LED Light bulbs?

[rage2]

Anyone know where I can buy LED light bulbs with edison base locally? I'm looking to switch some lighting to LED to cut energy use... well, plus they last forever, and I'm lazy when it comes to changing bulbs.

[GoChris]

I got some at costco, they seem very good, no delay or dimness when you first turn them on. I've switched almost every bulb in my house.

[rage2]

How much are they? And how bright are they? I heard 5W LED is about the same as 40W normal bulb in brightness? What's the best way to find out what bulb I need? (I use mostly 100W bulbs in my house).

[GoChris]

they have 60w equivalent, which are about 13W i think.
they were...I dunno, maybe a couple bucks a bulb, i forget.

they should also have the 100w replacements. they always say what they are the same as. 23W or so will replace a 100W bulb.

but now that I write this, those would be the flourescent bulbs...probably not led, but they save huge also. you can put a 23W to replace a 60W incadecent, save power and it will be brighter.

[Sky]

I bought some LED bulbs at http://www.superbrightleds.com I don't know if you will find what your looking for.

I switched all the interior wedge bulbs to 6-LED each on my LS400.....results are pretty awesome.

There should be some household bulbs on there. Good Luck:thumbsup:

[old&slow]

Costco stuff are not LED.

[rage2]

Oldschool bump and update.

4 and a half years later, I finally converted my whole house to LED bulbs during the holidays. Prices for LED bulbs have dropped significantly, and is now more affordable to get it done.

My goal wasn't really to save energy, I really hated changing light bulbs, and with LEDs lasting 10-20 years, it should help me continue to live my lazy life. :rofl:

The biggest problem I ran into is the lack of stock on LED bulbs throughout the city. I guess they're not popular enough yet. I had to clear out multiple stores in the city to get enough bulbs for a single house, which is kinda ridiculous.

So first, I hit Rona and grabbed a bunch of their Globe LED bulbs for $20 a pop. They're cool white (around 5000k color temp) and looked great in the store. Cleaned out the Crowfoot store (all 9) and installed them into my bedroom. While 5000k looks awesome in stores, it looks really creepy at home. First off, it's quite dim, equivilent to 20W. 5000k temps meant it's a slight greenish light... reminds me of the movie Hostel. Not exactly bedroom friendly. So, I moved them to the kitchen where I have an auto light sensor, which apparently aren't compatible (these bulbs aren't dimmable). They started flickering really badly, which made it even more creepy. Back to the store they went.

Next up was Lowes. They had their Feit Electric 7.5W 450 Lumens 3000k Color Temp (40W Equivilent) dimmable bulbs on clearance, apparently, they're discontinuing these from their Canadian stores. After hitting every Lowes in the city, I managed to round up the last 35 of these bulbs in the city at $12.98 a pop (they normally sell for $30 a pop). At 3000k, these were perfect, and covered most of the house where I had multiple bulbs in my fixtures.

For the rooms with only single bulbs in the fixtures, I went to Home Depot and picked up 15 of the Philips 12.5W 800 Lumens 2700k Color Temp (60W Equivilent) dimmable bulbs. They look funky, so they won't work where the bulbs are exposed which wasn't a problem for me. But they are very bright, brightest LED's I've seen. It mimics an incandescent bulb perfectly, and in comparison is closer to 80W than 60W equivilency rating, probably because it emits light in more directions.

So in total, 50 bulbs later, my whole house is LED. Total cost including taxes (but not gas for driving everywhere... Lowes from Crossiron to Mckenzie Town sucked) was a little under $950. I did notice that these bulbs don't put out much heat (with the exception of how hot the heatsink gets). My room is noticably colder with the lights on, so I think I have to crank the heat up a little, which would probably negate the effects of the energy savings in the winter.

In a month, I'll see how big of a difference it makes on my power bills. Here are some pics:

Light fixture with the Feits:
http://virgeweb.com/rage2/led/01.jpg

Philips vs Feit:
http://virgeweb.com/rage2/led/02.jpg

Feit (left) vs Philips (right) light output and pattern:
http://virgeweb.com/rage2/led/03.jpg

[bignerd]

I plan on stocking up on old school light bulbs, cannot stand the color of the LED's and the new energy efficient bulbs. No matter how "warm" they say the light it, it is always cool or blue/green tinted. I find they make food look less appetizing, hate reading with them and are terrible for doing make up in the bathroom (female).

[Alterac]

I picked up a Silvania 60w equivilent 3000K (13.5W LED 2700K) bulb from Lowes for $30.. (ouch. lol but its the dimmable kind) and its great, i have it in one of the two most frequently used standup lamps. My GF is quite sensitive to those CCFL lights and she approves of this one.

http://www.truevalue.ca/product_images/base/1747109.jpg

[rage2]

Originally posted by bignerd
I plan on stocking up on old school light bulbs, cannot stand the color of the LED's and the new energy efficient bulbs. No matter how "warm" they say the light it, it is always cool or blue/green tinted. I find they make food look less appetizing, hate reading with them and are terrible for doing make up in the bathroom (female).
You're buying the wrong ones, I made the same mistake. Those are 5000k "cool white". If you like incandescent, get the warmest color you can find. The Philips one matches incandescent bulbs perfectly in color output, and is even better for distinguishing colors (ie reading a color chart). Pick one up at Home Depot to try, if you don't like it you can always return it (so I can buy it open box at 1/2 price lol).

If you're talking about those CFL bulbs, they're well above 3000k which is why you get that blue/green tint. That and they actually flicker at a really high rate, so I can't stand them.

[jwslam]

Originally posted by bignerd
I plan on stocking up on old school light bulbs, cannot stand the color of the LED's and the new energy efficient bulbs. No matter how "warm" they say the light it, it is always cool or blue/green tinted. I find they make food look less appetizing, hate reading with them and are terrible for doing make up in the bathroom (female).
I'm the exact opposite. I can't stand the yellow. I changed all my car interior lights to LED

[Mibz]

I love the look of bright white CFLs, I wish I could replace all my bulbs with them.

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by rage2
4 and a half years later

There's a light bulb changing joke here somewhere that I'm just not coming up with...

[prosh]

Costco's got a new brand of LED bulb they carry now, $20 bucks for a 2 pack. Not quite sure how good they are compared to the Feit and Philips

[TYMSMNY]

Originally posted by prosh
Costco's got a new brand of LED bulb they carry now, $20 bucks for a 2 pack. Not quite sure how good they are compared to the Feit and Philips

the lumen output is horrible on them... ~450 vs. 800 on the philips.

[rage2]

Originally posted by TYMSMNY
the lumen output is horrible on them... ~450 vs. 800 on the philips.
450 is not bad if they're used in fixtures with multiple bulbs, especially at $10 a pop. The question is how are they in terms of light pattern and color? Any idea what brand bulb they are?

[Khyron]

In my kitchen I have 6 75W flood lights in 2 x 3 bulb tracks. After blowing the 3rd since I moved in 6 months ago, I bought 3 Philips LED floods in warm white - at 39.99 each (holy sheit). They also weight a ton compared to a normal bulb. For comparison, a pack of 3 75W floods was 10 bucks, while a pair of CFLs was 22.

My only problem with the CFLs is the warm up time - sometimes floods can take over a minute to light up. The LEDs come on right away. I also have 1 track still with the old incan bulbs, and the new ones seem only a touch lighter, and come on maybe .5 seconds slower than the normal set. They are also dimmable but I don't have a dimmer on this setup.

I have those standard CFLs from Ikea in my other normal ceiling lights and I don't even notice them. I haven't seen a flickering one for a long time, but I do remember having a few and it drove me nuts as well.

Rage - get one of these, totally nerdy but fun to watch as you turn shit on and off.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/3/HouseHome/Lighting/ElectricalTimers/PRD~0528806P/Black+%26+Decker+Power+Monitor.jsp?locale=en

They were on sale for 79.99 recently.

[rage2]

Are these the costco ones?

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10342892

$16/pop, 400 lumens output. Might not be too bad. Reviews look good too. Only drawback is it's non dimmable.

I went with all dimmable ones in case I decide to add a dimmer in the future. That and I have auto-on sensor switches in my house that needs a dimmable bulb for some strange reason.

[TYMSMNY]

Originally posted by rage2
Are these the costco ones?

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10342892

$16/pop, 400 lumens output. Might not be too bad. Reviews look good too. Only drawback is it's non dimmable.

I went with all dimmable ones in case I decide to add a dimmer in the future. That and I have auto-on sensor switches in my house that needs a dimmable bulb for some strange reason.

Looks about right.

Non-dimmable low lumens for $10 a pop vs. 20 for the HD ones. I wanted to buy a pack and compare it with the HD ones but couldn't pull the trigger lol.

Just be sure to note that with the costco ones that it will be dimmer (and cheaper) than the HD/Rona/Etc. ones.

[rage2]

Originally posted by TYMSMNY
Looks about right.

Non-dimmable low lumens for $10 a pop vs. 20 for the HD ones. I wanted to buy a pack and compare it with the HD ones but couldn't pull the trigger lol.

Just be sure to note that with the costco ones that it will be dimmer (and cheaper) than the HD/Rona/Etc. ones.
It's $50 for 3, so $17 a pop, not $10. Which makes it pretty pricey for what you get.

These guys just hit the US market, and I'm told Lowes Canada will be getting them in the new year.

http://www.samsung.com/us/appliances/led-lighting/SI-I8V101180US

Supposed to be awesome. Samsung isn't allowed to sell them in South Korea because nobody can compete with them at that pricepoint, so the government banned local sales to help local companies catch up.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by rage2
My room is noticably colder with the lights on, so I think I have to crank the heat up a little, which would probably negate the effects of the energy savings in the winter.


Lol. That was the first thing I said when CFL's came out, and how "energy saving" they were supposed to be. When you have 9 incandescent bulbs on in a living room, that's a lot of heat output, and without it, you need to turn the furnace up a degree, as you said, negating the energy savings.

My basement temperature is perfect when the 12 pot lights are on. There's no way I'm changing those from incandescent, and will be pissed off when they're eventually banned.

[Mibz]

I'd love for somebody to do the math on how much heat energy is wasted on old bulbs and how that compares to what it costs an average Albertan to heat x space.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Mibz
I'd love for somebody to do the math on how much heat energy is wasted on old bulbs and how that compares to what it costs an average Albertan to heat x space.

Too many variables really. My 1037sq.ft, closed room house with a 85% efficient furnace is going to see a much bigger difference than someone else's 2011, 2500sq.ft open concept house with 95% efficient furnace, right?

As I mentioned about my basement, I have my furnace set to "23*C" (which is really just the hallway where the thermostat is, the living room is more like 21*). My basement is around 19*, if I turn on the downstairs lights, it warms up to 21* over about an hour. So I don't have to touch my thermostat when I'm down there.

[Mibz]

Agreed. However, I just want to know whether, in a closed room of a fixed volume, an average 60w bulb or an average 90% efficient furnace heats air more efficiently.

I'm not saying that the result should dictate how anybody makes life decision, I'm just curious.

[Darell_n]

I wonder if anyone makes small sodium lights for domestic use? They currently are 2-2.5 times the lumen / watt of LED.

[benyl]

Originally posted by Mibz
Agreed. However, I just want to know whether, in a closed room of a fixed volume, an average 60w bulb or an average 90% efficient furnace heats air more efficiently.

I'm not saying that the result should dictate how anybody makes life decision, I'm just curious.

That doesn't make sense.

A lightbulb is designed to give off light and heat is a by product. If you are testing how quickly a bulb can heat a room, then the light is a by product and heat is the designed output (like a heat lamp).

A 90% furnace's purpose is to create heat. 10% is lost to the environment and for the production of CO2 and water. By that account, by turning on the bulb to heat the room, you are wasting energy by creating light.

[mr2mike]

Here's my issue with going with LED's in the house.
The payout.

The charge of actual usage on your energy bills is maybe half of the total bill. The rest being service charges.
So you reduce your kWh down and save $10/month. Yet you spent $900 in bulbs. That's gonna be about a 7.5yr payout.

How many people here are keeping their house for 8yrs? Few, if any. So the future owner reaps the benefit in the end. Unless you saved all the bulbs and swap them all back, when you move. ;)

Yes it's not a prefect science and these are all estimated values, but wanted to state that side of things, that the price of the led's doesn't outweight the end savings just yet. Maybe in a few more years as these led costs tumble.

It might be better to change bulbs in the main rooms you use at night for hours on end to LED's. The cost effectiveness would be better utilized that way (Guessing a 4 yr payout). But all in all, flourescents are still more cost effective.

[Smartiepants]

I agree with the saving changing lightbulbs. That's the main reason I'm slowly moving up to LEDs / CFLs.

[Mibz]

Originally posted by benyl


That doesn't make sense.

A lightbulb is designed to give off light and heat is a by product. If you are testing how quickly a bulb can heat a room, then the light is a by product and heat is the designed output (like a heat lamp).

A 90% furnace's purpose is to create heat. 10% is lost to the environment and for the production of CO2 and water. By that account, by turning on the bulb to heat the room, you are wasting energy by creating light. You're missing the point. They're saying that upping the thermostat costs more than running more wasteful lightbulbs. I'm trying to figure out whether, under the specific conditions mentioned, that is true. Keep the real world out of it. This is an experiment, nothing more.

[alloroc]

Originally posted by Mibz
Agreed. However, I just want to know whether, in a closed room of a fixed volume, an average 60w bulb or an average 90% efficient furnace heats air more efficiently.

I'm not saying that the result should dictate how anybody makes life decision, I'm just curious.


Assume the coldest days of the year.

1w x 3.412 = btu/h so one 60w bulb gives off 3.412 X 60 = 204 btu/h

I think the average house furnace is around 75000 btu but the cycle rate on the colder days of the year is about 80% 75000 * .8 =60000 btu. We also have to add motor heat. Assume a 75% eff 1/4 hp motor .75 * 1000 * 0.746 * 3.412 *0.25 = 477 btu/h

motor + gas = 477+60000 = 60477 btu/h

60477 / 204 = 296 light bulbs to heat your house on a very cold day.

Here in Calgary it is normally cheaper to use natural gas than electricity just because of the cost of the energy source itself.

If you need a space heated electrically or have an interior room where lighting adds heat it would be more cost effective to run cfl's or led's and a space heater because in the summer months you would probably not want to be adding heat to the space.

If you care to look into it further here is a good table found on this page ..
http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/equipment/heating/2371#table3

and an energy cost calculator found here ..
http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/tools/calculators/heatingcalc/index.cfm

[rage2]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
Lol. That was the first thing I said when CFL's came out, and how "energy saving" they were supposed to be. When you have 9 incandescent bulbs on in a living room, that's a lot of heat output, and without it, you need to turn the furnace up a degree, as you said, negating the energy savings.
In the summer you'd have to crank the A/C less with LED lights, since it's not heating up the room. I think that would probably make up for it.


Originally posted by mr2mike
How many people here are keeping their house for 8yrs? Few, if any. So the future owner reaps the benefit in the end. Unless you saved all the bulbs and swap them all back, when you move. ;)
I'm definately taking the LEDs with me when I move lol.

[benyl]

I took the CFLs from my last house... You better believe I am taking the $30 LED bulbs. I am cheap half asian!

[Tomaz]

I am switching my office over to LED in the next week or two.

115 fixtures running 60W flood bulbs. The new bulbs are going to be 17W with the same light output. We worked out that it will cost $8625 to change every bulb in the place. Over a 4 year period, we will have made our money back in energy costs, plus savings of not needing to change the bulbs every year.

It is well worth the switch IMO.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by rage2

In the summer you'd have to crank the A/C less with LED lights, since it's not heating up the room. I think that would probably make up for it.


You're assuming I'm baller enough to have A/C :rofl: , I also don't have many lights on in the summer as my house gets a lot of light (western facing on top of a hill with no obstructions).

I think my property is very unique in many aspects, and actually seeing the benefit of incandescent bulb heat is one of them, hahahah. My basement pot-light utilization is proof enough for me.

[prosh]

Originally posted by rage2
Are these the costco ones?

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10342892

$16/pop, 400 lumens output. Might not be too bad. Reviews look good too. Only drawback is it's non dimmable.

I went with all dimmable ones in case I decide to add a dimmer in the future. That and I have auto-on sensor switches in my house that needs a dimmable bulb for some strange reason.

They're close but still $20 bucks/2 pack. Brand is Luminus

[alloroc]

Although I am amazed at how far led's have come I am not ready to make the switch. I'll still use the cfl lights for another year or two.

It is a personal preference but I like LOTS of light so I use 40 watt cfl's 2850 lumens in the basement, garage and over the kitchen table and 26w 1700 lumen bulbs wherever they will fit and they don't have comparable led bulbs that can match .... yet ....

[rage2]

Non dimmable, but that's a great price at $10 each!

[Redlyne_mr2]

They don't really add a warm feeling to a room. Sort of like having fluorescents in a bedroom, magnifies everything when the night gets nasty.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
They don't really add a warm feeling to a room. Sort of like having fluorescents in a bedroom, magnifies everything when the night gets nasty.
Again, LED's are available in a variety of color temps.

2700k will look exactly like an incandescent bulb.
3000k will be softer/whiter, but still much warmer than CFL/fluorescent.
4000k+ will be CFL white, or even whiter.

[bspot]

Originally posted by rage2

Supposed to be awesome. Samsung isn't allowed to sell them in South Korea because nobody can compete with them at that pricepoint, so the government banned local sales to help local companies catch up.

I thought Samsung was a local company?

Samsung Headquarters: Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea

[Horatio]

I've only tried out a couple of LED bulbs (bought at Canadian Tire and I don't recall the brand). My only nitpicky complaint with them is that they make a bit of noise. Has anyone else found this?

[rage2]

Originally posted by bspot
I thought Samsung was a local company?

Samsung Headquarters: Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea
Yea, they're not allowed to sell them locally so other South Korean LED companies can catch up. I believe the ban extends to LG as well.

Originally posted by Horatio
I've only tried out a couple of LED bulbs (bought at Canadian Tire and I don't recall the brand). My only nitpicky complaint with them is that they make a bit of noise. Has anyone else found this?
Nope, dead silent. They're supposed to emit RF noise, but I haven't seen any signs of it. Wifi is fast, FM radio is clear.

[Tik-Tok]

I bought 6 of those Costco ones today. My only complaint is that because only half of the bulb is actually lit up, you only get half the light coming from it.

It looks better in my living room lamps, because they are supposed to look candle-light, but now it's noticeably darker in there.

[D'z Nutz]

Are you guys buying the Costco ones locally? I went to have a look and they didn't have LED, just CFL.

[Khyron]

Got 3 more floods for the kitchen (6 total all done) - the phillips from HD are expensive but good light, no noise and have a cover or not depending if you want to see the little leds or not. Still mad money.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz
Are you guys buying the Costco ones locally? I went to have a look and they didn't have LED, just CFL.

Yep, the one in Deerfoot Meadows has them. They are in the same aisle as the CFL's, but are easy to miss. Bottom shelf, kind of to the right of the middle of the isle.

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


Yep, the one in Deerfoot Meadows has them. They are in the same aisle as the CFL's, but are easy to miss. Bottom shelf, kind of to the right of the middle of the isle.

Fuck, I was just there yesterday. Okay, I'll check again.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz


Fuck, I was just there yesterday. Okay, I'll check again.

Mind you that was when I bought them several weeks ago, maybe they ran out, because they only had one box.

[sillysod]

I have dimmers on almost every switch in the house and most of the stuff has remote controls.

I tried the dimmable CFL's and they are horrible. I spent a lot of $$$ on them and ended up throwing them all away as they tend to flicker on lw settings.

I switched everything back to incandescent after and am not looking back.

[codetrap]

Has anyone seen stock for LED replacements on the GU20 bulbs? I can feel the heat from the my current 50W & 75W bulbs in the kitchen on my head when I walk by..

http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/603517/4265256/0/1189229446/Halogen_Lamp_GU10_GZ10_GU20.jpg

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by codetrap
Has anyone seen stock for LED replacements on the GU20 bulbs? I can feel the heat from the my current 50W & 75W bulbs in the kitchen on my head when I walk by..

http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/603517/4265256/0/1189229446/Halogen_Lamp_GU10_GZ10_GU20.jpg

I've got the same in my kitchen track lighting. Crazy expensive for one or two bulbs, but not too bad if you buy a 16 pack (can't remember if it was Totem or Home Depot for the 16 pack).

You'll need a 16 pack not just for the major unit price decrease, but because just like CFL's, Halogen life span claims are BULLSHIT.

I also call BS on CFL claims such as "13W=60W Incandescent". Even if the lumens are advertised as equivalent, a 13W CFL doesn't seem to match the light output of a 60W Incandescent.

EDIT: Accidentally wrote LED instead of Halogen.

[Stealth22]

Thanks for all the info, guys! I definitely need to pick up at least two LED's, cause we've got 2 hard-to-reach sockets, and if they're on a good price, I'll pick up even more.

I'm like rage, I really hate having to change light bulbs.

[Ven]

Originally posted by codetrap
Has anyone seen stock for LED replacements on the GU20 bulbs? I can feel the heat from the my current 50W & 75W bulbs in the kitchen on my head when I walk by..

http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/603517/4265256/0/1189229446/Halogen_Lamp_GU10_GZ10_GU20.jpg

I have a set of 6 in a hanging fixture above the kitchen table. Got tired of changing out the shitty halogens, and with the heat they throw off I can just imagine the power they suck. The LED's have similar light, run cool, but do create a bit of hum. After the lights have been on for a couple hours you hear what sounds like a small PC fan running. I can deal with that.

[rage2]

Hosted a dinner at my place and took some pics this weekend, LED bulbs are awesome for photography. Colors are so natural and vibrant. Zero color editing, just noise reduction.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/422389_10151374984850640_899405639_23134641_1116922767_n.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/425221_10151374985070640_899405639_23134643_1565859744_n.jpg

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/431549_10151374983150640_899405639_23134625_389489720_n.jpg

[codetrap]

I checked out CT and they wanted $29/bulb for the LED. Lowes didn't have any stock for the LED, so I thought I'd try the CFL. Wow, absolutely horrible. Transformed our warm vibrant kitchen into a dim moonlit depressing hole. Back to Lowes those will go. I guess I'll just have to wait a while till I see them go on sale. Just not willing to spend $280 on bulbs at this time.

[Mibz]

You're buying the wrong CFLs then. They come in various brightnesses and colours.

[codetrap]

Mibz.. for GU10's. They only had one type.

[Seth1968]

Codetrap, are your GU10 halogens 50 watt? How many watts were the cfl's you purchased? Curious as I've got the GU10's and might try the cfl's.

[Mibz]

Oh crap, I missed the GU10 bit. Yeah I can't imagine there's much variety there, my bad.

[codetrap]

I've got a mix of 50 and 35w in the kitchen right now. Not super bright but definitely cheerful. Did 9 lights, and I have to say even after letting them sit for 20 minutes, it was dark and dingy. The 4 20w incandescents I have in my ceiling fan on the other side of the room were brighter. The color temperature was nowhere near the 3000k that was on the box, probably much closer to 5-6000k. Very dim, and very purplish light.

I bought them from the Lowes by CrossIron, and will be returning them today after work.

They're the same as this.. Bulbs (http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/3/HouseHome/Lighting/CompactFluorescentBulbs/PRD~0525265P/Noma%252B7W%252BGU10%252B120V%252BCompact%252BFluorescent%252BBulbs%25252C%252B2-Pk.jsp?locale=en)

[Khyron]

CFLs suck almost everywhere. I have them in my hallway lights, that's it.

LED or incan anywhere that matters.

[Bladeh]

LED bulbs: The end of the lightbulb as we know it?

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120314-the-end-of-the-lightbulb

I'm in the process of buying a 2nd home from 1978, as I replace the light fixtures I will replace with LED bulbs.

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by Bladeh
LED bulbs: The end of the lightbulb as we know it?

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120314-the-end-of-the-lightbulb

I'm in the process of buying a 2nd home from 1978, as I replace the light fixtures I will replace with LED bulbs.

Electrical providers aren't going to tolerate losing such a large part of their profit. They'll raise electricity costs accordingly.

[hampstor]

NEC Lighting has produced a union 'twixt wireless speaker and LED ceiling light that's controllable with an Android phone. You can rock out to your favorite tunes over Bluetooth at the same you play with the brightness and color temperature of the light. Or you can switch to one of three presets that offer active, natural or relaxed light and sound to permeate your living room. The company's hoping to have it perfected in time for the end of this year and if your imagination can't stretch to picture a singing light fitting, then head on past the break to see it in action.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/19/nec-speaker-light/



Hopefully they have an outdoor version too!

:clap:

[Khyron]

Originally posted by Seth1968


Electrical providers aren't going to tolerate losing such a large part of their profit. They'll raise electricity costs accordingly.

Electric cars will compensate for the loss. We will always be a net increasing power consuming society.

[speedog]

Originally posted by Seth1968
Electrical providers aren't going to tolerate losing such a large part of their profit. They'll raise electricity costs accordingly. Electricity providers probably don't care because more efficient light bulbs aren't going to make a whole hill of beans difference what with all of the electronic crap in our homes that is constantly consuming electricity even when off - that electricity meter is always a spinning even in the middle of the night.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by speedog
Electricity providers probably don't care because more efficient light bulbs aren't going to make a whole hill of beans difference what with all of the electronic crap in our homes that is constantly consuming electricity even when off - that electricity meter is always a spinning even in the middle of the night.

Agreed

Aunt and Uncle in law just finished a substantial renovation on their place, pretty much a gut job. They put LED's in every fixture they could, pot lights, accent lighting, outdoor lighting etc. At the end of the day the reduced electrical load via LED's is great I guess but it doesn't compare to the extra electrical loads they added. 2 electric steam showers, 2 Sub Zero fridges, Full size Sub Zero wine and beer fridges, hot tub. As a society we'll always consumer more.

[D'z Nutz]

If anyone's looking for R30 LED bulbs, the Costco by Ikea has two kinds in stock right now. I can't speak for the other locations.

[codetrap]

BUMP!!

I bought some replacement LEDs from Costco for my GU10's. They're Luminus GU10 Floor. EXTLED G10 is the model. I replaced 35W & 50W Halogens with them, and I'm VERY impressed. $29 for 2, which is cheaper than I've seen anywhere else. They're 3000k color, so they're whiter than standard halogens which are quite yellow, but they're not too harsh. Single LED, 38 degree lense. 6.5W. Warrantied for 25000 hours.

If anyone is interested, I have one left over. $20 and it's yours. :D

http://www.tcpi.com/commercial/energy_savings_calculator.aspx

[codetrap]

10 months to payback.. not too shabby.

[kaput]

.

[benyl]

electricity is closer to $0.15 with all the extra fees.

$6 for an incandecent bulb is really expensive!

[gamman]

well, plus they last forever, ...

not according to the pm i know who retrofitted his portfolio with them. he says they last about half of what they say, but he still loves them!

[Thaco]

these are the ones am using, i am swapping them out like 4 a month, just for budget purposes, you can find em at home depot i think they were like $30/pair

So far i like them, they are a little odd at first in my upward facing chandelier because they dont have any light coming out the socket side of the bulb... but you forget about it pretty quick

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/57875389/junk/2012-10-14%2011.45.14.jpg

[prosh]

I went with the PAR20 dimmable LED's from Costco for my basement pots and so far they've been awesome.

[rage2]

I haven't changed a lightbulb in forever haha. It's kinda weird that there's no more heat coming from light bulbs. I have to crank the temps a degree or 2 on the colder days.

Anyone know what the actual color temp of those Philips soft white bulbs are? It's surprising how big of a difference there is between 2700K and 3000K. I have to choose what color to use in each room for the right "mood".

[codetrap]

Originally posted by benyl
electricity is closer to $0.15 with all the extra fees.

$6 for an incandecent bulb is really expensive! http://www.homedepot.ca/product/50-watt-halogen-gu10-flood-bulb/917989


Originally posted by kaput
Which Costco location? I just picked up a Phillips 6.5W at Home Depot and it was $29 for the one. It was the first 6.5W GU10 I've seen in town so I jumped on it but I haven't opened it yet so it can still be returned.
Crossiron. If you need an odd number.. I'll happily sell my extra one for the $15 cost.

[Tomaz]

Bumpy!

I thought I would update this with my results so far.

So, out of the 115 60w floodlights in my showroom, I have replaced 35 of them with TCP 17W LED Floods (2700k). The colour and brightness are excellent, and our electricity bill has dropped by an average of $100/month (down from $850/month). I am now just replacing the rest as the old ones burn out, so I wont be fully transitioned to LED for another year or so. I really want to see how efficient I can make this place!

I know for sure I will be replacing all the bulbs in my house with LED. It just seems logical to me.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by Tomaz
Bumpy!

I thought I would update this with my results so far.

So, out of the 115 60w floodlights in my showroom, I have replaced 35 of them with TCP 17W LED Floods (2700k). The colour and brightness are excellent, and our electricity bill has dropped by an average of $100/month (down from $850/month). I am now just replacing the rest as the old ones burn out, so I wont be fully transitioned to LED for another year or so. I really want to see how efficient I can make this place!

I know for sure I will be replacing all the bulbs in my house with LED. It just seems logical to me. I saw $750/month for electricity, and I was like HOLY CRAP until I saw "showroom".... hehe. Yeah, it makes quite the difference. You might want to do the math on the costs of power vs replacement for the rest of the bulbs all at once.. if you're saving $100/month 35 of them ($100 for %30) , it stands to reason you'd save another $200/month by replacing the rest of them all at once. Then put your old bulbs up on kijiji for cheap. :P Someone will buy them...

Edit: Also, depending on who makes the bulbs, or where you're buying them. It might be worthwhile to check and see if you can't make a bulk purchase and lower your costs at the point of purchase. I know that our building did that when they started transitioning to LED, and I heard they had substantial savings over retail.

[Tomaz]

Originally posted by codetrap
I saw $750/month for electricity, and I was like HOLY CRAP until I saw "showroom".... hehe. Yeah, it makes quite the difference. You might want to do the math on the costs of power vs replacement for the rest of the bulbs all at once.. if you're saving $100/month 35 of them ($100 for %30) , it stands to reason you'd save another $200/month by replacing the rest of them all at once. Then put your old bulbs up on kijiji for cheap. :P Someone will buy them...

Edit: Also, depending on who makes the bulbs, or where you're buying them. It might be worthwhile to check and see if you can't make a bulk purchase and lower your costs at the point of purchase. I know that our building did that when they started transitioning to LED, and I heard they had substantial savings over retail.

Haha! Yeah, I would cringe too seeing that bill. Running a grow-op, but don't tell anybody ;)

I did present that to the higher-ups, but they cringed at the thought of dropping $8000 on bulbs. Still, I am buying them bulk through Commercial Lighting at about $65/bulb instead of $80/bulb (or something like that). Plus these older ones are burning out at a decent pace right now, so It wont be long before I have all of them replaced.

I have also used a couple out at the homestead for our security lights (they run 24/7), and the bill has dropped by about $40/month just on the 3 lights they go on! Great test for outdoor use too, these things haven't had an issue in 2 years now, and they are fully exposed.

[jampack]

Update! So I bought 2 Feit LED bulbs (just to try them out before we move in to our new home :) )from Lowe's @ $19.98. They are good bulbs although I've seen a review saying 2/3 of his lights were done within 2 years (Only one though!). Other than that, bulbs are working fine and bright!

I was browsing at Canadian Tire's website and they actually sell these bulbs for $14.99! Just to let everyone know whoever wants to get them. :)

Let me know too if there's any other LED bulbs I can get that are cheaper/better!

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/3/HouseHome/Lighting/CompactFluorescentBulbs/PRD~0520688P/LED+A19+Dimmable+Bulb.jsp?locale=en

[ExtraSlow]

Anyone try the Ikea LED bulbs?

[supe]

The new CREE bulbs are here in Canada. Cree is widely accepted as being the best maker of LED's.

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/95-watt-60w-warm-white-led-light-bulb-1-pack/827146

[jampack]

Alright. Starting to move in to our house this week and still lots of moving to do over the weekend. I've changed 5 of the bulbs to LED lighting. Does anyone here tried ordering A19 LED bulbs online?

Thanks.

[project240]

Anybody with friends in SK can take advantage of a promotion sponsored by Saskpower. Until the end of April or end of May at Costco most LEDs have a $5+ discount per bulb. Bought 4 potlights for the kitchen, regular $23 per bulb less $13 Saskpower discount... Cost under $45 for all. Wish I had more potlights I could replace at this price

[WhippWhapp]

Originally posted by supe
The new CREE bulbs are here in Canada. Cree is widely accepted as being the best maker of LED's.

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/95-watt-60w-warm-white-led-light-bulb-1-pack/827146

CREE bulbed flashlights kick ass.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by supe
The new CREE bulbs are here in Canada. Cree is widely accepted as being the best maker of LED's.

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/95-watt-60w-warm-white-led-light-bulb-1-pack/827146

Ok.. So I did order some COB style bulbs back in March, and they arrive, and honestly, they're ok. I'm using them in the lights fixtures outside. They ended up costing me about $10/each by the time I got them. Not terrible, but not great.

The other two never arrived. They are the CREE bulb shaped ones with the little dome...

So, I was wandering through HD yesterday and came across the CREE 9.5W (60w equivalents). Took two of them home as a test to see if they'd fit in my fixtures. The did, just barely. The light was easily brighter than the 13W CFLs I had in an adjacent fixture. It was also a little bit whiter, closer to 2800k where the older CFL's were probably closer to 2300k.

I have to say I was totally impressed. I headed back and bought 24 more. Changed every bulb that's in a fixture that get's used often. I could do another 10, but I figured $400 in bulbs was enough for one pay cycle.

Now I have a box full of old CFLs... they all still work. .but wtf am I supposed to do with them?

[Alterac]

Originally posted by codetrap

Now I have a box full of old CFLs... they all still work. .but wtf am I supposed to do with them?

I sold mine in kijiji for $20 for the crapload.

Someone from beyond was interested in them also for building a lightbox.

[codetrap]

That'd be good. Can offset some of the investment cost. They go new for about $5/bulb....

[Inzane]

Originally posted by rage2
... I went to Home Depot and picked up 15 of the Philips 12.5W 800 Lumens 2700k Color Temp (60W Equivilent) dimmable bulbs. They look funky, so they won't work where the bulbs are exposed which wasn't a problem for me. But they are very bright, brightest LED's I've seen. It mimics an incandescent bulb perfectly, and in comparison is closer to 80W than 60W equivilency rating, probably because it emits light in more directions.

Philips vs Feit:
http://virgeweb.com/rage2/led/02.jpg

For those that are interested, these Philips 12.5W LED bulbs (the one on the left in Rage's pic) are really coming down in price. When I first discovered them in 2011, they were $40 each. Then within 6-12 months after that the price dropped to $30 each and seemed to stay there.

Anyway, I was in a Home Depot today at lunch and noticed these blubs are now $17 each.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Inzane


For those that are interested, these Philips 12.5W LED bulbs (the one on the left in Rage's pic) are really coming down in price. When I first discovered them in 2011, they were $40 each. Then within 6-12 months after that the price dropped to $30 each and seemed to stay there.

Anyway, I was in a Home Depot today at lunch and noticed these blubs are now $17 each.

The prices actually haven't changed very much, the difference is they started carrying normal on/off bulbs as well. For the longest time they only had the dimmable ones, which carry the heftier price tag.

[Alterac]

The Cree bulbs (60w) @ $16ea are also dimable, the 40w ones are $13 ish.

I have about 10 of these, and they look / work great. Especially if you have an open fixture, no-one notices that they are not regular bulbs.

EDIT - Forgot to mention that they have a 10 year warranty

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/400/21/2134631d-e687-4185-86c0-3c854ee176d3_400.jpg

The numbers I tend to go by:

incandescent bulb
1600 Lumens ~= 100watt
1100 Lumens ~= 75watt
800 Lumens ~= 60watt
450 Lumens ~= 40watt

Halogen:
1050 Lumens ~= 60W Halogen PAR38 bulb

[supe]

These new Cree bulbs kick ass. Not only are they cheaper but they are also much more efficient than the competition.

The weird part is when you go to a home depot store you won't find the Cree bulbs in the lightbulb section, Philips must have some sort of product placement deal with HD.

[Inzane]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
For the longest time they only had the dimmable ones, which carry the heftier price tag.

As far as I can recall the ones I was looking at were the dimmable ones, for $17.

[rage2]

The Philips bulbs are still too warm for my liking. I only use them in certain parts of the house that looks decent with warm lighting. I haven't found a bulb that has as good of a color as the Feit ones. The color temp is just perfect. I can't find the Feit ones anymore, I think I cleared the last of them around the city.

Gotta try out a Cree one.

[Inzane]

Originally posted by rage2
The Philips bulbs are still too warm for my liking. I only use them in certain parts of the house that looks decent with warm lighting.

Really? The one that have is a darn near perfect match for a conventional incandescent bulb. I think the Philips meets the intent of mimicking the look.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Inzane
Really? The one that have is a darn near perfect match for a conventional incandescent bulb. I think the Philips meets the intent of mimicking the look.
I agree, it's perfect if you like that look. I personally hate that look. Feels so old to me haha.

This is the best representation of how it looks with the Feit bulbs.

http://www.beyond.ca/wp-content/uploads/breathalyzer-challenge-3-wine-dinner-04.jpg

The color is not too warm, it's natural, but without that creepy hospital look when the temp is too cool.

[ExtraSlow]

Tuxedo T-shirt? That shit looks good in any light.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by rage2
The Philips bulbs are still too warm for my liking. I only use them in certain parts of the house that looks decent with warm lighting. I haven't found a bulb that has as good of a color as the Feit ones. The color temp is just perfect. I can't find the Feit ones anymore, I think I cleared the last of them around the city.

Gotta try out a Cree one.

Have you tried the new Phillips bulbs?

I have a few first gen bulbs (with the exposed yellow lenses) and have now switched to these. They are much better.

http://www.homedepot.ca/wcsstore/HomeDepotCanada/images/catalog/427518_4.jpg

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/11w-led-household-a19/828844

[blitz]

I've tried out a bunch before committing to do the whole house, and those new philips ones are my favorite. Nice diffused light.