Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've debated this with myself, and I guess I'm not as frugal as you all.
I just stocked up on incandescent bulbs, and have enough to last my lifetime.
-- I'm single, so if I'm not in the room the light's not on.
-- I work nights so the only lights on those five nights are the ones on timers.
-- Some of my regular light bulbs last 10 years anyway, because of so little use. I've been in my house 11 years -- and there are bulbs I've NEVER changed out.
-- My electric bill is less than 50.00 a month and that's INCLUDING 11.00 a month surcharge because I didn't want a "Smartmeter." (Don't get me started on the SOB lawmakers who allowed the utility company to scr ew us on that.)
For me I just can't see the pay off of paying more for the newer bulbs. I'm happy with what I've got. I'll just have to look elsewhere to save a few pennies.
LEDs are getting there as far as efficiency per watt goes where they are going to completely replace CCFL in a few years. Not all companies make them with quality though... if they are not heatsinked properly to disperse heat they will burn out/dim faster. If an LED bulb is putting out heat that's a good sign, it means they found a way to vent the heat. They are not supposed to be completely cool to the touch.
I have all 3 types laying around..... the CCFL are just leftovers though, I doubt I'll buy any more CCFL. Incandescent for some applications, LED for others....
"The warm white LED from Cree that you can currently buy at Home Depot in some markets for as little as $5 (with utility subsidy included in the shelf price) yields 800 lumens for 9.5 watts, or 84 lumens per watt. Clearly, there is a big difference in efficiencies in the lab and the products currently on the shelves, and that’s the point."
i have tried all major brands of ccfl's through the years. they are such a poor source of light. they couple very poorly to rooms in my opinion.
the issue is unlike incand. lamps which are a point source of light ccfl's, are a linear source of light like a poorly designed flourescent lamp would be.
Only thing with LED is that I needed bulbs that contains multiple LED nodes in order to get enough light. So I typically run a 22watt LED bulb for my living room recessed lighting.
My parents hates LED bulbs too cool for them, they like warmer lights.
You buy the 2700K LED bulbs for the warmer light, your parents just bought the wrong kind of LED lights, they probably bought the 3000K or higher ones which give off a ghastly white light.
CREE LED light bulbs work very well for me. I've recommended them far and wide and so far have heard 0 complaints. I bought a number of them years ago and have not had to replace them nor have I encountered any issues with them, and my bill is lower.
You can get them at any home improvement store (along with other LEDs).
Hello,
I previously had all florescent light bulbs throughout my entire home. Our electric bill was approximately $ 165.00 a month with the florescent light bulbs. Recently after reading that the "new" CFL light bulbs save more electricity, I replaced all of the florescent bulbs with the CFL bulbs. Unfortunately our electric bill has been actually higher, $ 195.00 a month. Can you please let me know if the CFL bulbs are actually more economical than the florescent? We appreciate any helpful information you have !
Quote:
Originally Posted by murph1982
Sorry about that I meant CFL light bulbs
You said CFL bulbs so I'm not sure what you're correcting.
And CFL stands for Compact Fluorescent Lamp, so I'm not sure what you're getting at anyway. Are you saying you replaced actual fluorescent fixtures with standard fixtures using CFL bulbs? If that's the case you wouldn't have gained anything if the wattage was the same.
Or, when you say "fluorescent" do you actually mean "incandescent"? If that's the case, you either replaced your incandescent bulbs with larger CFLs or you're taking the savings for granted and running the lights a lot more.
Or, probably more likely.........It's December, which means the days are shorter so we're turning on the lights earlier in the evening and turning them off later in the morning. And depending on your part of the country it might also mean that it's colder which means you might be spending less time outdoors and more time inside running the lights, watching TV, etc. Not to mention, if you're running your heating system that will also affect your electric bill.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
