Thank you to the locals that stopped by the lighting DIY Workshop that I partnered with the Home Deport on last weekend! I LOVED meeting you and it was great to get tips from the on-site lighting expert about how to increase lighting energy efficiency. It’s a topic I’ve been sadly pretty ignorant about until recently. We have a lot of CFLs in our house, but the Home Depot guy encouraged me to look at their LED offerings while I was at the store on Saturday.
I think it sort of stinks to have to drop $8-16 on just a single bulb, but how crazy is it that LED bulbs last for literally 20 years and they use a fraction of the wattage that an incandescent bulb uses?!
I picked up a pretty expensive (almost $16!) Cree bulb that has a new technology that’s supposed to help colors read more correctly, which has been my main complaint about LED in the past. I also bought this Ecosmart two-pack as a cheaper comparison that brought the price-per-bulb down to about $8. And I threw in to the test group an incandescent I already owned for good measure, just because I was curious. All of the bulbs were Soft White in tone and 60 watts or equivalent.
Well, here are the results of my extremely technical and super scientific light test results! ;)
I actually really liked the tone of the most expensive LED bulb (surprise, surprise), but really the Ecosmart brand wasn’t bad at all. I’d probably use it in bedrooms or for fixtures we use a little less. And actually I’ve read that it’s a good idea to switch over to the more expensive bulbs over time to help spread out the initial expense, but that you should put the new bulbs in your most frequently used fixtures so you can start the energy savings right away.
As a part of the workshop last weekend, Home Depot gave me a $100 gift card to give away today! Maybe you’ll want to spend the gift card on a dozen or so new LEDs? :) To enter, leave a comment here on this post. I’d love to hear about what bulbs you’re using and loving.
Contest ends next Thursday at midnight. Winner will be emailed. Good luck!
PS Home Depot has lots of great (free!) DIY workshops coming up! To see what your local store has to offer, check out the registration page here!
Thanks for the tips! I always wonder what the side-by-side comparisons would reveal. We are slowly but surely switching to LEDs, though I usually go for the middling priced options (I can be a little too thrifty). We've switched out the lights over our dining area, entry way, bedroom, and one of the offices.
I switched the 5 light bulbs in my dining room chandelier over to dimmable LEDs and love them, especially since I was able to get them in the warmer colors. When we remodeled our kitchen, code required us to install fluorescent CFLs, and they seem to burn out very quickly. I'd love the chance to switch those CFLs over to LEDs.
I had no idea about all the choices!!
Great timing! I just bought a new lamp for my daughter's bedroom and was sadly disappointed when I flicked it on and the lighting made her room look- blah! I love the comparison photos. Looks like these led have cone a long way. Looking forward to replacing all of ours :) thanks!
We mostly use incandescent bulbs since they are cheapest and we have so many lights in our house. I would love to try some LED bulbs and see if it makes a difference in our electric bill. Thanks for the giveaway!
ooooh nice timing! we close on our new house TOMORROW! would love to add some energy efficient bulbs to the new place :)
I've switched most to LEDs but don't love the color of the light emitted — I would love to get ones that last a really long time with better coloring
What a coincidence. We just purchased a led bulb for our porch light. Would love a HD GC
I have used the spiral ones – but I don't think they're LED?
We use LEDs!
It was great meeting you at the workshop. Got some good ideas now for my lighting situation.
We now have all LEDs-even outside. Love them. I definitely hope we don't have to move anytime soon, they have been quite the investment.
We use a mix of CFL and LED bulbs around the house. Fortunately for us, my husband's family owns a Supply house and we are able to get the bulbs at cost.
My local, small town hardware store had a hard time selling the led lights that fit into the can lights and so they clearances them out for $11 each, down from $45. We got enough to our whole house and love them. They are super bright though so I am happy that these particular ones can work with a dimmer :-)
I've always hesitated swapping because the light is usually so bright from these and not soft. These look like a much warmer/softer version.
While LED bulbs are wonderful for reducing energy costs they are toxic when broken. Open windows and leave immediately if one of these babies brakes in your nest. Also when disposing please be mindful and place in zip tight bag. Happy Nesting.
I'd love to win! I haven't tried led bulbs yet but love the idea of saving any where I can!
Atlantagalknows
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We are using CFLs mostly, but I would like to upgrade.
kellywcu8888ATgmailDOTcom
We are about to update our kitchen and replace the old track lighting with LED down lights, so this give away could not be more perfectly timed.
We mainly use CFLs, which we can get super super cheap at Costco. But since LEDs last so long and are more efficient, we might be switching over.
I mainly use CFLs – because our electricity company gave us a whole box for free when we moved into the house!
We recently moved so our rental home has a mix of bulbs. I have been thinking of trying LED when we need to replace bulbs, they are just so darn expensive.
If I turned out to be the lucky winner, not sure I could use an entire $100 gift card on light bulbs though. Surely, you understand. :-)
I switched the CFLs and got used to the second or two delay before the light reached it's full strength. The color aspect I somewhat compensated for with the lining of the lampshade, so I expect I will figure out a similar solution with the LEDs. Great to hear that they have improved the color. I would definitely take a gift card and switch the bulbs; green is where the world is going…
slowly converting over to the LEDs!
I'm sadly still using the CFLs, but we're getting ready to move to a new apartment – perfect time for switching over.
Got a free LED, I like it a lot.
I've been wanting to upgrade to the the new LED light bulbs!
I actually just started using LED bulbs and I'm adjusting. They definitely are nicer but at first it was hard for me to adjust to a different kind of light if that makes any sense lol!!
We've purchased LED in the past (except for when we need some crazy bulbs for an IKEA fixture) and it really is amazing how long they last! Might have to talk to mister into one of these fancy CREE bulbs!
I switched over many years ago, although I am sure the bulbs are far better now than the offerings I had available to me in the '00s. It really does make a difference in your electric usage and electric bills!!
I've always been so confused by what kind of bulb to get! So many people have lamented the end of the incandescent era–I'm glad to see you were impressed with the LED bulbs you tried!
I use CFLs. Hadn't even researched LEDs. Thanks for the tip
Thanks for making me excited to finally take the plunge on buying LEDs!
We haven't yet started this process – it's all seemed so complicated! Thanks for partnering with Home Depot on the giveaway –
Yikes, paying $18 per bulb is killer. I'm still guilty of going cheap-o most of the time. Whoops!
We're still stuck in the spiraled, funny lighting days of LEDs so it would be wonderful to upgrade!
I've been replacing my lights with Cree's 60 watt. Great deal at Home Depot where they cost $5 each. I still have more to buy but at least half of them are done.
I need to start doing this!
Thank you for sharing your super fancy experiment! We've been somewhat lacking in our light bulb transition, but it's nice to know there are some great options out there, even if they're a bit pricey. Thank you!
I have some battery operated LED's that I use outside and they are very bright.
I don't really like cfl's but would love to try led's. The price tag has held me back so this would be awesome!
I confess to stocking up on incandecents. Hate the delayed start of the CFLs. Do the LEDs do the same thing? I'm trying to hold out until the newer bulbs are improved. Although as much as I like a well lit home, new bulbs would probably make a big difference in the electric bill.
We just bought a new house and one of the things on my (mile long) list to do is buy new bulbs!
I would love to try out some of the bulbs you have demonstrated.
Thanks for sharing info on the new Cree with improved color rendering. I'll be looking at those–today! I typically buy the 2700K LED to achieve warmer light and have been very happy with the switch from incandescent. However, we found the 5000K ('daylight') LED worked best in a Capiz shell fixture. We love the energy savings & a 'cooler' bulb. The bulbs have really improved & Cree is our favorite!
We switched all the big light fixtures' bulbs when we moved here, but are doing the other ones as they die out. I hate having to change light bulbs, so I'll all about the LEDs.
i have been avoiding using LEDs – in fact bought up a lot of incandescents before they stopped selling the old-school version. i love this comparison and it makes me feel like all hope might not be lost!
LED's are a big deal now! Gotta keep up with the times ;)
We used LED recessed lights from Home Depot in our kitchen remodel and love them!
I will definitely be trying out LEDs as my current CFLs burn out. They used to cost so much more! With CFLs I think I bought a different brand every time and never hit on my favorite.