Light Up Dark Stairs with the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light

We make a great Stair Light, but sometimes people need to light an entire stairway without wires. Such was the case with Vivian who called me today.

Vivian is the funny aunt that everyone wishes they had. She can make anything sound funny, especially with her classic New York accent. She called because she has a dark staircase leading down to her cellar. She is a big fan of Costco and BJ's Warehouse Clubs, and loves to cook, so when she goes to the warehouse clubs she loads up on canned foods, spices, olive oil and other ingredients. Her husband added storage by installing shelves on the dark stairs down to the basement. But the stairs are too dark for her to see what items are on the shelves. So Vivian called us looking for a solution to light up her dark stairs.

Our solution for dark stairs is the wireless Mr. Beams Anywhere Ceiling Light. The wireless Mr Beams Anywhere Ceiling Light uses a bright LED from Nichia that provides 80 lumens of light. This is significantly brighter than the tap lights from years ago, and so much brighter than the LED puck lights that are sold in places like Bed, Bath & Beyond. Better yet, the Mr Beams Anywhere Ceiling Light has a motion detector, so whenever Vivian opens her cellar door, the bright LED goes on. It also has an auto shut off, so after Vivan closes the basement door, the Ceiling Light counts down 30 seconds and then automatically shuts off. One Mr Beams battery-powered LED Ceiling Light should last more than 3,200 activations on one set of C batteries - which is 3 years of wireless lighting on one set of batteries under normal use.

Vivian had called an electrician, who quoted her $240 to install a basic ceiling light to light her cellar steps. Then he didn't show up. So Vivian called Mr. Beams. We sent her the the wireless Mr. Beams Ceiling Light, the brightest and best wireless light for lighting up stairways, closets, pantries, basements attics and garages. Vivian will be able to install the Ceiling Light by herself in minutes, and whenever she opens her cellar door, the motion sensor LED light will light up the stairs so she can tell her tomato paste from her tomato sauce.

More ideas to light up the dark areas of your home are available at www.mrbeams.com

Lighting During Power Outages in the Holiday Blizzard of 2010

My brother just emailed me a photo of his car buried in snow in Maplewood, NJ. His house got about 20 inches of snow. He was dreading having to dig out his car, which would take more than an hour. But at least he did not have a power outage caused by the blizzard. More than 2 million people lost power at some point during the blizzard. What did they have prepared for the power outage? Here is our estimate of how unprepared people were for a power outage:

Candles Only – 14%
Flashlights Without Working Batteries – 17%
Flashlights / Lanterns Only – 21%
Nothing – 22%
Flashlights / Lanterns and Candles – 26%

Having flashlights without batteries is a big mistake – by our estimates around 350,000 homes found themselves without working flashlights during the blizzard. More than 450,000 people had no emergency light source ready. Remember the sinking feeling you get when the power goes out and you realize that you are not prepared with any emergency lights? The people living in these 800,000 homes all had that feeling during this recent blizzard.

The solution to lighting your home during a power outage is wireless lighting. We recommend that every home has at least one flashlight for these power outages, but an even better solution is wireless lighting like the LED lights from Mr. Beams. Wireless lighting is a category of lights that use batteries instead of direct wiring to electricity. Mr. Beams has perfected this type of lighting by using the brightest LEDs, the best motion sensors, the most efficient components to extend battery life, and simple ways to attach the wireless lights to any surface.

The leading solution to light your home during a power outage is the Mr. Beams LED Ceiling Light. The Mr. Beams LED Ceiling Light can attach to any wall, ceiling, closet or porch in minutes. This wireless light will only activate when it is dark (it has a light sensor) and only activate when it detects motion (motion sensor). It is so bright that it can light up an entire hallway, yet so efficient that it gets more than 2,400 activations on one set of batteries.

A complete line of lighting solutions for power outages and blackouts are available from Mr. Beams at www.mrbeams.com.

Coupon for Lighting Up Your Stairs with Wireless LED Lights

One of the main reasons we started the Mr. Beams LED Lighting company in the first place was to light dark stairs. Stairs are notoriously dark. There are no electrical sockets on lights. The best solution to light dark stairs would provide a wireless light that is battery powered. The best solution to light stairs would be off when you were not walking down the stairs in the dark, and light up immediately when you needed to walk on the stairs. For this a motion sensor would be the best solution.

Dark stairs are often dangerous. The chances of missing a step that is not well lit are too high for anyone to accept dark stairs. When you are tired because a child is calling out to you in the middle of the night, or when you are coming to the aid of an elderly parent or guest, or when you hear a strange noise, you are in a state of sleepiness that also increases your chances of missing a step and falling down some stairs.

We feel so strongly about helping people light up their stairs that we are offering a big discount to encourage people to light up their dark stairs using the Mr. Beams wireless motion sensor LED lights. Use the coupon code HNDY30 and get 30% off your order at www.mrbeams.com. We recommend the Mr. Beams MB530 Wireless LED Stair Light. This light packs a lot of light in a small package. It installs easily with two screws. The Mr. Beams MB530 Wireless LED Stair Light has a motion sensor, so when it detects motion it lights up brightly. One Mr. Beams MB530 Wireless LED Stair Light can light up 6 steps. For additional safety, the Mr. Beams MB530 Wireless LED Stair Light has a patented "glow" feature. As soon as it gets dark, the Mr. Beams MB530 Wireless LED Stair Light emits a very low light that shows you where the stairs are. As soon as you walk toward the Stair Light, it lights up to full brightness. The Mr. Beams MB530 Wireless LED Stair Light is also the perfect solution to light up dark hallways.

All Mr. Beams Wireless LED Lights use the best available LEDs. LEDs are so durable that they never need to be replaced, so efficient that they can last for years on a single set of batteries, and bright enough to light up stairs, hallways and outdoor areas. All Mr. Beams Wireless LED Lights also use the latest motion sensors and light sensors, so these lights go on only when it is dark and these lights go on as soon as they detect motion.

More information about the best solution to lighting dark stairs is available at www.mrbeams.com.

Mr. Beams Also Makes Great Wireless LED Lights with Remote Control

Did you know that you can keep a remote control next to your bed that turns on a light when you hear a noise? Whether the noise is outside or inside, simply press the remote control and a light shines brightly to scare something away or help you see what caused the noise.

The products are made by Mr. Beams and are called Remote Controlled Wireless Lights. There two types of LED lights that can be controlled by a single remote control. Both LED lights are completely wireless – this means that you can place these lights anywhere without wiring and without having to call an electrician. These wireless LED lights are so easy to install that anyone can attach them in minutes.

Let’s look at some practical applications of remote controlled wireless LED lights:
1. The outside corners of your house are dark. You hear noises at night and they keep you up. Simply install one or two Mr. Beams Wireless LED Security Spotlights using just one screw (included). Attach the Mr. Beams Wireless LED Security Spotlights to your house, to a tree, or anywhere else that will make you feel more secure. If you hear a noise at night, press the remote control and turn on 140 lumens of light to let everyone and everything know that you heard them.
2. Your dog disappears into the darkness when you let her out at night. Simply install one or two Mr. Beams Wireless LED Security Spotlights using just one screw (included). Attach the Mr. Beams Wireless LED Security Spotlights to a tree and turn the Wireless Spotlight on with your remote control from inside your house. One remote control can turn on dozens of Mr. Beams LED Spotlights. Never worry about your dog again when you let her out at night.
3. You wake up in the middle of the night and need to go to the bathroom, or need to help a child or elderly adult in the house. You don’t want to turn on the overhead lights because it will disturb your sleep and wake up others. The solution is to install the Mr. Beams Wireless LED Path Lights to your walls. When you wake up, press the remote control that you keep on your night table and all of the Mr. Beams Wireless LED Path Lights will illuminate. As soon as you return to bed, press the remote control again and all of the Wireless LED Path Lights will turn off.
4. You learn about how many people fall in their homes and decide that better lighting will lower the probability of someone falling. Mr. Beams has motion sensor wireless lights as well as remote control wireless lights. You install the Mr. Beams Wireles LED Stair Lights and Remote Control Wireless LED Path Lights throughout your hallways, stairs and bathrooms. One remote control can activate multiple Mr. Beams lights. This lights up your floors and stairs and reduces falls caused by improper lighting.
5. You know that your house needs better outside lighting. You have a budget. The solution for low-cost outside lighting is wireless LED lighting from Mr. Beams. Unlike solar lighting - which cannot provide bright light and must be in direct contact with sunlight – Mr. Beams lights are bright and work anywhere. They are 5-12 times brighter than the typical solar light, and provide bright lighting for path lighting, driveway lighting, doorway lighting, yard lighting, shed lighting, garage lighting and gazebo lighting. You can install 6 Mr. Beams wireless LED lights with remote control on / off in under 1 hour for less than $200! If you called an electrician, it would take 3 weeks and cost you more than $1,500!

As you can see, remote controlled lights from Mr. Beams solve many lighting problems. They are the solutions to the following:
How do I put security lights on my house?
Answer: Mr. Beams Remote Controlled Security Spotlight attached to the house
How do I light up the yard for my dog?
Answer: Mr. Beams Remote Controlled Security Spotlight attached to a tree
How do I light a path to the bathroom?
Answer: Mr. Beams Remote Controlled Path Lights attached to the wall
How can I help prevent falls in my home?
Answer: Mr. Beams Remote Controlled Path Lights attached to the stairway wall
How can I light up outside my house without an electrician?
Answer: A combination of the Mr. Beams Remote Controlled Security Spotlights and Remote Controlled Path Lights
Where can I buy Mr. Beams LED lights? Go to www.mrbeams.com

Top LED Lighting Applications Ready for Your Home

When was the first time you knew that the term LED referred to lighting? For most of us it was within the past three years. Today the term is widely recognized as a new type of energy efficient-lighting. That is fast recognition of the term. Adoption of LEDs in residential lighting has taken much longer.

I have been working with LEDs for five years and have a basic grasp of how they work and where they make sense. When I first started working with LEDs, it was predicted that by the year 2012, the majority of lighting would be LED-based. While LEDs are the most efficient lights in the laboratory, they are not the smartest lighting in many actual applications. The predictions failed to take into account a few factors:
1. It is difficult to control certain LED characteristics - such as heat and the color changes over time of LEDs - once they are installed in light fixtures
2. Many fluorescent lights are very efficient already
3. A global economic downturn makes an up-front investment in energy efficiency more challenging

So where does that put the LED industry right now? Gains in efficiency continue to be realized in the lab; more work has been put into a complete lighting solution for LEDs; and better products are launching every month.

I am often asked “Where do LEDs make sense in my home?” When my wife and I gutted our house two years ago, I was eager to install the latest in LED technology. Instead we installed traditional recessed cans and halogen fixtures for more decorative looks. LED-driven fixtures did not make economic sense – they were $100 and in their first generation. With lighting responsible for only 12% of my total energy bill, it appeared that it would take us more than 8 years to pay for the fixtures. By that time LED technology will be significantly more efficient, and might even be replaced by another technology.

Yet there are some applications in your home where LEDs make a lot of sense today. Below is my annual list of the LED fixtures that are ready for your investment. The market is changing so fast so I apologize to those manufacturers that I am unaware of – please post your list on the comment board.

Ready for Buying:
1. Under Cabinet Lighting – Under-cabinet lighting is one of the most requested applications in lighting showrooms. However it is disruptive and expensive to install due to the bulky nature of traditional lighting. It also tends to provide spotty light – too bright under the bulb but not bright enough at the perimeters. LED light strips provide a well-distributed even light throughout a surface. They have a low profile and last up to 50,000 hours.
2. Off-Grid Lighting – Outdoor Solar Lights have been a big disappointment, but they introduced the world to off-grid lighting. New products from Mr. Beams and others replace the solar cells with alkaline batteries and motion sensors for very effective off-grid outdoor lighting. Mr. Beams is the leader in this category by offering four different form factors: Ceiling Mount (MB980); Spotlight (MB360); Stair and Path Light (MB530); and Night Light (MB720). All of the Mr. Beams lights are battery powered and have auto shut-off to conserve battery life. Flashlights are also considered off-grid lighting, and LEDs are perfectly matched for use in flashlights.


Almost Ready:
1. MR16 Replacements – Good application for LEDs. Casinos and Cruise Lines have switched to LEDs for these lights that are on constantly. Use in track fixtures that are on more than 4 hours a day.
2. PAR 30 spotlights for outdoor lighting – Still expensive (minimum of $40 for the equivalent of a 60W bulb – don’t let them tell you otherwise) but the ROI will be quick if you leave your lights on all night. Also good for the inside garage light that you forget to turn off.
3. Recessed Cans – I was tempted to put this in the “Ready” category, but they are still too expensive for the average home-owner who looks at a 2-3 year ROI. Recessed cans from Cree provide beautiful, even white light at an $80 cost.
4. Outdoor Light Fixtures – Less of a heat issue for outdoor fixtures and the small size of LEDs provide many interesting design options. LEDs are much more durable than incandescent and CFL light sources, and there will be no trips up the ladder to replace.

Long Way to Go:
Bulb Replacements – LEDs are directional light sources. They are well suited for spotlights and poorly suited for bulbs. If the LED industry wants to disappoint customers, manufacturers will continue to try to sell LED bulbs that give off the equivalent of a 20W incandescent bulb for $20. A lot of work needs to be put into optics and LED efficiency before this category makes sense for your home.