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!
love the LED, have not purchased many of them, slowly changing them out. i would love to buy paint with the gift card to paint my dark orange bathroom. thank you for the chance :)
jslbrown2009(at)aol(dot)com
I'm so frustrated by light bulbs! I like any that give off a warm, candle glow.
We're still dealing with the CFL bulbs the builder used at installation, but after two and a half years, the first one has finally burnt out this week. I'm going to have to go through all of this so I appreciate your experiment.
Something I need to do…like yesterday!
I'd love to switch out my cheapo bulbs for something nicer.
Gradually switching to LEDs..I HATE CFLs!
I'd love to use the nicer bulbs in my art area to give my art more accurate coloring.
We use LED bulbs in some of our major light fixtures – it's reassuring to to make our house more energy efficient and to know that our bulbs are going to last us a (long, long) while!
all ours are currently CFL's and they're fine so I would probably use the card to get some patio plants :)
pryfamily5@gmail.com
I honestly haven't gotten too into led yet (because of the tone too) so i would love to give them a try!
Yes please!
I am just using regular light bulbs right now.
junerlisle at gmail dot com
we have a few of the cree LED light bulbs, and we love them. I would use the gift card to buy a kreg jig.
jessicarwarfield at gmail dot com
We've been using energy efficient ones but we need to make the switch over to the newest ones. Thanks for the reminder!
We switched several years ago as my husband is hooked. What I do t care for is how long it takes to warm-up/become bright. Now that have instant bright but it is too costly to replace now
We are using LED's everywhere but in our chandelier (those bulbs are pricey!!!). This giveaway is awesome and just what we need! Thanks for having it!
We are using LED's everywhere but in our chandelier (those bulbs are pricey!!!). This giveaway is awesome and just what we need! Thanks for having it!
Great giveaway! Love the LEDs!
I am so excited. I can't list everything I need from them. It's crazy what all we are doing right now but never felt so good. It is an in erodible feeling to male something you love. Thank you for the contest.
We put a few LED bulbs in our new home — so far, so good. To equip every light with LED would have cost thousands. I have them in a couple of rooms now. My favorite part about them is they don't get hot. In a tiny powder bath, this is key!
I've been switching to the LEDs recently, too. It's a hassle but I keep telling myself it will pay off.
Haven't pulled the trigger on LEDs yet, but would if I won this!
Spending money on light bulbs sure isn't the funnest, but I do think it makes sense to switch over slowly but surely as your existing CFLs burn out.
Some are LED's but we need to switch out the rest. Especially the outdoor lights and porch light that is on quite a bit!
We have used the florescent bulbs but do not like them. Really appreciate the options you explored in your post. Didn't realize there were so many other types of energy efficient bulbs available. Thanks!
I was clueless about the benefits of LEDs; the price seems to be well worth it! Looks like I'll be transitioning from CFLs ASAP!
Thanks for the info!
Would love to switch to LED bulbs. chedeb5353@hotmail.com
Can't wait to see your kitchen reveal! We have been slowly switching over to LEDs. A mix of brands. . .
My husband would be so mad if I didn't enter to win since he's now in a kick to replace any bulb with led as they go out. We would live to win this cert!!!! Thanks for the chance!!!
We use cheapo bulbs, but we're slowly switching ours out for LED. I'm a cheapskate so it was a little hard to justify spending that much on light bulbs at first, but we're already seeing a difference in our power bill with just a few LED bulbs. 100% worth it!
I have entirely CFL bulbs right now but we have a love/hate relationship. They are so ugly – I choose lamps and shades that you can not see the bulbs. You also can not use any shade that clips onto a CFL. I DO, however love the energy savings! In walks LED bulbs….. they use way less energy than the CFLs! Since you did your test, it is a no brainer for me!
I'd love that HD gift card!!!
We just put LED recessed lighting in out kitchen and absolutely love them!
I've been using fluorescent bulbs everywhere, but have been wanting to change to LEDs – the options look promising!
I bought a used lamp and it came with an LED lightbulb in it. I guess the lightbulb cost more that what I paid for the lamp.
We use mostly basic bulbs but this post has me thinking. I would love an LED that has a soft, warm light and these look like they do – thanks!
I don't have a "favorite bulb", so here's to hoping i win and can find out what I prefer! I have been on the hunt for a cheap source for the bulbs that look old timey with the filament showing. If you have any suggestions, i'm all ears!
We just switched to LEDs in a lot of rooms. For me, it made the biggest difference in the bathroom! All those greys are crystal clear now!
Still on the hunt for a good looking LED! Have to give these a try.
We are slowly starting to switch over to LEDs. Every time a light goes out now, we replace it with an LED one (slowly but surely!).
Well,as an incandescent bulb hoarder, trying led bulbs should be on my to do list. Lighting really sets the mood in so much of our homes, I like the ideas of led bulbs in the lights we use the most often. Lowes is right down the street from me- this gift card might convince me to go check out the new HD offerings.
I would love LED bulbs. I've just never taken the plunge for the price. I might now. Thanks for the giveaway
My husband gets migraines really easily so light bulbs are always an issue for us. I like bright ones and he always wants to go for the darker ones. I haven't tried LED bulbs before, but definitely will now.
We are moving into our new home in 1 week. Definitely going to invest in some LED's.
We haven't tried them yet but we would love to make the switch.
I've never used LED lights, I'm still getting used to CFLs!
I need some led downlighting in my kitchen!
We're in the midst of switching to LEDs and see savings on our electric bill already.
I've been using LEDs for the cost savings and they've been great
We use led for our main living spaces already!