LED lighting set for residential boost this summer
Residential LED-based lighting is set for a boost in the US with leading supplier Progress Lighting gearing up for a summer 2006 launch of products featuring chips made by Cree and Nichia.
The two chip companies will supply 40 lm/W warm-white LED sources to Permlight Products, which has developed a low-cost thermal management solution for residential applications.
Permlight already uses Nichia die for ceiling lights and Cree chips for below-the-eye applications. According to Permlight, this is because Nichia products work better with natural skin tones.
"Progress Lighting believes now is the time for LED systems to illuminate our homes - not 2-5 years from now like most industry analysts predict," said Jim Decker, VP of brand management at Progress Lighting.
"Progress will offer a home lighting fixture solution that incorporates warm-color, dimmable LED lighting fixtures that appear and operate like incandescent sources. Progress will be using Permlight's breakthrough LED technology as the core of this new product line," added Decker.
Permlight CEO Manuel Lynch said of the product launch: "It will be much sooner than later, and a much larger offering than most would expect. We have demonstrated repeatedly that that the time for LEDs to light our homes is now. This is the light source from now on."
