I spent much of yesterday changing out our most commonly used incandescent and halogen bulbs for LED bulbs. I changed the bulbs in can lights, light fixtures, rail lights, track lights and 3 way lamps. We have fairly high vaulted ceilings and a couple of the bulbs were out, so I decided to change them all to LED so there'd be no color difference. Getting up there to change bulbs is a bit of a challenge, so it made sense to do them all at once. The price of LED bulbs has come down significantly, and the amount of time the initial cost is offset by the electrical savings has been shortened, so that we should see the bulbs pay for themselves within three years, possibly less.
My criteria for the bulbs was a combination of price, color, and availability. I wanted to match the existing color temperature of the 60 watt incandescent bulbs which were mostly GE Reveals, and the color temperature of the GU10 50 watt halogen bulbs which was in the 2700K range. The bulbs replacing the standard incandescent bulbs had to be dimmable, and some needed to be in the 2700K range and some in the 5000K range. None of the GU10 bulbs needed to be dimmable.
We also switched our outdoor lighting under our pergola and our exterior non-spot and non-floodlights to LED bulbs early last fall.
I used the following bulbs:
24 Cree dimmable BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-2U100 in the 2700K color. Purchased from Home Depot on line in case quality on sale for $9.99 + tax.
12 Cree dimmable BA19-08050OMF-12DE26-2U100 in the 5000K color. Purchased from Home Depot on line in case quality on sale for $9.99 + tax.
6 Utilitech Pro dimmable LA19DM800LEDG2 in the 3000K color. Purchased from Lowes for $10.98 + tax.
4 EcoSmart ECS GP19 W27 60WE FR 120 3 way bulbs in the 2700K color. Purchased from Home Depot online for $19.97 each.
34 Lighting Ever non-dimmable 200042-WW-10 GU10 in the 3000K color. Purchased from Amazon for $7.79 each.
7 Feit BPA15/CL/LED/RP. Purchased from Amazon for $7.00 each early last fall.
2 Cree BA19-04527OMF-12DE26-2U100 2700K color bulbs purchased from Home Depot early last fall. I don't remember the exact price, but $12 seems about right.
Yes, that's a total of 89 bulbs. All were used with the exception of one for the garage. I couldn't get to the fixture without moving the car, so I'll wait until the next time I drive the car and replace the bulb before I put it back into the garage.
One thing I did note was that the dimmable LED bulbs from both Cree and Utilitech don’t dim as much as incandescent bulbs. Where the incandescent bulbs dim completely, these start much brighter at the lowest dimmer setting with a conventional dimmer switch. It’s a non-issue for us, since we never dim below about half anyway.
Cree bulbs:
These bulbs in 2700K warm white color are pretty much a dead on match for the GE Reveal color, which is the color we like. They dim well without any flicker, buzzing or humming which is reported with some dimmable LEDs on a conventional dimmer switch. These were used in fixtures and lamps in the dining room, kitchen, living room, master bedroom, master bath, master closet and one spare bedroom. I was very pleased with the color of these bulbs and wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.
The Cree bulbs in the 5000K bright white color had, as expected, a much whiter light. They also dimmed without any flicker, buzzing or humming on a conventional dimmer switch. I used these in the attached garage, as well as both my office and my wife’s office where we wanted a brighter working light. The shadows seemed quite sharp compared to the incandescent bulbs they replaced, and the colors seemed a little more vibrant. I like these lights, but I’d prefer it if they didn’t have as much of an “edge” to the light. But for their intended use they look fine.
Utilitech Pro bulbs:
These bulbs in the 3000K color worked every bit as well as the Cree bulbs. I used these in two spare bedroom ceiling fixtures and they work just fine without any buzz, humming or flicker when dimmed with a conventional dimmer switch. Side by side I couldn’t tell a color or brightness difference between these and the Cree bulbs. Either the Cree bulbs were slightly higher than their rated 2700K, or these were slightly warmer than their 3000K. Or it could be that I simply couldn't see the difference in our applications.
EcoSmart 3 way bulbs:
These were used in lamps-one in the living room, one in the family room and two in the master bedroom nightstand lamps. At the highest setting they’re not quite as bright as the 50/100/150 incandescent bulbs they replaced, but we rarely used the top setting anyway. The color is slightly whiter than the GE Reveals that they replaced which somewhat made up for fewer lumens.
Lighting Ever GU10:
These were in the 3000K color and they were slightly whiter than the halogen GU10 bulbs they replaced. They were used in can lights in the basement, rail lighting in the kitchen, track lighting in the hallway and master bath, and some accent lighting. They were about ¼ inch longer than the halogens, the beam was narrower, and the light created slightly sharper shadows. In the kitchen it made a noticeable color difference in our granite counters, washing out much of the yellow color when these were used without any other room lighting. The ceilings in the basement are 9’ ceilings and the lights make a noticeable spot on the stone tile floor, where the halogens spread out much better. These also have a heat sink with fins or ridges on it, and that made it a little difficult to get the cover ring back on the recessed lights since it clips to the halogen bulb itself in the area where the heat sink is located on the LED bulbs. Overall I’m pleased with them, especially with the energy saving over the old 50 watt halogen bulbs. The light difference will take a little getting used to but in my opinion it’s well worth it.
Feit Accent LED:
These were the first LED bulbs I purchased, and they influenced my decision to convert most of the other lighting in the house to LED. I installed them under our pergola last fall, along with a couple of Cree BA19-04527OMF-12DE26-2U100 (40 watt equivalent) bulbs over the outdoor cooking and food prep areas. The 2 watt lights give off a very good amount of light at night and 7 of them do a great job of lighting our deck area with just the right amount of ambiance at night. The one advantage that I didn’t expect was the lack of night insects attracted by these lights. With a standard incandescent bulb, after dark it’s an insect festival. With these bulbs we hardly noticed any insects at all, even though they were installed early enough in the fall so that there were plenty still around. I’m very happy with these bulbs for their intended use, but they wouldn’t be suitable for indoor room lighting. They would be good for accent or appliance lighting. They are outdoors with only a small metal shade to shield them from the rain and nothing to shield them from the cold, but so far this winter they've worked flawlessly.
Bottom line:
I didn’t replace all the bulbs in the house. We have a couple of spare bedrooms that only see guests once or twice a year, the under cabinet lighting in the kitchen is a bulb that’s not made in LED, there are 4’ florescent tubes in the laundry room and the utility room, and my shop building has a combination of metal halide, florescent and halogen fixtures that won’t be updated to LED. We also have several halogen floodlights on the outside of the house that won’t be changed over to LED. I don’t think there would be a reasonable payback timeframe for these lights given either their low use or the cost of converting the fixtures themselves. There are also a few indoor accent lights that aren't used enough to consider replacing at this time. Perhaps in a couple years I’ll readdress these fixtures/bulbs and see what’s available.
Of the lights I did change I really like both the Cree and Utilitech bulbs in the 2700K/3000K color and wouldn’t hesitate to use or recommend either. There was virtually no color difference when placed side by side, they both dim very well with plain old conventional dimmer switches, and the price is usually within $1 of each other. Overall I like the Lighting Ever GU10 bulbs, but I wish they had a slightly wider beam spread and a slightly warmer color. However those are both minor issues and wouldn’t stop me from buying them again. The EcoSmart 3 way bulbs were the most expensive single bulbs, but for only 4 lamps they were worth it. All 4 of the lamps are used often enough to make it worth replacing the incandescent bulbs. The Feit bulbs really surprised me-the color and mood that they create under our pergola is very pleasing. I don't know if the lack of insect attraction was just with these bulbs or is common with all LED bulbs, but it was a very nice surprise.
Another advantage, if the LED bulbs last as long as they claim chances are I'll never have to change another one of those bulbs again. And at nearly 70 years old, the idea of crawling around on 10' ladders isn't exactly appealing.
My criteria for the bulbs was a combination of price, color, and availability. I wanted to match the existing color temperature of the 60 watt incandescent bulbs which were mostly GE Reveals, and the color temperature of the GU10 50 watt halogen bulbs which was in the 2700K range. The bulbs replacing the standard incandescent bulbs had to be dimmable, and some needed to be in the 2700K range and some in the 5000K range. None of the GU10 bulbs needed to be dimmable.
We also switched our outdoor lighting under our pergola and our exterior non-spot and non-floodlights to LED bulbs early last fall.
I used the following bulbs:
24 Cree dimmable BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-2U100 in the 2700K color. Purchased from Home Depot on line in case quality on sale for $9.99 + tax.
12 Cree dimmable BA19-08050OMF-12DE26-2U100 in the 5000K color. Purchased from Home Depot on line in case quality on sale for $9.99 + tax.
6 Utilitech Pro dimmable LA19DM800LEDG2 in the 3000K color. Purchased from Lowes for $10.98 + tax.
4 EcoSmart ECS GP19 W27 60WE FR 120 3 way bulbs in the 2700K color. Purchased from Home Depot online for $19.97 each.
34 Lighting Ever non-dimmable 200042-WW-10 GU10 in the 3000K color. Purchased from Amazon for $7.79 each.
7 Feit BPA15/CL/LED/RP. Purchased from Amazon for $7.00 each early last fall.
2 Cree BA19-04527OMF-12DE26-2U100 2700K color bulbs purchased from Home Depot early last fall. I don't remember the exact price, but $12 seems about right.
Yes, that's a total of 89 bulbs. All were used with the exception of one for the garage. I couldn't get to the fixture without moving the car, so I'll wait until the next time I drive the car and replace the bulb before I put it back into the garage.
One thing I did note was that the dimmable LED bulbs from both Cree and Utilitech don’t dim as much as incandescent bulbs. Where the incandescent bulbs dim completely, these start much brighter at the lowest dimmer setting with a conventional dimmer switch. It’s a non-issue for us, since we never dim below about half anyway.
Cree bulbs:
These bulbs in 2700K warm white color are pretty much a dead on match for the GE Reveal color, which is the color we like. They dim well without any flicker, buzzing or humming which is reported with some dimmable LEDs on a conventional dimmer switch. These were used in fixtures and lamps in the dining room, kitchen, living room, master bedroom, master bath, master closet and one spare bedroom. I was very pleased with the color of these bulbs and wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.
The Cree bulbs in the 5000K bright white color had, as expected, a much whiter light. They also dimmed without any flicker, buzzing or humming on a conventional dimmer switch. I used these in the attached garage, as well as both my office and my wife’s office where we wanted a brighter working light. The shadows seemed quite sharp compared to the incandescent bulbs they replaced, and the colors seemed a little more vibrant. I like these lights, but I’d prefer it if they didn’t have as much of an “edge” to the light. But for their intended use they look fine.
Utilitech Pro bulbs:
These bulbs in the 3000K color worked every bit as well as the Cree bulbs. I used these in two spare bedroom ceiling fixtures and they work just fine without any buzz, humming or flicker when dimmed with a conventional dimmer switch. Side by side I couldn’t tell a color or brightness difference between these and the Cree bulbs. Either the Cree bulbs were slightly higher than their rated 2700K, or these were slightly warmer than their 3000K. Or it could be that I simply couldn't see the difference in our applications.
EcoSmart 3 way bulbs:
These were used in lamps-one in the living room, one in the family room and two in the master bedroom nightstand lamps. At the highest setting they’re not quite as bright as the 50/100/150 incandescent bulbs they replaced, but we rarely used the top setting anyway. The color is slightly whiter than the GE Reveals that they replaced which somewhat made up for fewer lumens.
Lighting Ever GU10:
These were in the 3000K color and they were slightly whiter than the halogen GU10 bulbs they replaced. They were used in can lights in the basement, rail lighting in the kitchen, track lighting in the hallway and master bath, and some accent lighting. They were about ¼ inch longer than the halogens, the beam was narrower, and the light created slightly sharper shadows. In the kitchen it made a noticeable color difference in our granite counters, washing out much of the yellow color when these were used without any other room lighting. The ceilings in the basement are 9’ ceilings and the lights make a noticeable spot on the stone tile floor, where the halogens spread out much better. These also have a heat sink with fins or ridges on it, and that made it a little difficult to get the cover ring back on the recessed lights since it clips to the halogen bulb itself in the area where the heat sink is located on the LED bulbs. Overall I’m pleased with them, especially with the energy saving over the old 50 watt halogen bulbs. The light difference will take a little getting used to but in my opinion it’s well worth it.
Feit Accent LED:
These were the first LED bulbs I purchased, and they influenced my decision to convert most of the other lighting in the house to LED. I installed them under our pergola last fall, along with a couple of Cree BA19-04527OMF-12DE26-2U100 (40 watt equivalent) bulbs over the outdoor cooking and food prep areas. The 2 watt lights give off a very good amount of light at night and 7 of them do a great job of lighting our deck area with just the right amount of ambiance at night. The one advantage that I didn’t expect was the lack of night insects attracted by these lights. With a standard incandescent bulb, after dark it’s an insect festival. With these bulbs we hardly noticed any insects at all, even though they were installed early enough in the fall so that there were plenty still around. I’m very happy with these bulbs for their intended use, but they wouldn’t be suitable for indoor room lighting. They would be good for accent or appliance lighting. They are outdoors with only a small metal shade to shield them from the rain and nothing to shield them from the cold, but so far this winter they've worked flawlessly.
Bottom line:
I didn’t replace all the bulbs in the house. We have a couple of spare bedrooms that only see guests once or twice a year, the under cabinet lighting in the kitchen is a bulb that’s not made in LED, there are 4’ florescent tubes in the laundry room and the utility room, and my shop building has a combination of metal halide, florescent and halogen fixtures that won’t be updated to LED. We also have several halogen floodlights on the outside of the house that won’t be changed over to LED. I don’t think there would be a reasonable payback timeframe for these lights given either their low use or the cost of converting the fixtures themselves. There are also a few indoor accent lights that aren't used enough to consider replacing at this time. Perhaps in a couple years I’ll readdress these fixtures/bulbs and see what’s available.
Of the lights I did change I really like both the Cree and Utilitech bulbs in the 2700K/3000K color and wouldn’t hesitate to use or recommend either. There was virtually no color difference when placed side by side, they both dim very well with plain old conventional dimmer switches, and the price is usually within $1 of each other. Overall I like the Lighting Ever GU10 bulbs, but I wish they had a slightly wider beam spread and a slightly warmer color. However those are both minor issues and wouldn’t stop me from buying them again. The EcoSmart 3 way bulbs were the most expensive single bulbs, but for only 4 lamps they were worth it. All 4 of the lamps are used often enough to make it worth replacing the incandescent bulbs. The Feit bulbs really surprised me-the color and mood that they create under our pergola is very pleasing. I don't know if the lack of insect attraction was just with these bulbs or is common with all LED bulbs, but it was a very nice surprise.
Another advantage, if the LED bulbs last as long as they claim chances are I'll never have to change another one of those bulbs again. And at nearly 70 years old, the idea of crawling around on 10' ladders isn't exactly appealing.