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

Cardew

mr_mitch wrote: »

.... 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.

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.

So you might get burgled after midnight;)

CashStrapped

I still think that CFL's are worth considering over LEDs in certain applications. Especially in the high wattage areas where traditional fittings (Bayonet and ES) are required.

Halogen replacements is a different matter. I would most certainly replace any Halogen GU10 (or similar) fittings with LEDs.

LEDs are developing quickly, but the cost/performance ratio is not better than CFLs at the moment.

CFLs are quite mature technology now and the quality of the latest generation from Philips (the tornado ones) is very good.

For a 40w equavalent an 8w CFL is a third of the price of a 6w LED.

For a good quality 100w led equivalent it is around 5x+ the price of a good quality CFL.

So I'll stick with the CFLs for now as I have quite simple lighting needs.

http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/energy-saving-light-bulbs-led-cfl

This is a really good article that looks into the subject in a lot of detail.

justjohn

EnglishMohican wrote: »

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.

I am using Duracell candle led's in my livingroom they give out more light than the old CFL lights I was using. and again g10 duracell leds in a study and a bathroom. Again the g10's do the job.(btw they were all £1 each from asda on clearance)

justjohn

mr_mitch wrote: »

In some situations they're great.


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.

.

Unsure what you are using but I am using low voltage mr16's with no probs

justjohn

Standard led bulbs are not all that expensive now.


Fluorescent led tube replacements are extortionate lol


I have never been disappointed in any led's I have bought. I have been impressed with them all so far.


however I have just bought one of these for a floodlight and I am expecting it to be a let down lol


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4x-R7s-5W-J78-78mm-24SMD-Replacement-Security-Flood-Light-LED-Bulb-Warm-White-/251800871254?pt=UK_Light_Bulbs&hash=item3aa0806156

adandem

We have a few dimmers so can't use them. That said, I'm not keen in areas where I prefer softer lighting.
We have them in our kitchen and in our outdoor spotlights.

Frozen_up_north

We have replaced most of our compact flourescent lights with LED ones. There are a couple of points to watch for though.

1. Rather strangely, some LED lights radiate significant interference, a friend bought a lot of "bargain" ones, only to find a few days later they wiped out the DAB radio in their kitchen. I would recommend just getting one of a particular type and checking with a radio near to it, before rushing out to buy a whole pack of them.

2. Some may not last as long as the manufacturer claims due to heating of the internal electronics.

I've found the Diall branded LED lights from B & Q to be OK with regard to interference, I am not sure about their longevity though. We have a couple of clever Diall LED lamps that have a built in dimming feature where you turn it off for a split second and back on again, it then works at 1/3rd brightness. Saves messing with dimmers!

firefox1956

adandem wrote: »

We have a few dimmers so can't use them. That said, I'm not keen in areas where I prefer softer lighting.
We have them in our kitchen and in our outdoor spotlights.

You can get dimmable LED bulbs..........

Smiley_Dan

In most cases you have to replace the dimmers though.

Terry98

If you get a dimmable LED bulb surely it will work with dimmers?

I think the other thing to consider is what happens if a LED bulb dies before the advertised usage time.
Unless they specify a guaranteed replacement I bet most suppliers would not replace the bulb without a fight.
I don't mind paying 5 or 10 times more for an LED as long as it lasts the advertised usage time.