When Pegasus Lighting’s President Chris Johnson heard that his neighbor Greg had installed such a unique solution to his dark pantry problem, he knew it was perfect for our Weekend Warrior blog post series. The Weekend Warrior series is part of our quest to bring our customers unique products and offer creative ideas for DIY lighting projects around the house.  

Parts you needPower supply & duration

Note: If you don’t feel comfortable with a soldering iron you can use “wire nuts” to connect the wires. It’s slightly less elegant but perfectly functional.

Now that you understand how the proximity switch works we can wire it up:

This guy’s name is Humphry. He’s about 24 years old. A chemist. And, by the looks of him, pretty content with his accomplishments and station in life. He’s the boy wonder credited with creating the first incandescent light. He seems to be thinking, “I’m just a genius. No biggie.” It’s around 1802. England.

The incandescent light bulb is our homie. It has been with us, creating warm, flattering light, rendering colors beautifully, and making human life at least 45% more magical for almost 200 years. Even though 90% of its energy is emitted as heat, making the standard tungsten light bulb almost inexcusably inefficient, we’ll always have love for the incandescent light bulb and its flattering light.

Many brilliant minds have contributed to the incandescent lamps we have today, but Humphry Davy stands out to me for his ingenious invention that led to “the most profound invention since man-made fire.”

Picture this scenario: you’re sitting at home with your family watching television and enjoying an otherwise run-of-the-mill evening. Then, all of a sudden, *poof*! Your power goes out, leaving you in the dark.

Here’s a quick question: do you know what to do when this happens?

Have a look at our guide to understand your best course of action after an outage. That way, you can keep you and your family safe no matter the situation.

When the power first goes out, take the following steps:

This is a non-issue if there’s a power interruption. But in cases of extreme weather or other emergencies, guarantee the bodily safety of you and your family first.

If you have telephone or cellular service, a quick call to the power company can give you information on the cause, extent and estimated restoration time for an outage.

Depending on the expected outage time, you may want to put a plan in action for your food/water. If the outage is less than two hours, food in your refrigerator and freezer will be fine. After that, however, temperatures may rise high enough to cause food-borne illness. To minimize the risk, avoid opening and closing the refrigerator as much as possible.

In most power outages, municipal water should remain unaffected. However, extreme weather or extended outages could compromise water safety. In cases like this, it’s recommended to avoid using it for anything that could come in contact with your mouth or body:

If possible, use boiled or bottled water to avoid the risk of getting sick.

If an outage knocks out air conditioning during hot weather, your risk of heat stroke will increase significantly. It’s important to identify the signs of heat stroke and address it as soon as it happens. Symptoms include hot/red skin, dizziness or nausea, headaches, rapid heartbeat and a high body temperature.

To reduce the risk of heat stroke, follow these guidelines:

Just like the heat, a prolonged power outage in the cold can quickly create an emergency situation. This holds especially true with most in-home heating systems that rely on electricity in some capacity.

Remaining warm is especially important in these situations. One of the largest risks with prolonged exposure to cold is hypothermia. Signs of hypothermia risk include cold skin, shivering and a body temperature below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Without proper steps in place, hypothermia can quickly escalate into a life-threatening situation.

Maintaining a warm environment is the most important step in a cold temperature power outage. Use all the following tips to keep your family safe in the cold:

This month, everyone is taking the leap to be more green by pledging to take the bike rather than drive, or turning off the lights for longer periods of time to reduce heat waste. Those of us in the lighting industry are taking on the challenge of beautifying the environment with new energy-efficient and sustainable lighting designs.

Leading lighting vendors have showered the market with Energy Smart and Energy Star-rated indoor and outdoor light fixtures that are infused with designer style.

Check out the latest light fixture fashions: From classic traditional and urban rustic to sleek, modern and art-deco, these designs receive top grades in energy-efficiency.