LED and conversion

chopped · Feb 2, 2013

Wasnt sure how many are getting on board with the new LED bulbs , But I am slowly the cost in some cases is still a problem for em but that is slowly going down. I had bought a huge stock of bulbs only a couple years ago in preperation for this change.
I quickly learned a couple things, One is the comparison of light output to what I have or need in a room.I found this site.
LED light bulbs: Comparison charts - Eartheasy.com Solutions for Sustainable Living
It has helped allot.Its still hard to get used to thinking I can leave some lights on ,and not break the bank..
Oh the chart also verifies my concerns with cfl bulbs,I had those in the absement and that was also my entrance and exit so there is constant short term on and offs , The bulbs wouldnt last long at all.I had to go back to incadescent for awile but now have the LED in there.Like I say Its hard to not think "SHUT THE LIGHT OFF"
Have a 'bright' day:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

KTurner · Feb 2, 2013

I hadn't really looked into the LED bulbs yet, but I was under the impression they gave more cost savings than the CFL. According to this chart, it's very little, about 5% if everything lasts as long as it should.

Keith

MikeInEburg · Feb 2, 2013

My concern with the chart is that costs are based in 50,000 hours if use. For some of our lights, that is more than a lifetime of use. Imagine a closet light used 30 minutes per day. It would take 272 years to reach the 50,000 hour mark. This makes an incandescent bulb life of 6 years in that same closet look about right.

chopped · Feb 2, 2013

MikeInEburg said:
My concern with the chart is that costs are based in 50,000 hours if use. For some of our lights, that is more than a lifetime of use. Imagine a closet light used 30 minutes per day. It would take 272 years to reach the 50,000 hour mark. This makes an incandescent bulb life of 6 years in that same closet look about right.

Yes thats one point I wanted to make. they are good for certain applications. Just as the CFL are. i have the CFL in my garage so im happy with them there/. but for the frig and applications where its off and on alot or not often then the Incadescent ones make it right.
And of cource the LED s are no good for brooding chicks..Ive read where the traffic lights with these dont melt the snow and ice enough to keep them clear.

jinman · Feb 2, 2013

I just bought this light for my brother's golf cart. I'm gonna mount it up on top of his canopy so he can have a night-time headlight. When I turned it on to test it, I was shocked at the brightness and it's only 18W. The price included free delivery and was shipped to me by priority mail in just two business days. The light weighs 2 lb and is built like a tank.

MotorSeven · Feb 2, 2013

On my new log house build I went LED. The only none LED bulbs I have now that remain are the 19 track light halogen bulbs. They came with the track lights and are 50W ea with the two contact pins on the base. The LED equivalent is over $20 ea so that is on hold for a while. For the other normal bulbs I went with mostly EcoSmarts even the outside floods. I did have a problem with several Philips that would flash for 1-2 min after turning on the switch so they all went back.

LED technology is rapidly advancing and prices are coming down quickly. Just in the last 6 months HD has lowered their prices by at least 10-20% on almost all their LED's. I buy the "Bright White" light one's and can't tell the difference from incandescent. So far I think I have over $400 in bulbs. I can say that we are renting the shop apartment where we used to live...it's 500 sq ft(no LED's), and the new house is 2,356 sq ft. The power bill for the shop last month was $80, the house was $65. There are different variables involved in both places, but overall I would guess I am saving about $10 a month on lighting.

Another reason for the LED here is that I am going to go solar hopefully within the next two years...one step at a time.

Mickey_Fx · Feb 2, 2013

Most of the lighting in the house is CFL and have never had any issues due to short life. I've looked at the LED lights and when comparing price based on equal light output, I can't justify the cost difference. It even gets worse if you live where electric costs are low.

There may come a day when costs are comparable but at my age, I'm not holding my breath.