is it worth it to replace lights in house with LED lighting?

johnsmi

Hi folks,

I am starting to hear lots of good things about LED lighting and wondering is it a good idea to replace every light socket in house with an LED light.

I wonder if anyone on here has done just that, and are you satisfied with the results, as I understand it can be a bit of a minefield to select the right LED temperature etc?

I have ten light sockets in all so would really appreciate it , if anyone had LED lighting as to the cost per average light for room and also the installation cost?

Or would it be better to wait a year or so and let prices come down?

Many thanks for any advice.

John

[Deleted User]

Prices are on their way down, Home
Bargains were selling 5 watt led warm white candle bulbs at £2.50 each. One problem we ve had is that our dimmable 3gang 3 way light switches are n`t suitable for these Leds. they need both the 3 gang 3 ways switch changing to a dimmable switch and then buying more expensive dimmable Leds. This particular rectangular 3 way light switch we have is nt available new any more neither as they re all 3gang/3 ways into a more compact square switch. I m looking around now for a used one somewhere to get around the problem so we dont need to plaster up the gap from the rectangle to the square.

AndyPK

It worth starting the process.

For example rooms where the lights are left on a long time. e.g Kitchens and hall ways.

I've changed my GU10 spot lamps/downlighters to leds

Once you are impressed with the results and/or technology improves and prices drop you can do some of the other rooms.

savemoney

The price of leds has come down and is more affordable. Nearly all my lights are leds in house. I have had to replace a 2 gang dimmer in main room for one that is led friendly and also replace main spotlight which took mr16 to gu10's. I also find the light much better than the older energy bulbs CFL.

I agree it worth doing the lights that use the most energy especially spotlights first and then do the rest later.

EnglishMohican

My experience is that it is hard to do satisfactorily. Our kitchen was easy - GU10s - and they do a good job. The hall is murder because we need 60W equivalent candle bulbs that look pretty - no big bases allowed. So far I cannot find anything to do that.

Also, our cloakroom light is only on for a few minutes at a time - so there is no cost benefit in using LEDs, the repayment time is just too long.

So there is no right answer - it depends on your house, your decor, your taste and varies from room to room.

mr_mitch

In some situations they're great.

The lamps in our living area were using 160watts altogether. And were on timers from about 3pm till midnight. Now they use 20 watts with the same brightness.

My bedroom had 6 gu10 type bulbs. = 300 watts. Now I've changed them for led they use 18w. Those ones aren't as bright but that suits me better in the bedroom anyway.

The only places I can't really do them are the bathrooms as they are low voltage and apparently you need to change the transformers.

Oh and some of the light fittings in the kitchen uses those tiny g9
halogen capsule bulbs, and while led equivalents are available now, they always get terrible reviews so I don't think there tech is quite there yet.

matelodave

I've done our kitchen with 10 x 4w GU10 LEDs = 40 watts instead of 500w of halogen, 2 hours or more a day in the winter

The lounge is 3x 6w LEDs = 18 watts instead of 300w, 5 hours a day in the winter

Study is now 4 x 4w = 16w instead of 200w of halogen, 5 -6 hours a day in the winter

The hall has 1 x 6w LED instead of 27watts of CFLs 6 hours a day.

We haven't bothered with the bathroom as although it's got 5 x 35w halogen=175w they are on for less than an hour a day so probably not cost
effective.
Likewise the bedroom lights are only on for 20 mins or so a day so if I see an LED one for £2-3 I might swap it but it's not really necessary






.

Cardew

mr_mitch wrote: »

And were on timers from about 3pm till midnight.

May we ask why?

stator

Personally I love LEDs and have replaced all of the commonly used lights in my house with them. They provide a good quality light and are saving energy. The pay back period might be quite high however.

I've found this good calculator where you can work out the payback period for your LED lights
http://ledlightsyorkshire.co.uk/payback_calculator/

Where you have multiple lights in one room, eg 3 or 4 spotlights in your kitchen or bathroom then it's well worth it as you can get equivalent 40W bulbs quite cheaply. But if you have a room where you have a single bulb over 60W then it might not be worth it as the 60W+ bulbs can be quite expensive. However 60W bulbs are starting to show up around £5 - £10.
Dimmable lights are harder to find, again they tend to be more expensive.
LIDL sometimes get batches of LEDs lights in and they can be good value, but they don't always sell them. Wilkinsons have a good range of LEDs too.

matelodave

Some of the cheaper LEDs are a bit pathetic so it's worth checking the lumen output as there can be a big variation between better quality lamps and cheap ones.

mr_mitch

Cardew wrote: »

May we ask why?

.... Because that's what time it gets dark at this time of the year...

And the timers are there to bring a couple of lamps on in the evening to avoid the house looking like a burglar magnet.