I've been starting a project at home, to replace my light bulbs with LED type bulbs.

There doesn't seem to be much reason to stick with incandescents.  I don't really want CFs in my house.

LED lighting is still generally pretty expensive, but I've found that a bit of patience surfing on Amazon and elsewhere is paying off...  there are lots of bulbs on sale for a quarter of list price or less.  

So, figured I'd start a DIY thread to share pointers, gotchas, and ideas!

I installed an LED bulb in my exterior light fixture. It's on a light sensor so I wanted something that would last a long time and be cheap to run.

The LED is great. Plenty bright but it was pricey. I believe I paid around $30 for the bulb.

Where are the deals? Home Depot had 40 wat leds for $10.
I bought one for a lamp with a dimmer. It dims a little but not like a standard bulb.

So far:

I picked up six of these standard shape light bulbs off Amazon.  They're still on sale.  This was to replace two, three-bulb fixtures' worth in the laundry nook.  They look really good, cool white and no flicker.  There was one of the six that seems to be sized too big in the screw, and didn't fit.   I swapped it off with a different one that I'd picked up (I think at Lowe's when I was first pondering LED lighting).   The color is not the same with the replacement, but it's not noticeable.  All of them are much whiter, and I think nicer looking, than the incandescents or CF I had in there.  I'll try the oddball one in a different socket and see if I can use it.

Also got some of these color changing spots as well.  They're destined for some track lighting, so I'll get those put in when I can get some help with the ladder work.  They came in very OEM packaging, wrapped in bubble wrap and packing tape.  Each one has a little card sized remote control.

I think that might wind up being one of the big questions: how do these bulbs work with dimmers, and do we need to refit any fixtures to make them work their best?

Tag for info.
 

You have to look at the color rating of the bulb. I have LEDs in my home rated at 2700K and they look like std incandescent bulbs.

its all in the bulbs you buy. i have CFL's in almost all my lights now and they all produce light that is on par with either soft white or warm color lights. i may make the switch to LED's but not till we are in our new place.


as for dimming, there are special LED bulbs designed for dimming applications. they are the only options as far as i know. it will be listed on the package if they are able to be dimmed or not.

what kind of dimmer did you get?  I'm wondering if they have to be rated for led just like the cfl ones.

Does anyone have recommendations for LED bulbs?  I've found it hard to find good, honest reviews.  Also, do the LED bulbs act as spots, or do they throw light in all directions like a typical bulb would.
 

Boy!, you got that right.

Finding decent specs on lamp output is also very difficult.  The light output rating and the beam pattern are almost never specified or is buried if you can find it.  I really feel we are in an era of caveat emptor with these lamps.  The marketplace (sellers as well as buyers) is so immature, how/why did Congress ever mandate incandescents away before finding a suitable replacement.

$40 for a light bulb???

Unknown characterisitics of a component that costs $40???

I do "photonics" as a profession and I am very unhappy with what I've found.

I put 130+ LED "par" type bulbs in our new home over two years ago and couldn`t be happier. We found that the bulbs we purchased were designed around "Lutron" type dimmers and used all Lutron stuff in the entire home. They work like a champ! I have had ZERO failures so far and our monthly bill is absurdly low. These bulbs put off almost no heat. They are bright and effective in all locations. I bought them through a co. in California called "environmental lighting". You can find them on the web. The folks there knew their stuff! Quick shipping and fair prices. My home is 8000 ft. under roof with 3200 ft. hvac. (big porches!) Out electric bill averages about $250/month. I love it!

So, ... C you tell us which bulbs bought and for which applications?  Things like make, model, light output ratings, equivalent incandescent rating, color balance,... would be great info.  


Let's see,... $35/bulb * 130 bulbs = $4500  YIKES!    

Still, it might be of interest to me for one application I have in mind.  I would like to replace some 75W halogen track lighting (spots and floods) with LEDs.  The reason is to reduce the electrical load on the branch circuit and to reduce heating in the well insulated room during the summer months.  That there might also be a life cycle cost savings is an added benefit.  In this application, I am not willing to reduce the light level just to save on electricity.  I need good color quality and high light levels (bright, total output of light must be high).

Actually it was closer to $70/bulb. I did the math and I`m VERY pleased with our decision.  I am of the school of "long term" consequences. JjUST CALL THE FOLKS IN CALI,,,,THEY KNOW THEIR STUFF!

Actually it was closer to $70/bulb. I did the math and I`m VERY pleased with our decision.  I am of the school of "long term" consequences. JjUST CALL THE FOLKS IN CALI,,,,THEY KNOW THEIR STUFF!