Household LED light bulbs

[moahunter]

I'm curious, have many people tried? What is your experience?

I thought I'd try with the prices coming down. I installed a couple in my bathroom, they cost about $20 each (not cheap).

I found that the room was cold, and dark. I think I might have chosen a type which isn't powerful enough. So I inserted one regular bulb (flurosent) and one LED, and then was fine, and a more welcoming yellow light.

I think LEDs are the way of the future, but I wasn't that impressed with my first try with them. Good for spotlights, or counter lights, but I'm not so convinced as background light.

Its as if they are too "white", even more so than fluroscents. Not warm like sunshine outside, so it makes all the colours different and colder.

[nobleea]

Originally Posted by moahunter

I'm curious, have many people tried? What is your experience?

I thought I'd try with the prices coming down. I installed a couple in my bathroom, they cost about $20 each (not cheap).

I found that the room was cold, and dark. I think I might have chosen a type which isn't powerful enough. So I inserted one regular bulb (flurosent) and one LED, and then was fine, and a more welcoming yellow light.

I think LEDs are the way of the future, but I wasn't that impressed with my first try with them. Good for spotlights, or counter lights, but I'm not so convinced as background light.

Its as if they are too "white", even more so than fluroscents. Not warm like sunshine outside, so it makes all the colours different and colder.

I bought a couple to try in potlights a year ago. they got returned fast. way too dim (for equivalent light output it seemed), awful colour, bland light pattern. I am very picky about light colour/temperature inside. there's really nothing that can replace halogen/incandescents yet.
outside, i would be more than willing to use them, especially as architectural feature/garden lights (not the dinky solar powered ones).

[moahunter]

^interesting, it wasn't just my imagination then how dark it was. I think there is light perhaps, but it is concentrated / doesn't spread around the room. A bit of a warning to others thinking about it, I'm curious if anyone has had a better experience with an indoor LED.

[240GLT]

Too early. Wait about 2 years. CFL's are the way to go until then

I am "test driving" two lamps at my house that I got from work... they are very good but not commercially available yet and will cost about $40 each

The hardware store LED lamps that I have tried (3 different types) have been thoroughly dissapointing.

[bobinedmonton]

Try the Philips, available at Home Depot.

It sells for about $30, and I've been using it in the living room.

The brightness is the same as a 60 watt incandescent, but the colour is identical to an incandescent as well.

I find that the compact florescents give off a greeny light, and I don't like them for that reason.

But that brand of LED is the only one that really gives off a quality light for the home, I've found so far.

[AAAAE]

The problem is that there are so many different types of bulbs. Some are good, some are bad. Moahunter, you may have got a early gen bulb. There are a lot of websites that review these bulbs and they seem to have found some that are quite good.

[FlyFlyAway]

I am also under the impression (solely from the large manufacturer-provided signs in Home Depot) that you need to pick the right bulb for the right room? Some rooms/walls work better with a better colour temperature.

If any of the comments in this thread are true, it means that it's more difficult in 2012 to buy a lightbulb than a computer. Who woulda thought???

For those who settle on CFL, please remember to recycle/dispose of them properly.

[Channing]

Originally Posted by bobinedmonton

Try the Philips, available at Home Depot.

It sells for about $30, and I've been using it in the living room.

The brightness is the same as a 60 watt incandescent, but the colour is identical to an incandescent as well.

I find that the compact florescents give off a greeny light, and I don't like them for that reason.

But that brand of LED is the only one that really gives off a quality light for the home, I've found so far.

Seconding this. We have two in a dimming lamp (since I never found dimming CFL's I liked) and it works great. Looks like the incandescents it replaced.

edit: this one http://www.homedepot.ca/product/12w-...t-white/926038

[bobinedmonton]

Originally Posted by Channing

this one http://www.homedepot.ca/product/12w-...t-white/926038

Yes, that's the one. Highly recommended for home use!

[moahunter]

^thanks, I'll remember to try next time. Sad thing is, a lot of people like me will just pick one out that looks appropriate per the box description, will try it, and find its hopeless.

[KC]

$30 is how many times higher than an incandescent 60W bulb?

How long is the payback period?


Found several calculators, here's one. Anybody care to plug and crank and provide the results?

http://www.homepowersaver.net/2010/0...alculator.html

"Have you ever wondered if that new gadget or new light bulb is worth the cost? Today we are announcing the Power Payback Calculator to allow you to quickly determine how long it will take to recover money spent on a new product or upgrade to save power.

To put this into context, the simple example is changing a light bulb. Today you may have a 40 watt incandescent light bulb in your closet, and you are considering a pricey $15 LED light bulb that only uses 2.5 watts. You figure that the closet light is on for 30 minutes a day – how long will it take for the energy savings to offset the $15 spent?

In my case (12.5 cents per KwH), it would take around 17.5 years for that LED light bulb to pay off – probably not the best financial decision. Now, if you had been replacing a 60 watt bulb that ran for 2 hours per day, you’d be looking at a payback in under 3 years. And if your power cost is very high, such as in Hawaii or New York City, your payback may be under 2 years.

I like to use this tool for those exact scenarios. It helps you determine if a project makes sense for you, and it also helps give you an idea of how long a product may need to last before it pays for itself. 4.5 years for an LED bulb should be likely, for example. I’ve also used this for determining if a Smart Strip makes sense in a particular application."...

[Chmilz]

With CFL's available on sale quite often for $1/bulb, I don't see the point of LED yet.

[moahunter]

Originally Posted by KC

$30 is how many times higher than an incandescent 60W bulb?

How long is the payback period?

The prices should come down over the next year or two. I realize they aren't finaincially a good bet, but I was interested because I hate changing light bulbs, and these bulbs hold the promise of pretty much never having to ever do that, given how long they last. And, while I'm by no means and environmentalist / greeny, I do like the idea of putting low energy items in my home where possible even if they don't pay back.

[bobinedmonton]

As a side note, my electric bill arrived today.

My rate is $0.08 per kilowatt hour.

However, with the Administration Charge, Delivery Charge, Distribution Charge, Balancing Pool Allocation, Transmission Deferral Rider K, Transmission Charge, and Local Access Fee, my rate actually works out to $0.15 per kilowatt hour.

Since the charges I mentioned apparently have nothing to do with actual consumption and will appear even if I use no electricity in a month, I hardly see any incentive to save electricity. I will still be billed $41.06 on top of my actual energy usage of $46.80.

Gas is the same. My rate this month is supposed to be 1.738 per GJ, but an administration fee of 0.47 per GJ is added, in addition to a flat rate Administration Charge, Delivery Charges, ATCO fixed charge, ATCO variable Charge, Municipal Franchise Fee, Transmission Service Chg Rider, Interim Shortfall Rider bringing my total gas bill to $90.24, even though my actual consumption was $21.59.

What kind of nonsense is this? I thought deregulation was supposed to make things cheaper, instead my utility bills have doubled even though my consumption has actually decreased.

[Chmilz]

^You're free to buy electricity and gas and find your own means of delivery.

[kkozoriz]

Originally Posted by bobinedmonton

What kind of nonsense is this? I thought deregulation was supposed to make things cheaper, instead my utility bills have doubled even though my consumption has actually decreased.

Seriously? You actually believed that? Did you seriously think that, given the chance, private companies would voluntarily reduce their income?

[KC]

One thing to consider... LEDs CFLs save on coal and natural gas consumption and the commensurate air pollution at the cost of using far more resources in their manufacture. Compare these to the old incandescent bulbs and in terms of efficient design and minimalism in resource extraction requirements and the incandescent bulb's simplicity is truly an amazing sight to behold... Even if you use up five of them compared to a a CFL or an LED bulb.

Can anyone provide a breakdown of the resources going into each type of bulb?

[KC]

Originally Posted by bobinedmonton

As a side note, my electric bill arrived today.

My rate is $0.08 per kilowatt hour.

However, with the Administration Charge, Delivery Charge, Distribution Charge, Balancing Pool Allocation, Transmission Deferral Rider K, Transmission Charge, and Local Access Fee, my rate actually works out to $0.15 per kilowatt hour.

Since the charges I mentioned apparently have nothing to do with actual consumption and will appear even if I use no electricity in a month, I hardly see any incentive to save electricity. I will still be billed $41.06 on top of my actual energy usage of $46.80.

Gas is the same. My rate this month is supposed to be 1.738 per GJ, but an administration fee of 0.47 per GJ is added, in addition to a flat rate Administration Charge, Delivery Charges, ATCO fixed charge, ATCO variable Charge, Municipal Franchise Fee, Transmission Service Chg Rider, Interim Shortfall Rider bringing my total gas bill to $90.24, even though my actual consumption was $21.59.

What kind of nonsense is this? I thought deregulation was supposed to make things cheaper, instead my utility bills have doubled even though my consumption has actually decreased.

Deregulation provides "choice" and/or a change in the status quo, it doesn't guarantee lower prices. Similarly competition doesn't guarantee lower prices as it sometimes works against optimizing production levels, can add a load of administrative and production redundancies, adds marketing costs, adds executive costs, etc. Anyone that promised lower prices was either deluded, manipulative, or should have known better.

The reality is that dogma often gets the better of us.

“even the most practical man of affairs is usually in the thrall of the ideas of some long-dead economist". - Keynes



.

[moahunter]

Originally Posted by KC

Can anyone provide a breakdown of the resources going into each type of bulb?

Not sure, per the price perhaps more until manufacturing efficiencies ramp up. They contain no toxic substances though, unlike CFL's.

http://environment.about.com/od/gree...ight_bulbs.htm

[KC]

Unlike the 1970s when environmentalist movement was strong and seemed to pick on a number of issues, it seems this latest round of broad based environmental activism has been trumped by the global warming focus ( air pollution, sea level increases, climate change). Most other environmental abuses, many of which I'd rank as much more of an immediate concern, are playing second fiddle to global warming's long-range forecast concerns.

[moahunter]

^CFL's are a good example of that, I've broken a couple by twisting too hard in and thought afterwards, heck, how much mercury has just gone through my skin? They aren't environmentally better with all the heavy metals they use. LED's are a different story though.