LED's are ok.

[OldWiseGuy]

I was reluctant to replace my bulbs with LED's because I feared the harsh light they gave off ('old dogs' you know). However I purchased some 'soft white' LED bulbs and I'm very impressed. I will switch out all my lights with them now. Also they are now very cheap.

 

[timewerx]

I was reluctant to replace my bulbs with LED's because I feared the harsh light they gave off ('old dogs' you know). However I purchased some 'soft white' LED bulbs and I'm very impressed. I will switch out all my lights with them now. Also they are now very cheap.

Yes, they're kinda harsh. Put them behind a glaze or a shade or a reflector (bouncing light away from you) and it should look like normal lamps.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Yes, they're kinda harsh. Put them behind a glaze or a shade or a reflector (bouncing light away from you) and it should look like normal lamps.

I bought the 60 watt replacements and they seem brighter than the old incandescents or the CFL's.

 

[DaisyDay]

Remember all the threads on how evil Obama was taking away our light bulbs and poisoning us with mercury from broken fluorescents? Good times.

 

[aieyiamfu]

I bought the 60 watt replacements and they seem brighter than the old incandescents or the CFL's.

They can be purchased in different spectrums, I have purchased some truly horrible ones and some very good ones, cost is usually a major factor. I have put the can style lights in my rentals and the bulbs are $30 each, but they are supposed to last 45 years and they run at about 68 degrees, also the decrease in cost to operate pays them back in under a year, so if they last ten years instead of 45 they will have been a major benefit costwise. In my home I use the cheap bulbs from lowes in the light fixtures and they are ok but the ones that get a lot of use only last a year or so, others have been there six years since I first started using them.

 

[timewerx]

I bought the 60 watt replacements and they seem brighter than the old incandescents or the CFL's.

Do also note the new CFL would always be brighter than an old CFL. But yes, even the LED is brighter than than that. I think part of the reason is that the LED comes from a very intense point light source. The glazing in the LED bulbs helps spread the light, otherwise, it would cause serious discomfort in use.

 

[Papias]

LEDs are great! The old things we called "light bulbs" were actually heaters that happened to produce a little light (95% of the electricity was turned into heat, and less than 5% into light). That's a big deal because our cost of light is almost all in the cost of electricity, not in the cost of the bulb. - That's why LEDs pay for themselves so quickly - and after that it's all saved money for you.

Plus, LEDs helped my marriage and family life. The kids and the wife would sometimes leave lights on, annoying me (bills & bad for the environment). So do I turn the lights off for everyone? Nag people about turning lights off? No good choice.

With LEDs, who cares? The light is nearly free now (they use almost no electricity) - leave 'em on for all I care.

: )

Papias

 

[Strathos]

What does this have to do with ethics and morality?

 

[Rajni]

Thank you for this info, OldWiseGuy; this is good to know!

I've been putting myself into a conundrum over bulbs, and was hesitant to buy the CFLs because I envisioned them falling to the floor and spreading mercury all over (and wasn't there already hype about mercury thermometers and how we needed to get rid of those for the very same reason?).

Now, I may go the LED route myself, gradually replacing the incandescent bulbs with them as needed. Energy saved and no mercury issues!


-

 

[WolfGate]

The main measures of merit are lumens and color. Power is a poor way to specify bulbs as it measures what is consumed by the bulb, and as someone pointed out, power consumed goes two places, to light output and heat output. So a less efficient bulb will put out less light while consuming the same power. Many manufacturers do a decent job of accounting for this with the "xx Watt Replacement" info they put on a package, but it is not absolutely the same.

Light color is measured on a temperature scale referred to as Kelvin (K).

• Lower Kelvin numbers mean the light appears more yellow; higher Kelvin numbers mean the light is whiter or bluer.

• Many LED bulbs are made to match the color of incandescent bulbs at 2700-3000K and are good for living areas. For a whiter light, look for bulbs marked 3500-4100K - these tend to be best in kitchens and workspaces. For bluer white light (daylight), look for bulbs marked 5000-6500K - which are often best for reading.

Having said all that, everyone's preferences will vary.

 

[pgp_protector]

 

[timewerx]

What does this have to do with ethics and morality?

I guess because incandescent bulbs look way nicer but costs much more energy to run. But LEDs are way more efficient. Vanity carries a cost and strain to the planet makes it a potential ethics and morality worth.

Makes incandescent bulbs a luxury (wasteful) item these days unless you live somewhere very cold all year round like in Iceland or somewhere up north in Canada where the heat coming from incandescent bulbs may offset your heating costs!

Like one time, in order to save/eliminate heating energy during winter, I put up a tent inside my room and turned the back exhaust vents of my computer towards the inside and the front to the outside. So using the computer provided a decent amount of heating and ventilation. The computer provided its basic function plus, furnishing heat

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I get an 11 percent rebate from Menard's.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I guess because incandescent bulbs look way nicer but costs much more energy to run. But LEDs are way more efficient. Vanity carries a cost and strain to the planet makes it a potential ethics and morality worth.

Makes incandescent bulbs a luxury (wasteful) item these days unless you live somewhere very cold all year round like in Iceland or somewhere up north in Canada where the heat coming from incandescent bulbs may offset your heating costs!

Like one time, in order to save/eliminate heating energy during winter, I put up a tent inside my room and turned the back exhaust vents of my computer towards the inside and the front to the outside. So using the computer provided a decent amount of heating and ventilation. The computer provided its basic function plus, furnishing heat

This is true. Anytime you need to turn on the heat incandescent lights provide 100 percent efficiency as they add to total heat (it's clean heat as well).

 

[Dave-W]

This is true. Anytime you need to turn on the heat incandescent lights provide 100 percent efficiency as they add to total heat (it's clean heat as well).

Not true.

Heating from electricity can only ever be about 30-33% efficient. Aprox 2/3 of the heat energy from a coal or gas fired generation plant goes up in steam and never gets converted to electricity. Even a higher percentage goes up as steam from a nuke plant.

The highest efficiency (in the 90% range) for heating is from the current crop of ultra-high efficiency natural gas furnaces.

 

[Dave-W]

I guess because incandescent bulbs look way nicer but costs much more energy to run. But LEDs are way more efficient.

LEDs are more efficient - using on the order of only 10-20% of the electricity for the same amount of light.

But if you buy your LEDs from Wallmart or Target or Home Depot, you will get bulbs that look just like incandescents. (but they are not as efficient)

 

[jayem]

LED bulbs can interfere with cable TV signals. We have recessed ceiling lights in the kitchen, and I replaced the halogens with 120W equivalent LED floods. The light was great. But when we turned on the TV, the sound was gone, and the picture alternated between pixellation and a black screen. Turning off the lights, or dimming them significantly, returned the picture to normal. And there was no interference if I switched the TV input to over-the-air. The TV is in a built-in cabinet, and the cable line runs through the ceiling close to where the cans are located. Obviously, the LEDs, at least at full wattage, are emitted a signal that interferes with the cable transmission. I suppose the cable could be shielded or rerouted somehow, but I don't want to tear up the ceiling. So I'll stick with halogens or CFLs. Weird.

 

[pgp_protector]

One nice thing about the LED bulbs (At least some) vs CFL
Is they're more easily configurable to be dimmable.
Replaced my Kitchen CFL Tubes & Ballast with some Tube LED's (remove old tube, remove ballast, hook up mains to the end caps & plug in the new bulbs)
The cost was about the same as replacing the old tube & ballast (also was going bad)
And now I don't have to worry if they fall out in the kitchen either

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Not true.

Heating from electricity can only ever be about 30-33% efficient. Aprox 2/3 of the heat energy from a coal or gas fired generation plant goes up in steam and never gets converted to electricity. Even a higher percentage goes up as steam from a nuke plant.

The highest efficiency (in the 90% range) for heating is from the current crop of ultra-high efficiency natural gas furnaces.

I meant at the point of use the energy is used 100 percent, some for light, some for heat. Here in Wisconsin that would be nearly 6 months of the year.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

One nice thing about the LED bulbs (At least some) vs CFL
Is they're more easily configurable to be dimmable.
Replaced my Kitchen CFL Tubes & Ballast with some Tube LED's (remove old tube, remove ballast, hook up mains to the end caps & plug in the new bulbs)
The cost was about the same as replacing the old tube & ballast (also was going bad)
And now I don't have to worry if they fall out in the kitchen either

We are installing under-cabinet LED's in our apartment kitchens and they are great.