Switch your house to LEDs, folks

"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78) 05/26/2016 at 09:31 • Filed to: None

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I’m a bit of a numbers and finance nerd, a tech dilettante, and reasonably concerned about the environment (although I’d call myself a conservationist, not an “environmentalist” because like most people, we don't want too much inconvenience!). We just finished our first full month of having switched just EIGHT light fixtures to LED bulbs — the warm 2700k color temperature and “instant on” make them very similar to incandescents, and nothing like those crappy, cold, slow CFLs that they replaced. Our average month of May over the prior four years has ranged from 33-45 KWh per day (an average 38.5 KWh) which includes three outside fixtures that stay on all night for security. Now that we’re nearing the end of May, my reading yesterday shows we’re down to almost 30KWh/day. That’s about 70 cents a day of savings vs the previous 4-year average (using actual rates from the bills in our 2600sf house built in the 70s). There are other factors, naturally, such as seasonal A/C usage...but I’ve also been working from home, so there’s lots additional PC usage, as well — that’s why I’m doing this year-over-year. This 8-pack of bulbs appears to have paid for itself in just one month, to say nothing of the reduced coal usage at the plant :D

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 09:37

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yup.

/has had *Full* LED lighting in his home for the last three years.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 09:40

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i’ve done a mixture of LED’s and compact florescence. The lights that stay on longer are mostly LED’s

Sam > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 09:40

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LEDs are great. My dad’s company fully switched and the savings are probably huge. Of course, they also installed a full server room running about 30 corporate video conferencing servers with 2 A/C units, so it would be impossible to calculate.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 09:41

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Alternately, put LEDs everywhere but your basement and photography room, and keep a stash of incandescents for them (places that need light warmth and actual warmth) like a straight up gangsta.

gawdzillla > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 09:41

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I am late on this LED train

I just bought myself 21x3 pack

http://slickdeals.net/f/8780235-sylv…

Conan > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 09:43

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Much like I like organic because it tastes good I like LEDs because they’re bright.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 09:44

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On top of that, LED light is nicer than fluorescent light. And dimmable.

Although while I like being out in nature, there are times when I’d rather use incandescant everywhere and go hunting polar bears with a flamethrower. Like every time David Suzuki opens his mouth. Sure, if everyone used a little less energy to do stuff it would be nicer for everyone, but militant “eco-mentalists” like him really rub me the wrong way.

Pixel > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 09:47

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When I bought my house in 2012 I put in 90% CFLs as LEDs were still to expensive, with a few incandescents for odd-sized fixtures. I’m slowly upgrading to LEDs as those bulbs die.

I am continually blown away at how little electricity I use. A 1500 sq foot house with usually half the lights on every night, and except for A/C season my electric bill is under $50/month. I pay less for electricity in this house than I did for my prior apartment!

PartyPooper2012 > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:03

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Can I interest you in upgrading your Always On lights to Motion sensor light bulb?

http://www.amazon.com/QPAU-Infrared-…

RazoE > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:03

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I’ve replaced all my lights, except the bathroom with LEDs. Those are small candelabras and I can’t find them for a decent price.

Same with my car, EVERY bulb is LED except my headlights (those are HID.....for now)

Future next gen S2000 owner > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:05

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20 bucks for an eight pack is a solid deal. I may have to go looking for LED. It is just annoying dealing with disposing of CFLs.

gmctavish needs more space > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:05

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When my girlfriend and I moved into our suite, we switched all the bulbs to LED. They were all different colours of florescent, or weak incandescents and it was disturbingly dark. 7 LED bulbs later, and it felt like a completely different place.

Tripper > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:06

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When we bought our house all of the bulb’s we’re the shittiest available CFL’s. So I bit the bullet and converted the whole house for around $200. It would have been much cheaper but our kitchen fixture uses those two prong bulbs and they were $15 each! The bulbs for the recessed lighting in the basement were not cheap either.

Ash78, voting early and often > gawdzillla 05/26/2016 at 10:07

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I wouldn’t say late...most people I know have barely even heard of them. People on the internet are inherently early adopters. I’d call LED an “early majority” product now, since prices are finally attractive and they’re taking up more shelving at HD/Lowe’s. Also, SlickDeals is amazing, I’ve been on there for 10-15 years.

AndyG_UK > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:08

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We have been replacing any blown bulbs with LED's and making sure all new light's are LED for a while at home, it does save power usage! Last week though I ordered all new LED's for the under cupboard\extractor hood etc in the kitchen, all bulbs arrived, popped them in and I need to but new transformers for all the lights (they are 12v ones) as they just flash off and on due to them needing an "LED driver" not normal 240v to 12v transformer, so I aint going to be making my money back on those bulbs for a good while!!

Ash78, voting early and often > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 05/26/2016 at 10:09

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My rule of thumb is sort of like if something is going to run 3+ hours/day, replace it now. Under 3 hours, wait for it to die and replace. Bathrooms I still use incandescent. Because cheap and warm. Not much financial return or green impact from a light that's only on 20 minutes/day.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:10

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I won an LED light bulb for finishing third in my age bracket in a local 10K that had a very crunchy, environmental bend to it. It’s a trophy that keeps on giving.

Ash78, voting early and often > Tripper 05/26/2016 at 10:11

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Yeah, the conversion costs can be high — we only replaced the ones that would be on 3+ hours/day for maximum impact. Our bathrooms and any "weird" fixtures are all still incandescent.

Ash78, voting early and often > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/26/2016 at 10:12

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Word. Plus we have young kids and Mercury is just a bad word (unless the kids ask to listen to Queen). Home Depot's Ecosmart brand is a solid alternative to the big brands for about 50%-60% of the price. We're very pleased.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:13

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First house I bought I immediately changed every bulb to LED, put a timer on my bar fridge, and set up a fan system to draw in as much cold air as possible through the night to minimize A/C use. Saved probably a good 25-40 a month depending on the season.

BigBlock440 > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:15

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Meh, light bulbs are last on my list for saving electricity. I got a couple of CFLs free from the power company and it makes it even less so. They are far, far, from the biggest users of electricity, unlike my last apartment that had a big metal halide out back 24/7 for security. My wife running the vacuum every week probably uses as much electricity as lighting the whole house.

Ash78, voting early and often > BigBlock440 05/26/2016 at 10:18

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Crunch the numbers, you'd be shocked. Living in the Deep South, A/C is the make or break for us, and we can't control the summer temps. But as a "baseline" number (ie, non-AC power usage), think about replacing any light that runs more than 3 hours a day. We have several in our den and the ones outside that I mentioned. It really adds up quickly. I wouldn't even advocate replacing anything that doesn't run a lot — like you said, at that point you're just chasing down minor hull leaks on the Titanic. You have to be practical, not fanatical, or you'll get easily obsessed.

McMike > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:22

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I’m slowly moving this way myself.

What I like is that you are no longer limited to 120w per fixture as we were before, and you can throw in three 100 equivalents and wear sunglasses inside.

Each time I run out of bulbs for a multi-bulb fixture, I do this, and add a LED-compatible dimmer in the wall. (the 100w dim-ables are still a little pricey, tho)

I love light.

E92M3 > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:25

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I recently read a comparison. The average 100w equivalent saved only $1.19 a year compared to a 100w incandescent (used 3 hours a day). The LED bulbs were $12 a piece compared to less than $2 each. So you can see it takes years to pay for itself. Then factor in these bulbs are having some quality issues. Many fail before 2 years, some before 1 year. Incandescent bulbs at 3 hours a day only last an average of 18 months, but still you could replace them 3 times and still would have spent less. Lighting is a very small percentage of your energy costs. Things with electric motors are your biggest energy wasters. HVAC, refrigerator, washer/dryer. You stand to save more by adjusting your thermostat 1 degree, and adjusting your clothing/bedding to compensate. Vacumn the heat exchanger on the fridge. It’s likely caked with dust, making it less efficient, and requiring the compressor to run longer. Make sure your dryer has a sensor instead of just a timer. You can pull your clothes out halfway thru the drying cycle and let them finish drying the old fashion way by hanging them. Personally, I’m waiting till the price of LED’s come down. They will come down considerably in the next few years as the competition grows. Quality will also improve.

Ash78, voting early and often > McMike 05/26/2016 at 10:27

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I never really got people’s obsession with dimming (not singling you out here, but I see it constantly in the deal forums). I guess I just always lived in a house where only the chandelier was dimmable, so I never felt the need to dim things in general. Then the CFL craze sort of put dimming on the back burner for a while, since most of those wouldn't dim well. I like the idea, but most of the time when I want a light on, I want it FULL BLAST!

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:29

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I am slowly converting to LED as bulbs fail they are getting replaced with LEDs. All the floods in my kitchen are now LED as well as most floor lamps, next on the list are all the candelabra bulbs in the hallways and stairwells.

Stapleface > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:30

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What’s the legitimate shelf life out of LED bulbs? The most commonly used fixture in my house goes through probably 6 incandescents in a year, If not more. I've tried CFLs in the fixture, but they don't seem to last longer enough to justify the cost.

Stapleface > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:31

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Actually, I should make the argument with the wife that I need to switch out my plasma tv for an OLED one. Just think of the cost savings! lol

McMike > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:33

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My thoughts are to set the dimmer of the fixture to a comfortable, daily use brightness, but have the option to TURN IT UP!

For example: Our bathroom has 3x40w. I would replace those with a higher equililant, and set the dimmer so it would be about the same as before. I would love to have the option of 3x100 at my fingertips.

Ash78, voting early and often > E92M3 05/26/2016 at 10:33

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IMO, we’re already there — the early majority phase for LEDs. Prices are about 1/3 of what they were 2 years ago, with substantially more quality and variety. You’re absolutely right about A/C and the rest, but those are things I can’t control much. We’ve messed with temperature adjustments for years, but at the end of the day, the daily outside temperature has far more impact than anything you can do inside the home. Bulb analysis: 1,095 hours of bulb usage in a year (at 100W) is about 100KWh, which is over $13 for me. FWIW, we mostly replaced bulbs that stay on 10+ hours a day — that’s the real savings (without a lifestyle change, that is).

Ash78, voting early and often > Stapleface 05/26/2016 at 10:35

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I'm expecting 5-10 years, which is the biggest part of the savings in the long run (plus I'm lazy!). CFLs vary heavily on cycle count, so they're not great in fixtures that get a lot of on/off usage. And no more Mercury or exploding glass concerns in case of breakage.

BigBlock440 > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:41

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I did run the numbers, which is why I haven’t bothered. If I was staying longer than a few years I might have, but it’s not that big of deal here. I’ve got electric heat in the house I’m moving in to, and used a space heater or two in my house that’s not. Those are huge, and are areas where my concentration is mostly focused. But even ignoring that, a vacuum is 1,000+ watts, a hair dryer is 750/1500, an angle grinder is 500 to 1,000, I’ve got a saw that dims the lights when I turn it on, an electric dryer, electric stove, etc. Lights are an area where I wouldn’t see a noticeable savings especially at $10/bulb. Maybe your electricity rates are higher than mine also, which make it not worth it to me yet. The jury’s still out on durability too (they’re probably fine, but I remember the first CFLs), so I’m waiting a bit to see results from the people I know that have them.

HONDAD > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:42

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I sure didn’t wake up this morning thinking I needed 63 LED bulbs, but here I am! Thanks for the tip, gawdzilla!!!

BigBlock440 > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 10:45

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One example of where dimming is handy, and I’ll always have it, is when you’re watching something on TV. It’s nice to have a little light so you can see if you’re reaching for a bag of chips or the remote, but not the full brightness. Another example is the bathroom, if you have to go in the middle of the night it’s nice having enough light to use it, but not so much that it wakes you right up. Then you still have the option of full brightness to shave or put on makeup or whatever.

adamftw > E92M3 05/26/2016 at 10:48

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Who uses their lights only 3 hour a day though? Try 10-12 lamps burning 6+ hours each, then recalculate.

Ash78, voting early and often > BigBlock440 05/26/2016 at 10:56

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Wait, $10 a bulb? Maybe I read wrong, but I'm talking about $1.50 - $1.75 a bulb. Yes, a high-end Philips or Cree dimmable, multicolored LED can still sell for $10, but those are mostly for the people in Malibu who live in $3MM beachfront bungalows and fellate whales as a hobby. Anyway, not trying to proselytize, just sharing objective data from my exhausting logging over the years. Nothing else (even switching from 25-year-old A/C to a brand new unit a couple years ago) has had such an immediate impact for us.

BigBlock440 > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 11:04

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$1.50? Holy shit, I didn’t realize they came down that much. At those prices, the cost difference is almost negligible. But my question then is, durability. Are they just really cheap and won’t last long? They’re cheap enough that it’s worth a try anyway.

Ash78, voting early and often > BigBlock440 05/26/2016 at 11:09

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I swear incandescents are probably selling at cost now — maybe 50 cents each, a little cheaper at Walmart. The cost savings on power are a no-brainer, but longevity may still be a concern. If I get less than 5 years out of any of them, it’s still worth it, but I expect 10+ years across the board. Any premature failures will be quality related, because the rated run times are astronomically high. I'm never an early adopter, but I feel comfortable right now. HD and Lowe's would not likely invest in the hassle of angry customers if they didn't think LEDs were ready for prime time.

E92M3 > adamftw 05/26/2016 at 11:33

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If you work from home I could see that. I barely ever have more than 6 at most 10 bulbs burning at a time from 7-11 pm. I’m pretty good about turning out lights when i leave a room though. My house also has plenty of natural light till the sun sets. Outside lights are motion detection only. My neighbors leave their flood lights on 24/7/365.

Manny05x > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 11:43

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i did the same i love the bright color my apartment doesn't get much natural light so led are perfect.

uofime-2 > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 18:25

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I picked up a set of those a few months ago and they buzzed like an old crt tv! They were promptly returned.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Ash78, voting early and often 05/26/2016 at 18:58

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My parents switched to LED’s for a couple months, and then switched back to incandescent because the power bill went up considerably. Incandescent bulbs put the heat where it’s needed, so you can keep the entire house cooler. They still have a couple LED’s in a couple hard-to-reach spots where the longer life is appreciated, but they’re definitely better off with the incandescents.