LED Convert Here

I have been in process of testing the waters with LED lighting.

First was a 12" strip under the counter - just to see how it looks and feels - I LOVE IT. The light is "clearer" (best I can describe) than the fluorescent and at HALF the wattage. Better light AND lower operating cost. WOW what a combination!!

Next - I replaced a couple of outside flood lights -- Same story - 20 watts vs 75 watts flood - and better light.

Then - OVER the counter lighting - LED - colors - any color I want - even changing colors - Ambiance galore. GREAT way to have night lighting. I can have dim - or bright - or yellow - or blue - red - green - EVEN - music coordinated lighting. LOVE it.

Today - I got 4 "bulbs". One equivalent to 40w for my desk lamp - but at 7w - AWESOME. It is a little brighter than the 40 w incandescent - but also clearer

I took out 2 - 60 watt incan's and put in 2-10w LED's --- WOW - so much better - and cheaper to operate.

I have a very similar light fixture in the hallway to compare side to side with my den.

Hallway - yellowish light - 120 watts - bright - but not blinding
Den - clear white light - 20 watts - VERY bright - dimmer works just fine.

This is IT!!!!

Incan's can go --- I am ready.

I am a LED kinda guy now

Little by little I will convert entirely to LED.

YES - YES - I know - the cost. You ARE right they are expensive. So is it expensive to trade in the old car to get a new one. WHY - keep the old????

I am FULLY aware that I may never see a cost break even or a payback. I do know that my electric bill will go down a little bit - I don't know how much and with a gradual switch over I may never notice it. It will be there though. AND - with the long life of the lights - they will be there long after I retire, and THAT, is where I will REALLY appreciate that I switch over when I am still making money.

Sooo - cost wise - I really do not care.

Thanks Leo. I recently had 2 75w halogen floods burn out in can lights in our bedroom. I was thinking of giving the led's a try. You've convinced me!

I'm with you Leo. Just replaced all the "cans" in the kitchen with LED's--double the light at one fourth the wattage, 22.8 years @ three hours a day for an estimated yearly energy cost of $2.77. They now come in both warm and cold color temperatures. They will get even cheaper as time goes on and the LED's have become much more efficient over the last few years.

Sometimes you make the jump to something because it simply feels right. It's not always about cost justification. Moving forward from this point with a nice sense of satisfaction about the clarity & brightness of your new ambiance, coupled with lowered future operating costs sounds like a winner to me. Good call Leo!

I have heard a couple of disheartening reports about the longevity not being good. I have decided to test the waters. Only time will tell.

Al Launier said:

Sometimes you make the jump to something because it simply feels right. It's not always about cost justification.

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This is precisely my point.

I was "in" on LEDs early and they left a bit of a bad taste because a lot of the early ones had lifespans closer to that of a fruit fly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosophila_melanogaster) than that of a clam (http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/20...world-s-oldest-clam-killing-it-in-the-process). Indeed the first couple of bulbs we tried died within hours (and they weren't cheap either!!).

The enemy of LEDs is heat. In ceiling cans and other enclosed fixtures will limit their lives a lot. Newer bulbs seem a lot better about this (something heatsinks something lower power conversion loss something magic) but its something to keep in mind if they start failing for "no obvious reason".

Comparing delivered lumens per watt on T8 vs LED fixtures the T8s were definitely competive (depended a lot on the fixture) and a solid order of magnitude cheaper (even for daylight bulbs). Swapping out the old T12s for the T8's was some of the best money I've spend on my shop the light quality is an order of magnitude better (involuntary as I was out of T12 replacement bulbs and they ain't sold anymore, had I known then what I know now I'd have done it earlier though). Also trying to figure out "actual delivered lumens" across different lighting technologies is not for the weak of heart, holy cow that stuff is complicated (I didn't want to spend hundreds on LED fixtures unless they were reasonable cost/benefit so math.. oh the math ). So for cheap shop lighting I'm having a hard time getting past T8s (and T5's don't seem to offer a huge benefit either as I do the math).

Having said that LEDs do rock. Just a few caveats