Trying another LED bulb

[velvetfoot]

I have gotten; a rebate for solar panels, my house audited and insulation upgraded for about $2k, a $900 rebate on a mini split and lots of bulbs all from REGGI money. What the heck they are offering it so I might as well grab it.

Somebody's paying for it.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

A few months ago i got some free toyota tsusho 60 W Equiv. LEDs from my power company for changing to email billing. I immediately went on amazon to find the retail price of these bulbs. They were $24.99 Each. No way would i have paid that for a 60 W Equiv LED bulb. I got 7 free bulbs so no harm. I just went to the same site now and the same bulb is $12.95 with free shipping. Big drop in about 4 months time. Still too high though for a 60 w Eq. THey are dimmable but use 13.5 watts ,my 60 watt Cfls only use 13.

 

[Highbeam]

My spare CFLs are destined for my collection of ceiling fans that I have begun to retrofit with Edison medium bases to relamp with CFL or LED bulbs. I still have four fans in my house that are lamped with incandescent bulbs, because they use candelabra base bulbs. (I refuse to pay double or triple the price of a normal CFL for the same product with a smaller base, and I haven't seen any ~800 lumen LEDs with a candelabra base.)

My fan bul s are hard to replace so i did find some candelabra base led but they are decorative and well under 800 lumens. Functional. Cheap enough, i bought them from costco.

 

[begreen]

Am I? I thought I was doing a good thing by replacing my incandescent bulbs with CFL's...
I guess it is time to upgrade again?

We have several CFLs in appropriate locations where the lights stay on for hours once turned on. The 30 sec. warmup is insignificant. The color temp is not bad at all. We also have a full set of replacement bulbs that are going to get used for these lights before an LED replacement goes in. That should be in 5-7 years. I have a couple trial LED bulbs in as a test and they are nice, but we'll use up what we have before changing out.

 

[TradEddie]

A CFL that size can be had for less than a Dollar. Iv seen 8 paks for $3 I use them everywhere even in outdoor lights.

I think you're deliberately missing the point. I will keep CFLs in use in many places too, but for example when I walk out to my unheated garage, it's 0F outside, I want to turn on a light, see what I want and get back inside. If I was using CFLs, I'd be doing that with something resembling pink candlelight for the first two minutes. I too am waiting for the price to drop, especially on can lights, but in some applications, it's already worth it for the functional advantages, not the energy savings.

TE

 

[jebatty]

A little different take on replacing CFL's with LED's. I replaced nearly all CFL's with 40W and 60W equivalent LED's, the 40's at $3/each with a power co rebate and the 60's at $10/each; 6.5W and 9.5W power draw. The CFL's replaced had lots of good life in them yet. My way too simple thought is that I readily spend $2 on a double *nickers bar, or $3+ on a bag of *heetos, or $4 on a box of over-processed/sugar loaded breakfast cereal, all total wastes, and barely think about it. Now a few $$ on something that actually saves me money, provides a sniff of fresher air through lower carbon emissions, and provides better light, that's money worth "wasting" on CFL replacement.

 

[Highbeam]

Would be nice if we could donate them to someone still using incandescents.

 

[HybridFyre]

The EnergizeCT program finally hit the retail shelves in CT instead of just home energy audits. I went to Home Depot and they set up a few stations with certain brands of LED's marked down substantially. The best deal is the CREE 60 watt equivalent (9.5 watt) which they have marked down from $12 to $3.97. Great price. I picked up a bunch today.

 

[Clarkbug]

Just wanted to add for anyone in the area... Bennington, VT Home Depot has the Cree 60w soft white LED bulbs for 1.98 each. Seems like a screaming good deal.

 

[begreen]

Wow, that is a good price.

 

[Clarkbug]

Wow, that is a good price.

Yeah I'm tempted to go buy a few boxes at that price.....

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Just wanted to add for anyone in the area... Bennington, VT Home Depot has the Cree 60w soft white LED bulbs for 1.98 each. Seems like a screaming good deal.

Now yer talkin!

 

[hoverwheel]

I'll just point out that when I started shaving, you bought a carrier and then a pack of about a trillion blades that would last you the rest of your life. When they dulled you just shoved it through the little slot in the back of the medicine cabinet and it feel into the wall between the studs.

Then they came out with the disposables and double blades and triple and quad blades. I swear I saw a Gillette 18 blade super scraper at the pharmacy the other day.

Every time they come out with a new system you suddenly need a new handle. Contoured for your comfort. And a bargain at only $10! While the refill pack is only $35 or so...

There was nothing wrong with incandescents until somebody decided CFLs were so much better. And when we all got suckered into that there are the LEDs coming out.

I can't wait to see what they come out with next. Plutonium fluoride bulbs?

/curmudgeon mode off

 

[Grisu]

I'll just point out that when I started shaving, you bought a carrier and then a pack of about a trillion blades that would last you the rest of your life. When they dulled you just shoved it through the little slot in the back of the medicine cabinet and it feel into the wall between the studs.

Then they came out with the disposables and double blades and triple and quad blades. I swear I saw a Gillette 18 blade super scraper at the pharmacy the other day.

Every time they come out with a new system you suddenly need a new handle. Contoured for your comfort. And a bargain at only $10! While the refill pack is only $35 or so...

There was nothing wrong with incandescents until somebody decided CFLs were so much better.

Yep, there is: incandescents use 4x the amount of electricity than CFLs or LEDs. That wastes precious resources which is the same reason that the "million-blade razor war" is just nonsense and should not be supported by our buying decisions.

 

[Grisu]

Just wanted to add for anyone in the area... Bennington, VT Home Depot has the Cree 60w soft white LED bulbs for 1.98 each. Seems like a screaming good deal.

Sorry to pop the bubble but that price is almost certainly subsidized by Efficiency Vermont and does not really mean LEDs are getting cheaper overall. Similar deals could be found a few years back, when CFLs were still very expensive.

 

[semipro]

I'll just point out that when I started shaving, you bought a carrier and then a pack of about a trillion blades that would last you the rest of your life. When they dulled you just shoved it through the little slot in the back of the medicine cabinet and it feel into the wall between the studs.

Then they came out with the disposables and double blades and triple and quad blades. I swear I saw a Gillette 18 blade super scraper at the pharmacy the other day.

Every time they come out with a new system you suddenly need a new handle. Contoured for your comfort. And a bargain at only $10! While the refill pack is only $35 or so...

There was nothing wrong with incandescents until somebody decided CFLs were so much better. And when we all got suckered into that there are the LEDs coming out.

I can't wait to see what they come out with next. Plutonium fluoride bulbs?

/curmudgeon mode off

I get your point about razors. In fact, I recently invested in an old safety razor to combat blade costs.

I don't get the comparison to LED bulbs though.
We're talking about a technology that decreases overall costs of ownership over the product lifetime and one that is a 'plug in' replacement for older technology.
There are no changes in power requirements or mounting for the newer bulbs.

 

[semipro]

Sorry to pop the bubble but that price is almost certainly subsidized by Efficiency Vermont and does not really mean LEDs are getting cheaper overall. Similar deals could be found a few years back, when CFLs were still very expensive.

I checked at our local HD yesterday and could find no comparable deals on LED bulbs.
No state subsidies here. Of course Virginia is the state that put additional taxes on hybrid vehicles so expectations are low.

 

[Clarkbug]

Sorry to pop the bubble but that price is almost certainly subsidized by Efficiency Vermont and does not really mean LEDs are getting cheaper overall. Similar deals could be found a few years back, when CFLs were still very expensive.

No bubble popping here, and no claims made that LEDs are coming down in price. Just letting anyone in that area know that they can get a good deal on bulbs should they choose to use them.

 

[Grisu]

No bubble popping here, and no claims made that LEDs are coming down in price. Just letting anyone in that area know that they can get a good deal on bulbs should they choose to use them.

I just wanted to avoid that people run to their local HD in the assumption they will find a similar deal. That price is only good for VT.

No state subsidies here. Of course Virginia is the state that put additional taxes on hybrid vehicles so expectations are low.

Not really a state subsidy. There is an efficiency charge on each electric power bill. Those funds are used to subsidize energy audits, give rebates on appliances, making CFLs or now LEDs affordable etc. Mass has a similar program, my guess is several other states, too. It just depends what voters rather spend their money on: Current consumption or investments for future prosperity by reducing resource use.

 

[Clarkbug]

I just wanted to avoid that people run to their local HD in the assumption they will find a similar deal. That price is only good for VT.

Good Point. This is definitely a YMMV deal, since the other CREE bulbs there are subsidized to 4.97, and even that is cheaper than the other HDs in other states. I dont know if this is a closeout or just an increased subsidy for that particular bulb.

 

[semipro]

I just came across this report while looking for something unrelated.
Its a Dept. of Energy report summary on the the life cycle costs of different bulbs. IMO, life cycle analyses provide the best decision-making info.
Its an easy short read. Check out the graphs if nothing else.
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/lca_factsheet_apr2013.pdf

 

[semipro]

Good Point. This is definitely a YMMV deal, since the other CREE bulbs there are subsidized to 4.97, and even that is cheaper than the other HDs in other states. I dont know if this is a closeout or just an increased subsidy for that particular bulb.

The Cree's at our HD are $10.

 

[hoverwheel]

Yep, there is: incandescents use 4x the amount of electricity than CFLs or LEDs. That wastes precious resources which is the same reason that the "million-blade razor war" is just nonsense and should not be supported by our buying decisions.

The point of the shaving story was that newer is not always better.

We ought to strive to be more energy independent. Sure. But not at gunpoint. There is no decision to be made with the new lightbulbs. They are being stuffed down our throats no matter if we want them or not. And if we don't we STILL pay for them. As you point out the government is subsidizing them to some degree, so even if you refuse to buy them you still paid.

You want to save those resources? Put a windmill on the roof of every home in America. It won't eliminate anyone's electric bill but collectively it will massively reduce our fossil fuel dependence as well as stimulate our economy in engineering, manufacturing, distribution, installation and maintenance areas. Heck of a lot more impact than a few lightbulbs.

 

[Grisu]

The point of the shaving story was that newer is not always better.

Agreed, but in case of lightbulbs newer IS better.

We ought to strive to be more energy independent. Sure. But not at gunpoint. There is no decision to be made with the new lightbulbs. They are being stuffed down our throats no matter if we want them or not. And if we don't we STILL pay for them. As you point out the government is subsidizing them to some degree, so even if you refuse to buy them you still paid.

Yes, everyone subsidizes them, because everyone benefits from lower overall energy consumption either way. Or where do you think energy prices will be in the future if we would not finally start to reduce our consumption? And it is not the government who shoves them down our throat but the majority of voters that elected those representatives that enact those bills. Most Vermonters support those programs, that's why we have them.

You want to save those resources? Put a windmill on the roof of every home in America. It won't eliminate anyone's electric bill but collectively it will massively reduce our fossil fuel dependence as well as stimulate our economy in engineering, manufacturing, distribution, installation and maintenance areas. Heck of a lot more impact than a few lightbulbs.

Two different things. The easiest picking is to SAVE energy (e. g. with more efficient lightbulbs). For the rest you look for REPLACING non-renewable fuel sources with renewable ones. That is why people put PV panels on their roofs. Residential windmills are far inferior in comparison: http://www.treehugger.com/renewable...e-wind-powers-butt-for-residential-usage.html

 

[hoverwheel]

Agreed, but in case of lightbulbs newer IS better.

In your opinion. In specific areas, mine too. I like them in hallways, the porch, garage... I don't like them in bedrooms and living rooms.

Yes, everyone subsidizes them, because everyone benefits from lower overall energy consumption either way. Or where do you think energy prices will be in the future if we would not finally start to reduce our consumption?

You're confusing what oughta be with the function of government. I'm sure you'll rationalize somehow that government should have such a role, but the form and function of our government is very clearly defined in the Constitution. It says nothing in there about forcing people into new attitudes or behaviors, to buy special lightbulbs or health insurance.

Whether we are properly recycling, efficiently using resources or a thousand other things we are mandated to do is none of the governments business.

And it is not the government who shoves them down our throat but the majority of voters that elected those representatives that enact those bills. Most Vermonters support those programs, that's why we have them.

If most Vermonters supported the programs they wouldn't exist because the program wouldn't be needed. You'd all be doing it anyway. They exist because your pols want them.