LED lights at home

All my track and flush lighting are now LED bulbs. Unfortunately, even the ones labeled dimmable don't dim very well. Dimmers aren't simple rheostats and cause the LED blulbs to flicker (very fast, but flicker nonetheless).
 
write-stuff said:
All my track and flush lighting are now LED bulbs. Unfortunately, even the ones labeled dimmable don't dim very well. Dimmers aren't simple rheostats and cause the LED blulbs to flicker (very fast, but flicker nonetheless).
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There are dimmers available that work better with LEDs (and CFLs for that matter) than "standard" dimmers designed for incandescents.

Here's an example:

http://www.lutron.com/en-US/Products/Pages/StandAloneControls/C.Ldimmers/Overview.aspx
 
I was thinking about the cost aspect for the LED lighting. Our house may be a bit different.

We have 30 recessed flood lights in our home. Those flood lights that go in them typically do a good job of producing heat. So much so, that you can definitely tell the rooms where the lights are on vs. not.

This time of year, that doesn't really bother me since it's winter. Even though it's a less efficient source of heat than our heater, it works out to being generally helpful towards heating the house.

Come spring and summer when the AC is working, now I'm not only paying more for the light (and heat), but now I'm paying for the air conditioning to cool the heat produced by the lights. My guess is that will end up costing me as much if not more than the cost of the incandescent light source as far as power consumption goes.

Even still, it probably would take a good sum of time to make the money back on the incandescents, but since I'm all about efficiency, it's worth it anyway to me, especially if the LEDs are as reliable as I suspect they will be.

Our plan is to replace the floods as they burn out, probably one room at a time. So the first one goes out in the office, we'll replace all 4, etc.

Another cost consideration is the dimmers, as I discovered. Looks like about $30 each for those. I'm not sure how many of the dimmers we have in the house right now will be LED compatible, so I figure what we'll end up doing is go through to figure out which ones work and which ones don't, then replace the ones in the "don't" category when the time comes.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
We're curious about this, too. Our new home has almost everything on a dimmer switch, especially a bunch of flood lights, and those floods produce a lot of heat and take a lot of power. Thinking about switching to some dimmable LEDs, but also want to keep the dimmers we have because most of our lights are on 3-way switches. Any suggestions on brands in particular that just bolt in and will work with a normal dimmer?
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Wait Laurie told me that dimmer was for you, when she wants you to be brighter she turns it up :wink2:

Seriously we are in the same situation.

catmandu said:
We have always had three 75W Halogen PAR38 cans over the kitchen island that, of the 30 some PAR38 recessed lights in the house, are the only ones that have ever blown out in the last eight years (about every 18 months). Not surprising as all the prep work and cleanup happens at the island, and we like to cook. Also, since the island location changed slightly after the lights were roughed in, we had to go to 'wide floodlight' style halogens to keep the entire area evenly lit.

On the one hand, LED's service life was very desirable, but we were concerned about the brightness and coverage being equal. I was going to start doing Google based research, but one day wandering through Lowe's I decided to take the easy way out: I bought three of every PAR38 LED style / brightness they had, took them home, and did the trial and error deal.

Settled on a 125 watt equivalent 1300 Lumens bulb from Ecosmart, which satisfied the brightness and the coverage requirements as well as the halogens they replaced. Took all the rest back for a full refund. Zero complaints, no issues.

Edit: forgot to mention the color of the island LED's matches the 75w Halogens that are in other parts of the kitchen.
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Wow so glad you posted that info. Our kitchen has 13 cans surrounding. He perimeter all with halogens. I like the brightness and dim-ability but they are hot and expensive. I've held off on the LEDs due to expense, I've seen them at twenty bucks a pop. Would you be willing to share what you paid for yours?

EppyGA said:
Wait for this one.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/limemouse/lifx-the-light-bulb-reinvented
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Very cool but I bet that's going to be uber expensive.
 
AdamZ said:
Wait Laurie told me that dimmer was for you, when she wants you to be brighter she turns it up :wink2:
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Too bad it hasn't worked!

I was looking around online and it's hard to find replacement flood lights. Maybe I should just do the Lowes/Menards trick.
 
AdamZ said:
Wow so glad you posted that info. Our kitchen has 13 cans surrounding. He perimeter all with halogens. I like the brightness and dim-ability but they are hot and expensive. I've held off on the LEDs due to expense, I've seen them at twenty bucks a pop. Would you be willing to share what you paid for yours?
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$38 each. Given the constant use over the island, the payback math came up with three years. But that was only three holes to fill.

Buying 13 at once would be hard to stomach at today's prices, and payback will be longer if on a dimmer. I don't think I could pull the trigger on those just yet.
 
off topic a bit but I but bought a box (48 count) 100 watt incandescent bulbs at Sutherland's in Fredericksburg,Tx. for 20 bucks. Soon to be rare birds,I like them for working in the shop.
 
housefly said:
off topic a bit but I but bought a box (48 count) 100 watt incandescent bulbs at Sutherland's in Fredericksburg,Tx. for 20 bucks. Soon to be rare birds,I like them for working in the shop.
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You could buy the store out, then scalp them on eBay in a couple of years...
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Too bad it hasn't worked!

I was looking around online and it's hard to find replacement flood lights. Maybe I should just do the Lowes/Menards trick.
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Ted, I bought my kitchen Halogens by the case from a company called Bulbrite
Www.bulbrite.com their prices were good an the were very helpful. I'm going to call them regarding the replacing the halogens with LEDs you might want to give them a call.
 
Sutherland's had several boxes of the 100 watt incandescent bulbs left on the floor display.Our government,which of course has our best interests in mind, took 100 watt bulbs off the market last year,75 watt bulbs this year. I'm just old school I guess, but bought them to make sure I have a supply for my trusty drop light. I may go buy another now that I think more about it When they're gone... you know..
 
BR30 65 watt LED bulbs are 8.99 each at the COSTCO near me. They are manufactured by FEIT though, and I have not had very good luck with FEIT CFLs, but I bought a pair to try anyway. Last year I replaced the 12 recessed cans in my house with 65 watt LED BR30's from Lowes, their house Utilitech brand, at a cost of $19 each. At the time they were made by LG, but now they are also FEIT. I am very happy with them so far. Turn on to full brightness instantly, light is just like an incandescent, and they work great on a dimmer.
 
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slacktide said:
BR30 65 watt LED bulbs are 8.99 each at the COSTCO near me. They are manufactured by FEIT though, and I have not had very good luck with FEIT CFLs, but I bought a pair to try anyway. Last year I replaced the 12 recessed cans in my house with 65 watt LED BR30's from Lowes, their house Utilitech brand, at a cost of $19 each. At the time they were made by LG, but now they are also FEIT. I am very happy with them so far. Turn on to full brightness instantly, light is just like an incandescent, and they work great on a dimmer.
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The FEIT CFLs are garbage (to put it mildly). So far, my experience with the FEIT LEDs has been good.
 
wsuffa said:
The FEIT CFLs are garbage (to put it mildly). So far, my experience with the FEIT LEDs has been good.
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Bill, I have had extremely poor experiences with all CFLs, which I sort of suspect are all built in just a few mega-factories in China and branded thereafter.

I finally started writing the date of install on them, and believe that the claims of long life are often false. They don't wear out, they fail. I especially love that they sometimes fail in such a way as to create a huge RF noise, and can be difficult to locate if you have a lot of them in the house.

CFLs are great where they are great, and not so much where they are not, but nanny-minders love to tell others how to live- which is fine, until you start legislating it.
 
SCCutler said:
Bill, I have had extremely poor experiences with all CFLs, which I sort of suspect are all built in just a few mega-factories in China and branded thereafter.

I finally started writing the date of install on them, and believe that the claims of long life are often false. They don't wear out, they fail. I especially love that they sometimes fail in such a way as to create a huge RF noise, and can be difficult to locate if you have a lot of them in the house.
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I second the personal experience.They last about 2 years.
 
SCCutler said:
Bill, I have had extremely poor experiences with all CFLs, which I sort of suspect are all built in just a few mega-factories in China and branded thereafter.

I finally started writing the date of install on them, and believe that the claims of long life are often false. They don't wear out, they fail. I especially love that they sometimes fail in such a way as to create a huge RF noise, and can be difficult to locate if you have a lot of them in the house.

CFLs are great where they are great, and not so much where they are not, but nanny-minders love to tell others how to live- which is fine, until you start legislating it.
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With you on all of that. I don't have much experience with CFLs other than Costco - FEIT - and I decided not to mark the dates (it'll just make me mad).

I've had three fail with a puff of smoke (one scortched a light socket, necessitating repair).... Its at the point now where I won't put them in unattended lights (timer, photocell) for fear of fire.

So they are immensely more expensive once all is said and done. As with other mandates, perhaps we need to follow the money.
 
PS. Sylvania claims that the problem is domestic energy power surges. I am looking forward to the day when, like Dr. R.R. Eastport, ME, I can take my residence off the grid.
 
bbchien said:
PS. Sylvania claims that the problem is domestic energy power surges. I am looking forward to the day when, like Dr. R.R. Eastport, ME, I can take my residence off the grid.
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I have a friend in Colorado who is 100% off-grid. Mostly wind, bit of solar, and a gasoline generator backup plus the battery pack. Water comes from the river near their house. Loves it. :)
 
Ironically, I might have to add a heater to our lava lamp when the bulb for that blows out.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I have a friend in Colorado who is 100% off-grid. Mostly wind, bit of solar, and a gasoline generator backup plus the battery pack. Water comes from the river near their house. Loves it. :)
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Anyone catches him grabbing the river water if he doesn't own rights to the water (rivers on your property are not your own here), and he will have one hell of a fine to pay. Just sayin'...

Never buy land in Colorado without water rights. They're worth more than the land.
 
My guess is he owns the water rights. Even if he doesn't, I doubt even higher that he'll get caught. Owns 160 or so acres and the nearest town is... I'm not even sure there is a nearest town.

Back to the real question: I found out I have PAR 30 lights (and the number seems to be closer to 35 now) in the house. I'm figuring a 60 degree spread probably will distribute the light most evenly since these are illuminating rooms rather than a specific area. Am I right in my assumption?
 
SCCutler said:
Bill, I have had extremely poor experiences with all CFLs, which I sort of suspect are all built in just a few mega-factories in China and branded thereafter.

I finally started writing the date of install on them, and believe that the claims of long life are often false. They don't wear out, they fail. I especially love that they sometimes fail in such a way as to create a huge RF noise, and can be difficult to locate if you have a lot of them in the house.

CFLs are great where they are great, and not so much where they are not, but nanny-minders love to tell others how to live- which is fine, until you start legislating it.
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My experience is that mileage varies heavily across brands and depending on installation location. Brand quality has been hit-or-miss...I've had name brands (like Sylvania and Philips) fail early, and no-name brands (America Lighting or somesuch?) last for 5+ years...and vice-versa. Heat seems to play a big effect--bulbs in poorly-ventilated enclosures, especially upside-down inside reflective cans, seem to consistently fare poorly, regardless of brand.

Re: fail vs. degrade, all of my CFL failures have been instantaneous, except for one. I have a yellow-shrouded "bug light" outside that has been continuously energized for over 7 years now. It's got 5 spirals, but over time it's gradually degraded such that today only the one closest to the base still emits any light. It's hardly useful anymore, but I'm intrigued with its performance and have decided to let it run to complete failure, however long that turns out to be.
 
NIL, have LEDs in one light fixture in the house, went with 3w due to the location in a ceiling fan. Really like them, bright enough (3w is fairly dim) and they have been solid for over a year now.

The CFLs I got from the utility company when I bought the place are starting to go after about 18 months. I have been lazy and just putting incandescent bulbs the PO of the house left in the basement in their place, but now that they have run out I'm going to start buying more LED bulbs.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Back to the real question: I found out I have PAR 30 lights (and the number seems to be closer to 35 now) in the house. I'm figuring a 60 degree spread probably will distribute the light most evenly since these are illuminating rooms rather than a specific area. Am I right in my assumption?
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PAR30 is a spotlight, BR30 is a floodlight. If you are looking for diffused area light, you want the BR30.
 
I got some Cree 60W equivalent LED bulbs from Home Depot. Instant on, nice color temperature, good dimmability (though they don't go as dim as an incandescent). I'm looking forward to replacing all the floods with them when they become available.
 
During a remodel, we just had four LED lights put in the walk-in closet. I was a little apprehensive due to our very disappointing experience with old, cheap LED lamps, but these are great. They're BRIGHT, come on instantly, I have no complaints at all. They look like can lights, but are mounted to regular junction boxes. They were installed by the electrician, so I didn't get a lot of data on them - I did notice they have CREE markings, and appear to have half a dozen emitters in a cluster under a white plastic diffuser.

I can ask him about the details when he's back this week to finish up some stuff.
 
GeorgeC said:
I got some Cree 60W equivalent LED bulbs from Home Depot. Instant on, nice color temperature, good dimmability (though they don't go as dim as an incandescent). I'm looking forward to replacing all the floods with them when they become available.
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I had seen this article and I was thinking of buying some of those.

http://www.designingwithleds.com/cree-60w-led-replacement-bulb-review-and-tear-down/

Thanks for the real world feedback. Some of the comments on the article talk about a slight buzzing sound. Especially when dimmed. Have you noticed anything?


It may be time to head to Home Depot to drop a bunch of money on light bulbs. Sheesh. Oh how my priorities have changed since I was 20.
 
I bought them after reading the same article :) Out of a total of four bulbs, I've got two on dimmers, one of which buzzes, but only some of the time. I haven't swapped bulbs yet to see if it's the bulb or the dimmer.
 
Here is an update boys and girls - almost every light that is on for any length of time is now 10w or so LED.

Power use is only up about 150kw over last year on a monthly basis yet we use 350 kw more per month because of charging the wife's Volt 22 nights or so a month. The only other difference is lighting. So the lights are saving about 200kw a month - that is a tremendous amount pf power = by way of 6 month update . . .
 
comanchepilot said:
Here is an update boys and girls - almost every light that is on for any length of time is now 10w or so LED.

Power use is only up about 150kw over last year on a monthly basis yet we use 350 kw more per month because of charging the wife's Volt 22 nights or so a month. The only other difference is lighting. So the lights are saving about 200kw a month - that is a tremendous amount pf power = by way of 6 month update . . .
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One question - how much did you normally have your lights on to start?

I ask because in our last house in Pennsylvania, we had lights on all the time. The house had very poor lighting, so even in the daytime it was customary to have lights on. When I moved in I switched almost all the lights over to CFLs and had a very low power bill. Then when we replaced all the lighting fixtures, we ended up with incandescents. We did a lot of other changes at the time involving our electrical usage, so I never really noticed how much things went up by.

Now we live in a house that has excellent lighting. The main living area is open with tall windows and a large skylight, so we rarely have lights on. It's 8:30, the sun is setting, and we don't have a single light on right now. Part of that is because we want to keep it dim in hopes the baby goes to sleep, but I could read a book without extra light.

So I'm curious which category your house falls into to get an idea of how much we think we might save. :)
 
One thing I've noticed about my home is that with almost all my lights switched to LED or CFL there's a tendency to leave lights on more often than before because one doesn't feel the guilt of wasted energy as much.
 
gismo said:
One thing I've noticed about my home is that with almost all my lights switched to LED or CFL there's a tendency to leave lights on more often than before because one doesn't feel the guilt of wasted energy as much.
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I think there's some truth to that. At least in Pennsylvania I tended to have brighter lights on more regularly. Now back to incandescent, I'm always running around turning lights off.
 
Hi Ted - We're in Southern California - huge sliders open all the time - no drapes - we have plantation shutters. Pretty bright most of the time - no clouds - or rarely any.

I would attribute the reduction of the power bill to - in order of reduction:

1 - going to the 3 tiered electric car power meter - all of the tiers are lower except for the 10a-6p on peak tier than the prior rate schedule

2 - LED's - e.g. in the kitchen when every light is one we are using 133 watts of power - this compares to 308 with the CFL's and over 1000kw with 75 watt incandescents.

3 - Solar. We co-generate on average about 27kwh a day from March - September. Calif passed a regulation in 2012 where by SoCal Edison needs to credit our bill what they charge us - so if we are on peak we are getting about a 10kwh [$4.80] a day net generation credit since we do not use alot of the solar power we generate mid day -

The true test will start Friday of this week when temps reach 100F around here- only cool off to 70 and the humidity is forecast to roll in late Sunday through the 4th because of the monsoon.

We used to average - and it was a good average - 32kwh daily - and now we are down to 28-29. this is with the car added on.
 
Good info. We've been considering solar as well, but in Cincinnati the payoff is going to be lower than what you've got in California. So we probably won't bother.
 
comanchepilot said:
Calif passed a regulation in 2012 where by SoCal Edison needs to credit our bill what they charge us
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I'll bet the utilities hate that since your solar output costs them a lot more than their one generated power when you factor in the transmission losses and the cost of the transmission network. If half their customers supplied the majority of the electricity they used during the day the power company would go broke quickly (following California's path).
 
wsuffa said:
The FEIT CFLs are garbage (to put it mildly). So far, my experience with the FEIT LEDs has been good.
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I've had good luck so far with the FEIT LEDs. The Ace Hardware by me (well, sort of by me) sells the 40-watt equivalent ones for 9.95. Because I refuse to pay more than $10.00 for any *%&*!% light bulb, those are the ones I buy.

Almost every fixture in this house is on a dimmer and they're all recessed, and the FEIT LEDs work very nicely.

The only bad thing is that the Ace Hardware only puts two lamps at a time on the shelf, and that seems to be all the stock they have in the store at any moment in time. So I just keep going back and buying them two at a time. The day they go over ten bucks, I'll stop buying them. They probably cost the company $0.86 each from some factory in China.

I hear that Lowes has the same identical lamps, re-branded under their own name. There's a Lowes only 49.2 miles from me. Maybe I'll run over there tomorrow and check it out.

-Rich
 
RJM62 said:
I've had good luck so far with the FEIT LEDs. The Ace Hardware by me (well, sort of by me) sells the 40-watt equivalent ones for 9.95. Because I refuse to pay more than $10.00 for any *%&*!% light bulb, those are the ones I buy.

Almost every fixture in this house is on a dimmer and they're all recessed, and the FEIT LEDs work very nicely.

The only bad thing is that the Ace Hardware only puts two lamps at a time on the shelf, and that seems to be all the stock they have in the store at any moment in time. So I just keep going back and buying them two at a time. The day they go over ten bucks, I'll stop buying them. They probably cost the company $0.86 each from some factory in China.

I hear that Lowes has the same identical lamps, re-branded under their own name. There's a Lowes only 49.2 miles from me. Maybe I'll run over there tomorrow and check it out.

-Rich
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They have one at $9.98 and one at $8.99.

http://www.lowes.com/Search=40+watt...gId=10051&N=0&newSearch=true&Ntt=40+watt+led#!
 
RJM62 said:
The only bad thing is that the Ace Hardware only puts two lamps at a time on the shelf, and that seems to be all the stock they have in the store at any moment in time. So I just keep going back and buying them two at a time.
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Why don't you just ask the Ace Hardware to order how many lights you want. I am willing to bet if you say I want 10 of these they will order them for you.
 
ron22 said:
Why don't you just ask the Ace Hardware to order how many lights you want. I am willing to bet if you say I want 10 of these they will order them for you.
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This. My local Ace that I buy from will order anything I want, in whatever quantity I want. Even stuff they don't usually stock.
 
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