Are LED bulbs now cost effective?

[California]

Are LED bulbs now cost effective compared to fluorescent?

Now that they are around $3 per bulb I'm considering swapping the existing spiral fluorescents throughout the house and replacing them with LEDs.

Has anyone run the numbers to determine if LEDs greater efficiency now offsets their cost, compared to fluorescents?

 

[mddorange]

You can get a pack of 4 CFLs for the price of 1 LED. The LEDs use 60% of the wattage that a CFL does. While it will take some time to get the price difference back at least the LEDs will last a lot longer.

 

[Baby Grand]

I think the screw in types are probably cost effective, at this point.
They are definitely frustration effective.

I've already replaced almost every CFL in the house, garage, shop and outdoor lights with LEDs, due to better quality of light and fast response, especially in cold conditions. I replaced the 18" under cupboard fluorescents in the kitchen with slim, LED units that "daisy chain", allowing me to get a few more fixtures where we had some dark areas.

We just bought our first two 4' LED replacement tubes for our fluorescent work light in the laundry area of our basement.
They plugged directly in to the old fluorescent fixture. Much, much more light from the same fixture - I was really surprised. Another plus, these "bulbs" are actually plastic tubes that are somewhat flexible, so less chance of breaking them. This should be a real plus in the shop & garage. I hate picking up after a broken fluorescent tube.

The shop & garage 4' fluorescent lamps are now next on my list for replacement. There's always one that's on the fritz, flickering or dim or not firing at all. I only hope the price of the LEDs keeps coming down. I have noticed about a 10 to 15% reduction in electricity use over the past 2 years. Our rates just jumped (a lot) and I suspect that's the trend for the future.

-Jim

 

[Bird]

It's a little difficult to determine whether, or how much, electricity is being saved, at least in my case. But during January and February of this year, I replaced every bulb in the place (except the 2 in the garage door opener) with LEDs. I've had none go bad so far. We had a mixture of incandescent and CFL bulbs that I replaced. And I just looked at my spreadsheets and found that in the 6 months since then, we've used 8155 Kwh that cost $849.94 compared to the same time last year when we used 7716 Kwh at a cost of $849.69. Yep, we've used 439 Kwh more that cost $0.25 more this year.:laughing:

But I can't say whether there's been any difference in the average temperature (A/C usage), and we've also had a slight change in the "plan" with TXU Energy so the average cost per Kwh was $0.110482636 last year and $0.108202692 this year.

Too many variables to say for sure whether we've saved money or not, but I do know that we have more and brighter lights and I'm happy with the EDs.

 

[IslandTractor]

There is a "MassSave" organization funded by utilities in my state that actually comes into your house and simply replaces all standard incandescent or CFL light bulbs, even chandelier bulbs, with LEDs for free. Kinda weird really but you cannot knock the price. Obviously being funded by some sort of tithe based on gas and electric bills but silly not to take advantage. I much prefer the light from LEDs to that of the CFLs.

 

[newbury]

There is a "MassSave" organization funded by utilities in my state that actually comes into your house and simply replaces all standard incandescent or CFL light bulbs, even chandelier bulbs, with LEDs for free. Kinda weird really but you cannot knock the price. Obviously being funded by some sort of tithe based on gas and electric bills but silly not to take advantage. I much prefer the light from LEDs to that of the CFLs.

And that's an excellent example of how local conditions can influence cost savings.
I've just "replaced" 12 fluorescent tubes AND 4 ballasts with LED tubes. One of the key features for ME was that the ballasts were all failed/failing and needed replacing.
I've 20 or 30 eight foot T12 fixtures up in 12' to 14' ceilings in unheated/cooled shops with ballasts that are gradually failing. In order to replace them I've got to replace the ballast in situ AND figure on it being done again in maybe 10 years. Replacing JUST the tubes w/ LED's only required clipping out the ballasts in situ and a quick rewiring. Ballasts ALONE were going to be about $15 @. LED tubes were only about $40@.
They provide instant on when cold, no warmup flicker, and a LOT more light (which my aging eyes appreciate) PLUS electricity savings. IF there had been a utility $$ kick in it would have been great.

 

[California]

This is good to hear. It sounds like the crossover point is already here.

 

[dmccarty]

I ALMOST bought some LED bulbs to replace some CFIs, the price was ok but the LEDs were not quite bright enough. Once the Lumens go up a bit I guess we will start replacing CFLs with LEDs.

Later,
Dan

 

[Bird]

I ALMOST bought some LED bulbs to replace some CFIs, the price was ok but the LEDs were not quite bright enough. Once the Lumens go up a bit I guess we will start replacing CFLs with LEDs.

Later,
Dan

:confused3:That's surprising. Our LEDs are as bright, or brighter, than the CFLs they replaced.

 

[Ford850]

I plan to gradually move to LEDs as I replace some bulbs. But not fluorescent tubes yet. 4' fluorescent tubes seem to be on sale every time I need them. Usually for 1/4 the cost of LEDs, or better. Right now, Menards has some 4' tubes for 98 cents! That makes it difficult to justify a switch to LED tubes yet. I did replace a CFL flood light with an LED, and it is MUCH brighter.

 

[dmccarty]

I ALMOST bought some LED bulbs to replace some CFIs, the price was ok but the LEDs were not quite bright enough. Once the Lumens go up a bit I guess we will start replacing CFLs with LEDs.

Later,
Dan

:confused3:That's surprising. Our LEDs are as bright, or brighter, than the CFLs they replaced.

The difference was about 100 lumens as I remember, 800ish for the CFLs and 700ish for the LEDs. I can't remember the LED brand but it might have been the Lowes store brand. I have had numerous problems with the Lowes store brand CFLs so I just won't buy any of their branded light bulbs irregardless of the technology.

Some time soon, the LED lumens will catch up with the CFLs and the price will be right, at which point I will start buying LEDs. As it was, I almost bought the LEDs anyway. :laughing::laughing::laughing: We have 85ish can lights in the ceiling so having long running light bulbs is a big deal!

Later,
Dan

 

[RalphVa]

We replaced all the CFLs in our kitchen and main ones in family rooms with LEDs just because they're so much brighter, with about the same wattage.

I keep collecting burned out CFLs by the box full. The ones now (mostly from China) aren't worth a ****. I've some in the garage that are some I bought about 35 years ago that still work. They were made in the USA.

Ralph

 

[QRTRHRS]

When my twin beam halogen work lamp died recently, I decided to replace it with just a single light for now. I was in Lowe's discussing work lamps with the person covering that area and he pointed out the LED work lamps. I decided to try a single floor mount 1200 watt light. The lamp easily bolted to my stand from the old halogens. So, good so far. I have been painting the interior of our house prior to putting it on the market so the first thing I did was use the light to aid me while painting a room.

Though the lack of heat that 500w single or double beam halogens generate was nice, the light just did not allow me to see errant blemishes such as one gets from fabric bits of a roller sticking to the wall. The lamp also gave me static on my work radio if plugged into the same circuit. (I like my classic county while painting) Lastly, the lamp came with about a 4 or 5 foot long cord and the instructions advise to not use an extention cord longer than 4 feet? Excuse me? A work lamp restricted to nine feet of cord?

Instructions aside, the lamp works just fine with a heavy extention cord so overall, it's not worth taking back. Unless I see an LED work lamp with a much higher lumen rating, I plan on picking up another twin beam halogen. The LED will go back on to it's simple stand and will work fine for tasks such as working under a vehicle, etc.

I do have a couple of recessed wet area lamps that I replaced with LED's that have a bezzle. Do they make any similar to the larger recessed area lamps that don't cover the lamp with a bezzle? I think that the smaller diameter LED's would look stupid in that large area that is normally covered by the spot lamps.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

saw 4' LED tubes at Costco the other day, 2 for $34 which is the same price as their LED shop light.

 

[IslandTractor]

When my twin beam halogen work lamp died recently, I decided to replace it with just a single light for now. I was in Lowe's discussing work lamps with the person covering that area and he pointed out the LED work lamps. I decided to try a single floor mount 1200 watt light. The lamp easily bolted to my stand from the old halogens. So, good so far. I have been painting the interior of our house prior to putting it on the market so the first thing I did was use the light to aid me while painting a room.

Though the lack of heat that 500w single or double beam halogens generate was nice, the light just did not allow me to see errant blemishes such as one gets from fabric bits of a roller sticking to the wall. The lamp also gave me static on my work radio if plugged into the same circuit. (I like my classic county while painting) Lastly, the lamp came with about a 4 or 5 foot long cord and the instructions advise to not use an extention cord longer than 4 feet? Excuse me? A work lamp restricted to nine feet of cord?

Instructions aside, the lamp works just fine with a heavy extention cord so overall, it's not worth taking back. Unless I see an LED work lamp with a much higher lumen rating, I plan on picking up another twin beam halogen. The LED will go back on to it's simple stand and will work fine for tasks such as working under a vehicle, etc.

I do have a couple of recessed wet area lamps that I replaced with LED's that have a bezzle. Do they make any similar to the larger recessed area lamps that don't cover the lamp with a bezzle? I think that the smaller diameter LED's would look stupid in that large area that is normally covered by the spot lamps.

1) I wonder if a different temperature LED would make detecting paint defects more apparent. Could also depend on the paint color I suppose. I'm pretty sure that modern LEDs are available in temperatures that pretty well match daylight though if you are used to the color temp of halogen or tungsten you might search for an LED to match. They do make LED bulbs that can have their color temperature changed (with a remote control). Pricey but an indication of the flexibility of LED lighting and what is to come.
2) The extension cord warning seems like pure BS to me. No reason at all that an LED cannot be run off a "normal" extension cord more than 5 feet long.
3) I've seen lots of LED replacements for tophat style recessed fixtures. They probably use bezels. I've also seen "flood" light LEDs that look pretty much like the bulbs they replace.

 

[Fossil Farm]

1)
2) The extension cord warning seems like pure BS to me. No reason at all that an LED cannot be run off a "normal" extension cord more than 5 feet long.
.

The manufacturer is just covering their rear. I think many novices buy an 18 or 20 gauge extension cord and think they can run anything on it. Even though you could probably run a single LED off a cheap extension cord, their legal department just bans them. Many homeowners don't understand or want to understand wire gauge and what can be run off it. They see the price of 12 or 14 gauge extension cords and buy the cheap junk. Then they wonder why their house burns down.

 

[IslandTractor]

The manufacturer is just covering their rear. I think many novices buy an 18 or 20 gauge extension cord and think they can run anything on it. Even though you could probably run a single LED off a cheap extension cord, their legal department just bans them. Many homeowners don't understand or want to understand wire gauge and what can be run off it. They see the price of 12 or 14 gauge extension cords and buy the cheap junk. Then they wonder why their house burns down.

Agree.

 

[millsan1]

I need 12 BR45 bulbs. Problem for me is, the LED version never goes on sale. They are consistently in the $25 range. I want to change mine out, as I am big LED fan, but waiting for this size to go on sale is like waiting for a unicorn to show up.

 

[grsthegreat]

Funny thing about the supposed 40,000 - 100,000 hr life expectancy ratings listed on led lights. Those life expectancies are on the led diode itself.

The drivers fail all the time. My experiences have been bad with led commercial lighting. I reciently was called to a commercial parking lot where over half of the 100,000 hr lights had failed...... In less than 2 years. Heck, tho old style HID LIGHTS LASTED LONGER THAN THAT.

The manufacturer ultimately said they would replace units at no cost, but would not cover install costs. Owner of building wont pay for it either cause they were touted as 10 year fixtures. So contractor had to eat the costs. Some savings.

i am no longer installing led commercial lights till they improve driver technology.

Another contractor in town has been working for free replacing heads on street lighting that is constantly failing. They bid to replace all the old hid street lights with led ... But those are failing .He wishes he never bid the job.

Last year i replaced my tractors lights with leds, and so far im happy with them. They dont get used too much, so i hope they last.

If you look on cfl packages, they all list lifes in the 10,000 hr range but i hardly get a year out of them. I do use them for exterior lighting as they are cheap and do save money. I have yet to try and use led in my house. There still too expensive for my taste. Im slowly changing out my high output shop florescents with the t8 varieties as they fail, but the ho fixtures are over 10 years old.....with same lamps. They dont ever seem to fail.

I personally dont like the light output of the led strip lights ive seen, except for one fixture made for high bay replacement. They had great output. But at nearly $600 ill never use that on a job. I guess im just an old cheapo

 

[dmccarty]

....
If you look on cfl packages, they all list lifes in the 10,000 hr range but i hardly get a year out of them. I do use them for exterior lighting as they are cheap and do save money. I have yet to try and use led in my house. There still too expensive for my taste. Im slowly changing out my high output shop florescents with the t8 varieties as they fail, but the ho fixtures are over 10 years old.....with same lamps. They dont ever seem to fail.
....

I have had mixed results with CFLs. The first batches of CFLS we bought were cases of R30 and R40 for our canned light fixtures. We have about 85 of them in the house. The first CFLS were from Home Depot and worked as expected. We still have some R30 lights that the electrician installed by mistake in the flood lights that still work after 10 years. :thumbsup: Those lights do not get used much but the bulbs are not supposed to used on the exterior either.

When the CFLs did start to fail after many years, I went with a brand at Lowes that I have never heard of and those things would burn out in a week or so. Sometimes they simply did not work right out of the package. It was so bad I started to keep receipts and I would right the install date on the bulb. I did take some bulbs back for a refund. Now, I will only buy brand named bulbs, right now it is Sylvania, and I am just buying regular CFLs for the cans not R30 or R40s which are just too danged expensive. The current bulbs seem to be working as advertised though a few have failed quickly or new out of the box.

Later,
Dan