LEDs for Home Lighting? (1 Viewer)

[Johnny Angell]

So I read this article in the paper about how led lights are becoming more popular for household lighting. They produce less heat and use more of the consumed energy to produce lighting.

They are, however, expensive. The article said they are coming down in price by about 20% a year.

I was in Home Depot today and didn't see any LEDs in the light bulb section. I didn't ask an HD employee if they had them, so I don't know for sure that they don't.

Where would I find these babies for sale? Anyone using them for their household lighting? Are they constructed so you can replace a regular lightbulb with them?

 

[JoeyR]

Do a search on Google for LED lightbulbs

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Home Despot sells night-lights that use pale blue LEDs....they are supposed to last for 25 years. I use them to keep from tripping over the cats in the dark.....

 

[SethH]

I've never seen an LED that is made to fit into a regular lamp. They could certainly exist, but I haven't seen them.

I hope the prices to continue to drop on LEDs. Last time I was in the market for a desk lamp I really wanted an LED lamp because the halogen type lamps that seem to be the norm get really hot which can be annoying.

I've seen lots of LED track lighting at lowes and home depot, but not much other than that.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I did a google and it has become clear that LEDs are in the category of not ready for prime time when it comes to household lighting. The bulbs I found would produce the equivalent light of a 40-60 watt light bulb.

 

[Buzz Foster]

New LED technology is based on some sort of "paintable" LED coating. I seem to recall reading about it a while back. They use very little power. ALso, I hear that there are LED Christmas lights. Cool idea, but you'd better like the style, if they last as long as 25 to 50 years.

He ya go...http://www.livescience.com/technolog...ano_light.html

 

[Greg_R]

My hot tub uses a multi-colored LED light ($50-$75 IIRC). I'm sure prices have dropped and that single color LEDs are a lot cheaper...

 

[DavidBL]

The newest LED Christmas lights are da bomb. They have just about everything over traditional lights:

-- Very low power draw, so you can string them in series back to back to back to back to back without blowing a fuse

-- They don't burn out and they'll probably last until you're too old and creaky to get up and down a ladder

-- Also due to low power draw, you can make your house look like the Griswalds and hardly notice a blip in your January electric bill.

The downside is, of course, entry price. Lowe's was selling strings of 35 lights for about $7 last year. But if you use C-7's or C-9's, you'll recover that in electricity savings pretty quick.

LED's for actual household lighting? The technology is in a fairly constant slope of brighter/cheaper for the past few years, it's just a matter of seeing if the trend can continue long enough to get the same output as 60-100W incandescent bulbs at price people are willing to pay (a few bucks per?).

 

[robko44]

You have to be careful if your doing a retro fit with LED's. There is a product out the is a replacement for the so very common recessed can. The led is 5watts and replaces the 60watt par lamp. Do the math and it makes sense sort of. I am in the LED business and have replaced the PAR lamps in my living room and it looks great but,, They are pricy on the other hand I will never need to change a bulb and there is no heat factor like the par lamps have

 

[Will_B]

Originally Posted by SethH

I've never seen an LED that is made to fit into a regular lamp. They could certainly exist, but I haven't seen them.

Bed Bad & Beyond has them. Home Depot has them. None have good color. But they exist.

Bed Bath & Beyond's ones that are shaped like a lightbulb give off a green color, so I don't recommend them. But Bed Bath & Beyond also has ones shaped like a small directional bulb, and that one uses orange LEDs instead of white -- so at least it's a more familiar color, even if it is also rather dim. That one may be worth trying out.

 

[Will_B]

And ah, I just realized the reason SethH hadn't seen them was because this thread was from 2006!

 

[Tony Whalen]

Does this count? http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/lights/831e/

Been trying to resist ordering one...

 

[BrianW]

For household lighting needs, here's my main source:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/MR16_specs.htm

I haven't seen these in person yet, but they looks promising:

http://www.smarthome.com/973143/C-Crane-GeoBulb-II-Long-Lasting-LED-Light-Bulb-Warm-White-2WW/p.aspx

http://www.smarthome.com/90370/EvoLux-S-13-Watt-LED-Medium-Base-Long-Light-Bulb-Warm-White/p.aspx

These new units are dichromatic, which means that they emit essentially only two colors (blue and yellow) which fools our eyes (more or less, depending on the color of the items reflecting that light) into thinking they see full-spectrum light. The LEDs themselves are monochromatic and emit a cool bluish light. The coating they put over the LED housing or lens absorbs some of that light and re-emits it at a yellow wavelength to give warmth and a full-spectrum "feel" to the light. But the coatings always absorb more than they re-emit. So LED light bulbs that emit a warmer, more natural light will be somewhat less efficient (and put out less light) than an equivalent model that has less coating and puts out a cool light.

In order to maximize the light output in my remodeled kitchen, I've put 25 cool-white (minimal coating) 4-Watt LED cans around the perimiter of the room (it's a big room), with a couple of CFL ceiling fixtures in the middle. The two together put out a very satisfying light that fills every corner of the room. The two are on separate switches, so most of the time, we just use the LED lights by themselves.

I've also put 1-W LEDs under the cabinets to illuminate the countertops, and I've run a second string of low-wattage LEDs under the cabinets and toe-kicks that I use as night lights.

 

[Will_B]

Blue and yellow can also make green -- and that's the color the movie illustrating the "EvoLux S 13 Watt LED Medium Base Long Light Bulb, Warm White" indicates to me. I don't understand why they can't throw in a red LED or two into the mix to try to add some actual warm spectrum colors into the green of LEDs. I hope they keep working at it.

 

[CRyan]

I believe LED lighting is about to become mainstream and so I have decided to hold off for another year before I spend several hundred dollars on LED bulbs for the home. Phillips has come up with something pretty impressive and I dont think its long before we see these or something like them within a reasonable price range.
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/6/9/24

 

[brownma]

I bought some lights from this local (oregon) company. They work AMAZING. Seriously, they truly are as good as they say.. less heat, more light/watts (a 3watt LED puts out the same amount of light as a 40W incandescent) .. but yes, the $$$.

Go to www.powersmartLED.com

...they actually just lowered their prices by about 30%... AFTER I bought mine! haha ("kicks self in butt!")

I own:
(3) 7watt Family Bulbs (WarmWhite color) ...put them in a light over my kitchen table. I replaced (3) 100W incandescent bulbs with these 7W LEDs..and..I think they are even brighter!

I also have (3) 3watt Family Bulbs (WarmWhite color) which I have put into lights in my wife's and my bedroom. They are PERFECT for the amount of light needed. They replaced a 40watt incandescent which was in there previously.

My parents replaced (6) 100watt incandescent PAR lights in their kitchen with (6) SP80 15watt (WarmWhite color) and it looks awesome.

All of these bulbs can be DIRECTLY replaced...no need for new fixtures or anything. Just plug them in! : )

Was this helpful? ....I realllly think we should push more LED lighting, it saves so much!

-Mal

 

[CRyan]

Oh my. Had me till "Was this helpful?"

 

[brownma]

@Cryan: What do you mean?

 

[BrianW]

Thanks for the link, Malcolm. That looks like a great resource.

 

[paulianscott]

Best place I have seen for LED home lighting is the Litespot in Barnsley, they do have an online store and you could call to ask their advise I suppose.