quality of eggs, develop into maturity at a faster rate and enjoy an improved standard of health as compared to chickens raised under traditional light sources. Using LED-based technology chicken farmers can: Lower lighting costs Increase musculoskeletal development and weight gain Induce earlier maturity for hens destined to lay eggs Increase egg output and quality Regulate reproduction cycles Increase length of reproductive life Furthermore, farmers can adjust the color of the LED lights to promote certain outcomes. For example, using red light, farmers were able to stimulate sexual activity and reduce the amount of feed necessary to produce each egg — even though there was no difference in the size, or quality of the egg. The red LED lights were able to increase egg production by up to 38 per hen while decreasing food consumption by 20 percent. Green lights promotes chicken growth at early stages of development, while blue light promotes growth later along the life cycle of the chicken. Blue and green light improved feed conversion (the efficiency at which an animal converts animal feed into desired output such as eggs or meat) by up to 4%, and therefore reduced cost per pound of the chicken by up to 3%. Why is Poultry LED Lighting Superior to Traditional Poultry Lighting? Visible “white” light is actually composed of a range of colors, which can be viewed by refracting light through a dispersive prism. Incandescents, the most common form of poultry barn lighting, are missing many critical portions of the full spectrum found in sunlight. For instance, an incandescent bulb produces a highly diminished amount of both greens and blues. CFLs produce only narrow bands of color in...

Looking to increase your boat lighting’s functionality and/or “bling” factor? If so, you’re not alone — we here at Flexfire LEDs get calls all the time with questions about installing LED strip lights in boats and yachts. So many in fact, that we’ve decided to share a few ideas and address some of the more common issues with this sort of installation. Whether you’re running a skipper or a barge, taking your boat out for pleasure or for fishing, LED strip lights are a great solution for low energy lighting that can be fully customized to meet the individual size and lighting demands of your boat. The first thing to consider when looking into LED strip lights for your boat is to determine whether the lights will be exposed to environmental elements such as water or sand. If you’re considering LED strips for your deck lighting, or perhaps outside of the hull, make sure the lights are rated for outdoor use and water protection. Each of our LED strip lights has an IP rating that specifies the amount and type of protection it receives from the elements. IP ratings consist of two numbers — the first number refers to the amount of protection against solid objects, and the second refers to liquid protection. The numbers for solid object protection run from 0 (no protection) through 6 (full protection), while the numbers for liquid protection run 0 through 8. A fully waterproof LED strip light would thus have a rating of IP68. For deck accent lighting, we suggest our colorful, customizable and versatile IP65 Outdoor ColorBright™ LED strip lights, which come in static red, green and blue, as well as remote-controlled color changing RGB. Many people call us looking to generate the attractive indirect glow they’ve seen on other boats. To achieve this...

LED strip lights are renowned for their ability to produce attractive indirect light in a small package, which made them perfect for this installation at a historic and architectural landmark. Civil engineer Stephan Lum was placed in charge of the project, choosing to install Flexfire LEDs UltraBright Strip Lights at California’s Long Beach Airport. As part of a larger renovation effort, the plan was to update the airport’s historic Art Deco terminal, which was originally built in 1941. Designers were keen to upgrade the terminal’s lighting without disturbing its original design, which made it necessary to avoid the use of contemporary light fixtures. Our high quality LED strip lights were a perfect solution; the strips themselves are hidden from view, and provide ample indirect light while also being highly durable and energy efficient. Our strip lights were installed above the check-in counters, into cove channels and in the airport news and gift shop to create a generous, inviting atmosphere for travelers on their way to their next flight. Designers were thrilled with the results, opting to install additional Flexfire LEDs strip lights around trees in the airport’s outdoor palm garden. Jeff Mills of Elec-Tech Electrical Contractors was placed in charge of this outdoor installation, attaching our Bright White UltraBright™ Outdoor Design Series Strip Lights to a dimmer for complete control of brightness level and energy usage. These outdoor LED strip lights feature IP weatherproof coating that protects them from water, dust, and other environmental hazards. The tree display was originally intended for the Christmas season only, but officials decided to leave it up indefinitely after positive public response. Check out more project photos below, or see the installation for yourself next time you’re passing through the Long Beach Airport!    ...

Li fi technology, also known as light fidelity or Visible Light Communication (VLC), uses flickering LED lights to transfer wireless data. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re familiar with Wi-fi and have probably already used it at some point today. Wi-fi is a technology that allows you to use radio waves to connect to the internet. But what if instead of spewing out Wi-fi radio waves throughout your house and apartment, you used highly directed beams of LED light? A Li-fi connection would allow your laptop, smartphone or tablet to connect to the internet via the same lights used to light your room. The LED networks work by flickering light at a rapid fire rate, invisible to the human eye. To connect to a Li-fi network, devices must be equipped with the capability to recognize the LED light signals and use them to transfer data. The term “Li-fi” was coined by Harald Haas at a 2011 TED talk, during which he explained that by using a flickering LED light outfitted with a microchip, data can be transferred to laptops and mobile devices. The advantages of Li-fi over Wi-fi are numerous; they increase network security, don’t emit radiation and speed up connection rates. A multitude of micro-LED bulbs allows streams of light to be beamed in parallel, with each stream multiplying how much data can be carried over the connection. Each bulb is enabled to handle millions of changes in light intensity per second, acting as an extremely fast on and off switch and allowing a high speed transfer of binary data – a series of ones and zeros. “If you think of a shower head separating water out into parallel streams, that’s how we can make light behave,” Professor Harald Haas told the BBC....

While consumers are learning more about LED lighting, there are still many questions to be answered. Many LED products lack minimum safety, environmental and performance standards, leaving consumers unsure about product reliability. Thankfully, there are a number of recognized LED lighting certifications that consumers can rely upon. Let’s take a look at some of these certifications, and what they actually mean for consumers. UL Listed UL (Underwriters Laboratories) is an American safety and consulting company offering services in 104 countries worldwide. Established in 1894, UL first gained recognition by drafting safety standards and conducting safety analysis for electrical devices and components as the rise of residential electricity transmission made electronics ubiquitous in American households. As an LED lighting certification, UL Listed means that UL has tested representative samples of the product and determined it meets UL’s requirements based on its published Standards for Safety. The safety certification may also include additional information, meaning the product is UL Listed for Canada and the U.S. The UL logo used alone on packaging means the product and all its components have successfully passed UL examination as a working unit. LED lights that are UL Listed are safe for use in your home or business. Here is the UL Listed Website if you’d like to read more. CE Marking The CE mark is mandated for certain products sold within the European Economic Area, enabling freedom of movement in the European market. This marking means that the manufactured product meets EU safety, health and environmental standards that have been stipulated by legislation. Products demarcated with CE are not necessarily produced in Europe, but the marking means they can legally be sold there. All LED lights sold in Europe must carry the CE mark, which is often awarded by authorized third party organizations....