Drawers Galore!

Received a message and link from Max Hunter over at Western Dovetail (right here in Vallejo!), directing me to his new photo gallery, Drawer.com.

If you, like me, can be inspired by looking at images of every kind of drawer imaginable, you should take a look. There are curved drawers, and bowed drawers, and angled drawers, and straight drawers, of every possible description.

Max can make you drawers and roll-out shelves and silverware inserts and dovetailed casework boxes. His products are beautifully crafted and very reasonable. He made great new drawers for our storage bed a few years back.

Isn't it time that you got some roll-out shelves to replace those stationary pantry or closet shelves?

I plan to order a roll-out shelf for my vanity, with a plumbing cutout, to make better use of the space.

Peggy

Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Fire Risk?

Here is a link to a respected lighting blog, Greenwashing Lamps, and a blog post entitled

CFL Fire Risk?

 

The blogger, halogenica, is well known in the lighting industry for her blog-campaign to discredit CFLs and LEDs. I don't agree with her on everything, but do agree that it doesn't pay to endanger our homes and lives by buying cheap light bulbs. 

BTW. Sadly, to my knowledge, virtually ALL light bulbs are made in China these days, in spite of the fact that Edison invented them here.

Well worth the read if you have cheap compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs in recessed ceiling fixtures or other enclosed fixtures in your home or business. The last place you want a fire is in a hole through the fire-protective sheetrock or plaster in your ceiling.

Peggy

 

Q & A on How to Find a Great Residential Spaceplanner

Q. 

Hi Peggy,

I just read a post of yours from 2007 about the difference between a kitchen designer and a kitchen (or residential) space planner.  Boy, did that hit home!  But how to find a really good space planner, and how to know you've found one before spending money on plans or schematics that don't get the job done?  I desperately need a residential space planner, and I am struggling with how on earth I can really figure out who is qualified as such! 

I have a tight space (kitchen dimensions are 12' x 12'10", with a skinny island and just 37" of clearance on each side), with one side completely open to the family living area/entrance, another door to the dining room and another door to the mudroom/garage, which is the main pathway in and out of our house. 

Just by reading my dimensions, you'll know that my kitchen is at least a foot too narrow at the 12'10" dimension to have a truly workable island and adequate counter space and storage.  I need a brilliant space planner (should I say, "magician"?) to help me rearrange and/or steal space, possibly from an office/library/den behind the kitchen, which is also beside the mudroom/laundry area.... but then I'll have a kitchen that is longer, but no wider, and it will also turn around a corner, so that I retain some counter space.  Plus, I'd like to keep some of that office/library/den space, if possible.  I have been stewing about this space for more than a decade, and have even had a couple of kitchen designers take a run at it, but no one can figure out what to do! 

Almost all architects and kitchen designers will stand strong on their ability to do brilliant space planning, but I have concluded that excellent residential space planners are rare.  So, how do I find one?  How can I really know who among the so-called "experts" in my area (Denver, Colorado) really are good space planners, before I shell out more design fees?  I don't think there's any designation for training in space planning, is there?

If you could provide any tips or guidance for me about how to hone in on someone who can really do the space planning job, I'd sure appreciate it.  I hope you don't mind me reaching out through cyber-space to ask this question.

Thank You!

Mary Anne

Denver, Colorado

A. 

Thanks for your question Mary Anne.

I'm afraid I can't write anything that's going to release you from doing lots of due diligence to find a great space planner in your area. 

You can find a general synopsis of the process on this page of my web site at kitchenartworks.com. It takes a lot less time and effort to type out the following:

"Assemble a list and get on the phone and start interviewing. Share your budget and general needs, ask for references and follow them up with calls and visits to previous projects."

than it does to do the work involved. It's a very difficult process, but you're halfway there! You already know the kind of designer you DON'T want.

Once you really get into the interviewing, calling references and reviewing past projects, you'll see, as you have with your past contacts with design pros, that you can tease out the information you're after without going so far as to have to shell out design fees. 

After all, you're not asking them to do design work for you. You just want them to respond to questions in a phone interview and provide references. Every designer should be willing to do that without charging you.

You can ask for a particular kind of references. In this case clients who had difficult space planning challenges. Your target design pro should be delighted to show off such projects, and the references should also be willing to help you understand how unbelievably bad their kitchens were before.

If you ultimately can't find anyone good locally, you may have to range farther afield. I did a kitchen once in Guam. And, believe me, I didn't travel there. These days that shouldn't be a problem with email and the Internet to help.

As to your question about a designation or training for a specialty in residential space planning? Many years ago, fellow designer Mary Fisher Knott started an organization called Residential Space Planners International, RSPI. I think she's the only one left! So no. I don't believe there are any current organizations to help you.

Peggy

Q & A on Painted and Glazed Cabinets

Q.

Hi Peggy

I'm hoping you can give me your advice.

We are building a new home and our cabinet company told me they do not recommend white antique glazed cabinets - due to the fact that they may crack over time - because it is a painted cabinet vs a stained cabinet ("and the wood needs to breathe").  

I cannot find any supporting evidence/opinions on this.  I have picked my color scheme and really want these cabinets - they will help me incorporate antique mahogany furniture into an open kitchen/ living room floor plan - with no formal dining room.  

We do live in south LA, but will have a foam insulated home and do not anticipate any moisture problems.

I really appreciate your advice - thanks

Hope your recuperation from knee surgery is going smooth!

Lisann

A.
 

Well Lisann, I can certainly see why you would hesitate about your decision if your chosen cabinet supplier is so dead-set against your choice! Needless to say they have had one, or more, very bad experiences with such a finish and a client who said the result was unacceptable (maybe a lawyer).

First, you need to determine whether their finishing department or separate sub-contractor is capable of achieving the finish you want. Ask them to produce a sample door in the style and wood you have chosen. Note where the seams in the door are. Then have them finish it exactly as you want.

Take the finished door home and expose it to a steamy bathroom for a few days (the door will swell imperceptibly). Then dry it out (The door will shrink). If it hasn't cracked at the seams, do this again until it does. The cracking at the seams is inevitable because the wood moves in different directions, expanding more with the grain direction than it does across the grain. Also, some woods expand and contract more than others. Specifically maple, which is often used for painted cabinets because of it's smooth, tight grain.

Assess the cracked door to see if you can live with it without being angry at yourself for wanting it and the cabinetmaker for allowing you to have it. After you finish with the door, give it back to the cabinetmaker so he can show future customers what it looks like.

If you decide not to proceed with the painted and glazed finish of your dreams, you are of the camp that prefers cabinet doors that look like they are made of plastic and not real wood. If you decide to go ahead, you are of the camp that realizes that wood, by its very nature, expands and contracts with seasonal conditions.

I am of the second camp myself. I have a feeling you may be as well. 

There is a second possibility here as well: That your chosen cabinetmaker is not capable of producing the fine finish you long for. If that's the case, you will find that out by having them produce the sample door as above. Then you can proceed to find another cabinetmaker or finisher to give you what you want.

Good luck with your project!

My knee has healed just fine.

Thank you for your concern Lisann.
 

At 69, going on 70 in January, I have retired from designing and am devoting most of my time to Deras family genealogy.
 

I still maintain my blogs and answer questions though.

I'm glad to see the Industry coming back from a five-year very difficult time.

Peggy

Happy 7th Anniversary to Kitchen Exchange!

I have been spending quite a bit of time lately flat on my back...Impatiently recovering from knee surgery (a meniscus repair). There's nothing like extended sack time to give you time to ruminate on life, work and such, especially when the final outcome is not clear.

I don't think I've slept so much since I had the Hong Kong Flu at 15. Wild and crazy dreams too! Very unusual for me. I haven't regularly remembered my dreams in many years. They're quite entertaining. Must be the drugs.

Anyway, so here I am celebrating my 7th year doing this blog. Contemplating retirement and what comes after.

I have an invention idea I need to patent. It will revolutionize kitchen cleanup. I've had it stashed in the back of my mind for many years. I'm amazed that nobody else has thought of it in the interim.

Then there's my Top 10 Cabinet list idea. Really need to get on that too. So many of you keep asking when I will.

Thank you to all of you who keep reading Kitchen Exchange. Here's a toast to many more years of blogging for you.

Peggy

LINK: Lighting design 101

Here is a link to a great article by Craig DiLouie, Lighting Industry Journalist, in Electrical Contractor:


EVALUATING LIGHT SOURCES

Not so technical that a smart layperson can't understand the concepts, Craig does a great job here of explaining what lighting designers try to accomplish in lighting a room, architectural structure or landscape.

More importantly, he teaches us what those cryptic codes on the new lighting labels mean, and how to use them to make better choices at your lighting supplier store.

Also, some fabulous images, courtesy of Peter Ngai, that illustrate the concepts.

Peggy 

Point Source                           Linear Source                              Area Source

 Craig's description:

Electrical Contractor recently published an article I wrote about a simple methodology for evaluating light sources based on a basic series of questions: 

• What is the distribution of the light?  

                                          Distribution is measured in candelas (cd).

• How long does the lamp last?  

                                          Service life is measured in hours.

• How much light does it produce?

                                           Light output is measured in lumens (Lm).

• How much electric power does the system require?  

                                           Power is measured in watts (W). 
 
• How efficient is it compared to others?  

                                           Efficacy is measured in lumens per watt (LPW).

• What is the color appearance of the source?  

                                           Color tone is measured in kelvins (K).

• How well does the source render colors?   

                                           Color rendering is expressed on the color rendering index (CRI).




 

Q & A About Lighting a Living Room

Q.

Hi Peggy,

Saw your website and wanted to ask a question if you don't mind. I want to install LED can lights in the ceiling of my living room. Right now there is only lighting from table lamps. Can you direct me to a website that might provide can light spacing/quantity calculations for LED lights? Appreciate the help.

Neil

A.

Hi Neil,

I would like you to examine your reasons for putting LED (or any other) recessed can lights in your living room ceiling. Think first about the purposes of your living room.

Most people use their living rooms for:

1. Entertaining guests

2. As a family room if they have no family room

3. Reading

4. Watching TV and/or listening to music if they have no other entertainment room.

Absolutely none of these tasks is made better by having recessed can lights overhead.

1. Entertaining guests: Everyone looks horrible with dark shadows under their brows, noses and chins. Imagine looking like this to your guests:

BwaHaHAH (Really apropos since it's almost Halloween)

Well ACTUALLY, you would look like this if you put the recessed cans in the floor, but you get my idea.

Much better to create a diffuse light with lamps and wall sconces. If you want to spend money on this, then add cove around the room (Google "indirect lighting") and hide the lights and bounce the light off a light colored ceiling (Use warm-white T8 or T5 fluorescent tubes in two rows on separate switches to get a "high" a "low" setting).

2. As a family room if they have no family room: Same issues as above. If you need some task lighting over a table for game-playing/crafts, add a pendant there.

3. Reading; The best light for reading comes from a table lamp on a side table or a sconce on the wall behind you, or a floor lamp positioned behind you and to one side.

4 . Watching TV and/or listening to music if they have no other entertainment room. Recessed can lights often reflect in the TV screen, making watching more difficult. You have to be very careful how you place can lights in such a room.

Almost all of the suggestions above cost quite a bit less than having a bunch of can lights put in your living room ceiling Neil.

This is why you hire a designer Neil. To help you make choices that are not only more beautiful and functional, but cost-effective as well. I'd appreciate a check for half the difference if you decide to follow my advice

P.S.

We kitchen designers often are forced to use recessed can lights in kitchen ceilings because so many are 8' high, or even less, and surface-mount lights with diffusers are out of fashion these days.

Any time I have a ceiling even 8-1/2' high I always try my best to convince my clients to use a different lighting scheme than recessed cans for the ambient (or general) lighting in the room. If not, then I am looking to see if there is attic space above the kitchen to raise the ceiling and put in cove lighting around the perimeter. Recessed can lights are almost always my very last solution to a lighting conundrum because they make the people in the spaces look so horrible. Functionally, they only work as task lighting in an area where we can't use undercabinet lights or pendants.

P.P.S.

Spacing of recessed ceiling can fixtures depends on a number of variables: Once you decide the fixture and lamp (lightbulb) going into the fixture, then you can contact the fixture manufacturer and tell them your ceiling height and they will give you some spacing suggestions based on the amount of lumens you want to reach the floor. There is no pat formula that works with every fixture and lamp. They are all different.

Happy Halloween!

Peggy

Which Bulb Works Best for the Fixtures Around Your Home?

The Lumen Coalition has just inaugurated their new web site that answers this question for all of the lighbulbs (lamps) found in a typical home.

Here's the link:

http://lumennow.org/choosing-a-bulb/

Peggy

San Mateo County Energy Upgrade Incentives

This from Assemblymember Jerry Hill's Newsletter.

Great new incentives for homeowners to upgrade their homes' energy efficiency - The "low hanging fruit" we all should do.

Peggy

Energy Upgrade California

Federal, state and local governments are teaming up with utilities to offer rebates on energy efficiency improvements on your home. San Mateo County homeowners are now eligible to receive up to $8,000 in rebates. https://energyupgradeca.org/county/san_mateo/match_incentive

Advanced Upgrade Matching Incentive:
The County of San Mateo offers a rebate match of up to $4,000 for homeowners on top of utility rebates up to $4,000. Contact a Participating Contractor for a home energy assessment to get started.

Basic Upgrade Matching Incentive:
Double your rebate up to $2,000! The County of San Mateo offers a rebate match of up to $1,000 for homeowners who complete a Basic Upgrade Package that includes air sealing, attic insulation, duct sealing, insulation of hot water pipes, and low-flow shower heads. No energy assessment is required. Contact a Participating Contractor to get started.

Incentives from the County of San Mateo will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis while funding lasts.

Eligible California homeowners can also access up to $25,000 for energy-saving projects like insulation, heating and cooling systems, and solar panels through a partnership with the Department of Energy and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Click here to learn more.

Volunteer Docents Needed for Sunset Smart Home

Friend/Client/Designer Valerie Lasker sent me the following today.

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area this is a great opportunity to see the latest Sunset Smart Home for FREE, and also help a good cause.

Peggy

Sunset Smart Home in Palo Alto: Volunteers Needed

Some of you know that my husband is a volunteer puppy-raiser for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI): http://www.cci.org. This is our latest CCI puppy Jacee, now 4+ months old:

Sunset Magazine has just agreed to donate $2,500 to CCI in return for providing 192(yikes!) volunteer docent shifts at their new Smart Homes open house.

The Smart Homes were designed by Sunset Magazine and will be featured in a future issue. These homes are designed to make life easier and more efficient. Volunteers would get to see them free; the tickets are normally $18/person.

Total 8 volunteers per shift. Two docents will sell tickets at door and one docent on each of three floors (in two adjacent homes) will monitor traffic flow. (Number of people on each floor at one time is restricted by fire marshal. Docents will have "cheat sheets" to answer general questions but there will be vendor reps there to answer technical questions about equipment. Docents do not need to stand during the shift. Each floor is only 500 square feet and each unit is 1500 square feet so a lot of walking is not necessary.

Shifts are Friday, Saturday or Sunday from Oct. 21 to November 13, either 9:30 - 1:30 or 1:30 - 5:30.

If you are willing to docent at one or more shifts, please call the volunteer coordinator Pat Wilcox at info line 408 257-6860. Be sure to say that you are volunteering to help CCI.

Forgive me for this commercial message. But it's for a worthwhile charity and is an interesting design event. Thanks!

Valerie

Q&A - Install Flooring Before or after Cabinet Installation?

There is a question about installing tile kitchen flooring over at Hometalk, a new and useful web site where you can get your questions about remodeling answered by other homeowners and pros. I would like to answer the question here; where I have more room, and others can benefit from the knowledge.

Here's a link to the question from Robert:

http://www.hometalk.com/activity/54276?se=stf

And my response:

On installing kitchen flooring first, under everything:

A great deal depends on whether you plan to go to the ceiling with your cabinets. If not - No problem...Ah well...a few.

If so, then you could run into problems with an 8', or less, ceiling and manufactured cabinets. Especially if your new flooring is thicker than the old (tile and floating floors always are). Flooring installers also often "level-up" your floors during installation. Or they add underlayment. These unknowns can impact your cabinet installation later on.

Manufactured cabinets come in standard heights. Most manufacturers make a 96" cabinet (such as a pantry or tall oven cabinet) 96" tall. 96"=8' folks. If you have an 8' ceiling the toekick of the cabinet will have to be removed to even stand it up in the room (Some manufacturers will ship the toekick as a separate piece).

In this situation there is no room in the equation for flooring underneath the pantry cabinet. The ceiling will become less than 8' and the pantry cabinet will have to be cut down in height to fit. Many cabinets these days have doors that fully cover the face of the cabinet leaving no room to shave it down on the job (also no room for crown or trim moldings). You CAN cut down the toekick, but too much there looks really odd.

That means cutting it down at the factory. You discover you are boxed in to semi-custom, or custom, manufactured cabinets at 50-100% higher cost than stock, just to get a 94" high pantry. Even if you planned to buy those anyway, most manufacturers charge an upcharge to make a cabinet a special height, so it'll cost more either way.

A solution might be to cut out the flooring where the cabinets will be installed, leaving flooring under the dishwasher, fridge and range. Better to plan ahead and do the flooring AFTER the cabinets are installed. Remember to allow for the necessary height (usually about 34-1/2") of your dishwasher between the finished flooring and the underside front edge of the countertop. Do the same for refrigerator enclosures.

The second issue is an out-of-level floor (very common - especially in older homes):

Cabinets must be installed level and plumb (straight up and down) to have cabinets that are square and doors and drawers that operate properly. That means the installer finds the high point of the existing floor at the walls where base and tall cabinets are to be installed and draws a level line from that point around the room to establish the baseline height of each base and tall cabinet.

In my 28 year career as a kitchen designer in the San Francisco area, I have seen floors out of level as much as 4" from one end of a run of cabinets to the other (any more than that and you'd HAVE to level up the entire house!). A 4" drop in level around a room means the installer has to shim up the cabinets 4" at the low point to bring them up to level with the ones at the high point. This results in a 4"H toekick at the high point and an 8"H toekick at the low point. All this is a heck of a lot easier to hide if he (or she) isn't dealing with a finished floor already in place.

The third issue is floor damage during cabinet installation:

Installing cabinets and appliances is hard work and the installer is often wrestling with big, heavy cabinets and appliances. He/she is also riding herd on helpers, plumbers, electricians, countertop fabricators, and other subs who have no responsibility for your finished floor. The chances are high that it will be damaged and require repair (if possible). Nobody will know who did it. Much better to have a nice dinged up old subfloor to work on until the very end, and then install the new floor, install the baseboards, and do paint touch-up (or even all the painting.

It's harder to compute the thickness of your finished floor while your kitchen is in the planning stages. It takes an experienced designer, or contractor/installer to do it. But the task is well worth the trouble to avoid the above problems. This is one of the many reasons to use an experienced designer and/or contractor/installer.

It's also one of the many reasons why I recommend that my clients make ALL decisions regarding the products and materials that are going into their kitchen BEFORE ordering anything or taking a crowbar to anything. Simply changing your flooring material thickness after the fact can throw a monkeywrench into the best laid plans.

I usually specify in my drawings that the cabinets be set at the finished floor height of the high point. Then I order the cabinets to fit. If I am dealing with stock cabinets on a low-budget project, then I have to be very careful about taking the floor thickness into account so that the cabinets will fit.

Peggy

P.S. In my experience the only people who recommend installing flooring before the cabinets are the floor guys. Makes their job a lot easier;-D

P.P.S. I forgot to mention one thing that makes finishing off the junction between flooring and toekick much cleaner when installing the flooring after cabinets are installed. That is an additional, over-sized, 1/2" thick toekick cover panel that is installed over the flooring. I order it over-sized to cover any shimming done under the cabinets. It can be scribed to the floor and gives a great finished look. Most all cabinet manufacturers offer such material and it is well worth the additional cost.

Learn About Lead-Based Paint Abatement

The EPA has just released a new RRP Renovate Right consumer pamphlet on how to deal with lead-based paint for owners of pre-1978 homes and buildings.

Well worth a download and read if you plan to remodel.

Peggy

Recall: Martha Stewart Collection Enamel Cast Iron Casseroles

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Communications
Washington, D.C.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2011
Release #11-308


Firm's Recall Hotline: (888) 257-5949
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Macy's Recalls Martha Stewart Collection Enamel Cast Iron Casseroles Due to Laceration and Burn Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Martha Stewart Collection(tm) Enamel Cast Iron Casseroles

Units: About 960,000

Importer: Macy's Merchandising Group, New York, N.Y.

Hazard: The enamel coating on the cast iron casseroles can crack or break during use. This can cause the enamel to crack and fly off as a projectile, posing a risk of laceration or burn hazard to the user or bystanders.

Incidents/Injuries: Macy's has received two reports of the enamel cracking and flying off of the casseroles during use. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The recall involves Martha Stewart Collection(tm) Enamel Cast Iron Casseroles in 7 quart, 5.5 quart and 2.75 quart sizes, with exterior enamel finishes in red, cobalt blue, sand, green, blue, white, mustard, brown and teal, with cream colored interior finishes. The casseroles are embossed with Martha Stewart Collection(tm) on the bottom and lid handle.

Sold at: Macy's stores and AAFES, MCX and NEX locations nationwide, and on macys.com between June 2007 and June 2011 for between about $25 and $170.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the casseroles and return them to any Macy's store for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Macy's toll-free at (888) 257-5949 between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET or visit the Macy's website at www.macys.com

To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including pictures of the recalled products, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11308.html

Recall: Phillips CFL Recessed Lightbulbs

-----------NEWS from CPSC-----------
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814, www.CPSC.gov
Report an Unsafe Product: http://SaferProducts.gov

********************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 11, 2011
Release #11-302

Firm's Recall Hotline: (866) 622-6372
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Philips Lighting Recalls EnergySaver and Marathon Compact Fluorescent Dimmable Reflector Flood Lamps Due to Laceration Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: EnergySaver a/k/a/Marathon or Marathon Classic Compact Fluorescent Dimmable Reflector lamps

Units: About 1.86 million

Manufacturer: Philips Lighting Company of Somerset, N.J.

Hazard: The glue that attaches the glass outer envelope or globe to the body of the lamp can fail allowing the glass outer envelope to fall and strike persons and objects below, posing a laceration hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Philips has received 700 reports of lamps where the glue failed and the glass outer envelope fell, including two reports of minor injury and three reports of minor property damage.

Description: This recall involves Philips EnergySaver, a/k/a Marathon and Marathon Classic Compact Fluorescent dimmable reflector lamps, models R30, R40 and PAR 38 manufactured between March 2007 and May 2010. The following are the model numbers and Universal Product Code (UPC) numbers of the lamps included in this recall:

Product Description | Model Number | UPC
EnergySaver (a/k/a Marathon or Marathon Classic) Dimmable R30 Reflector Flood | EL/A R30 Dim 16w | 46677 13 7076 and 46677 15 0419
EnergySaver (a/k/a Marathon or Marathon Classic) Dimmable R40 Reflector Flood | EL/A R40 Dim 20w | 46677 13 7083 and 46677 15 0426
EnergySaver (a/k/a Marathon or Marathon Classic) Dimmable Par38 Reflector Flood | EL/A Par38 Dim 20w | 46677 14 6443 and 46677 15 0433

Model numbers are printed on the white ceramic area at the base of the lamps. For boxed products, the UPC number is on the bottom of the box. For products in blister cards, the UPC is at the top right corner of the back of the package.

The affected products also have dates codes from March 2007 through May 2010 as follows:

Date Code on Product | Month and Date of Production
C7 to M7 | March to December 2007
A8 to M8 | January to December 2008
A9 to D9 | January to April 2009
0916 to 0953 | April to December 2009
1001 to 1022 January to May 2010

Date codes are located on the lamps themselves, either stamped into the metal gold base of the lamp or in the white ceramic area with other product information.

Sold at: Grocery and home center stores nationwide, online retailers, and professional electrical distributors from March 2007 through July 2011, for between $11 and $24.

Manufactured in: Mexico and Poland.

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled lamps and contact Philips to receive instructions on how to receive a free replacement lamp.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Philips toll-free at (866) 622-6372 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the company's website at www.recall.philips.com/en_us.html

To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including pictures of the recalled products, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11302.html

********************************************************

Visit our blog, OnSafety at www.cpsc.gov/onsafety
See our videos on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/uscpsc
Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/OnSafety
See our photos on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/uscpsc

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, visit www.saferproducts.gov, or contact CPSC's Hotline at info@cpsc.gov, (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

-----------------------------

This message is from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (www.cpsc.gov),
an independent federal regulatory agency, located at 4330 East West
Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814 Toll-free hotline: (800) 638-2772.

Report an Unsafe Product: www.SaferProducts.gov

More From Energy Upgrade California

Exciting news for San Francisco and San Mateo County residents who might want to do an energy audit and upgrade:

Energy Upgrade California and San Mateo County are combining their rebates to DOUBLE them! WOW! San Francisco's is almost as good!

More counties here.

Peggy



Advanced Upgrade Matching Incentive - San Mateo County Residents Only - Existing Home - Existing Home

Double your rebate up to $8,000! The County of San Mateo offers a rebate match of up to $4,000 for homeowners based on modeled energy reduction through a home energy improvement. Incentives from the County of San Mateo will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis while funding lasts. The matching incentives will range from $1,500 -$4,000 and combined with Advanced Upgrade Package offered by Energy Upgrade CA results in up to $8,000 in rebates and incentives for San Mateo County Homeowners. \ \ Contact a participating contractor for a home energy assessment to get started. \ \ Sponsor: County of San Mateo – County Manager’s Office. \ \ Program Website: www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/energyupgrade

Sponsor: County of San Mateo
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Phone: 1(855) 464-8484

Advanced Upgrade BONUS - San Francisco Residents Only (SFHIP) - Existing Home

Boost your rebate to up to $7,000! San Francisco Home Improvement & Performance offers up to $3,000 in incentives for San Francisco homeowners that achieve 15% modeled energy reduction through a home energy improvement. The standard incentive is now $2,000 (this goes down to $1,000 after August 31st, 2011). Homeowners earning less than 120% of the Area Median Income qualify for an additional $1,000. Combining these incentives with the Advanced Upgrade Package offered by Energy Upgrade CA results in up to $7,000 in rebates and incentives for San Francisco Homeowners. Call a participating contractor for a home assessment. \ To find a SF participating contractor please visit the program website

Sponsor: City & County of San Francisco - Department of the Environment
Go to program website »

Phone: 415-355-3769