The end of the light bulb as we know it

beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Its funny how what seems a big deal to me is not registering much with the media and that is the end of incandescent light bulbs effective tomorrow.

Now all of my lamps are on fluorescents, I mostly have task lamps. However, my ceiling lights are incandescent on dimmers and my outdoor light is incandescent as well on a day/night switch. Rarely use ceiling lighting, but I do want to keep my dimmers. Should I rush to buy a few hundred bucks worth of incandescent bulbs or are there viable alternatives that don't break after a few uses on dimmers??
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
I've been upgrading the house to all LED. I have some on dimmers but they don't work as well on old rheostasts and they tend to make a humming noise. They work better on digital dimmers (pwm). More expensive ofcorse but they only use a tiny fraction of the amount of energy that the incandescents burn. Time will tell how long they last vs the alternative fluorescents. I've never had much luck with those lasting anywhere close to what they advertise.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I have slowly been upgrading in my house from incandecents to led as well. I have seen a major difference in my light bill. Should you rush out any buy up what you like to enjoy it a little longer? If that is what you want to do, go for it! As for me, I like the new led bulbs.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
REALLY? so they won't be available either? MAN....I sure hope all my light fixtures will work with the LEDS
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///t/396888/the-end-of-the-light-bulb-as-we-know-it#post_3536159
REALLY? so they won't be available either? MAN....I sure hope all my light fixtures will work with the LEDS
Yeah, they will be available. What I think Guy is referring to is that they contain mercury.

It sounds like there are no good alternatives for people who want dimmers. I guess the light dimmer companies in usa will all fold.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
I don't have any dimmers :( Guess it's a good thing Danny never put the dimmer switches in for me BAHAHA
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beth http:///t/396888/the-end-of-the-light-bulb-as-we-know-it#post_3536160
Yeah, they will be available. What I think Guy is referring to is that they contain mercury.

It sounds like there are no good alternatives for people who want dimmers. I guess the light dimmer companies in usa will all fold.


I have seen LEDs that are dimmer compatible.

RE: Mercury bulbs, a lot of us have used fluorescents so that's nothing new but legally they are toxic waste and should be disposed of as toxic waste so the mercury can be reclaimed. With the CFLs if everyone switched to them I would guess 99% of the population will just toss them in the trash when they stop working. That's tons of mercury going unchecked into the ground and air. It is very fortunate that LEDs came so far down in price as to be able to compete with CFLs.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Yeah, they will be available.  What I think Guy is referring to is that they contain mercury.
It sounds like there are no good alternatives for people who want dimmers.  I guess the light dimmer companies in usa will all fold.
It's an unfortunate side effect of trying to dim leds on the incoming side of their power supply instead of after it like it should be. The led lamps still work on dimmer switches but the full range of control seems a bit glitchy and the buzzing sound can be annoying if you're in near proximity to the lamps.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
I just checked the led equivalent to what I use on my ceiling lights. 1 bulb is $10. LOL I usually use the 40 watt reveal which is 2 bulbs for $5.

Presumably now that we are forced to buy alternatives, manufactures will start to make quality and variety of these alternatives. In the meantime, I don't really see much that I like. I don't like glaring white light, and I do like to dim all of my ceiling lights.
 
geridoc

geridoc

Well-Known Member
We just switched all of our hi-hats in the living room and dining room to led, and are very pleased. We were able to choose the light quality we wanted (noon, warm or cool) and the spread (narrow, medium or wide light coverage). They were much more expensive that incandescent bulbs to buy, but given the projected life (20,000 hours, I think) and reduced operating costs, I think I will be far ahead in the long run, even if they don't last as long as projected (gee, if they only last 5000 hours, that's longer than I expect to have the house). Sometimes tree-hugging even makes sense.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beth http:///t/396888/the-end-of-the-light-bulb-as-we-know-it#post_3536174
I just checked the led equivalent to what I use on my ceiling lights. 1 bulb is $10. LOL I usually use the 40 watt reveal which is 2 bulbs for $5.

Presumably now that we are forced to buy alternatives, manufactures will start to make quality and variety of these alternatives. In the meantime, I don't really see much that I like. I don't like glaring white light, and I do like to dim all of my ceiling lights.

I think in the long run the LED will be a LOT cheaper for you. It's probably 10 watts or less and you may never have to change it again. LED really is the bargain of the century now that the prices have dropped on them.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Yep some of the prices really are starting to come down on them as more and more of a variety becomes available. I recently replaced the 4 recessed bulbs in our living room ceiling with 12 watts worth of leds vs 52 watts worth of CFL´s vs 260 watts of incandescent. And I used probably the same $10 dollar ones you're looking at. So you make your money back in energy savings plus extra since they are projected to last a lot longer and they aren't poisoning the planet.
Believe it or not I actually like the effect that they put off in the room vs the other bulbs. They do still work on the dimmers, I was just giving my objective opinion on what I thought of them. I wouldn't let that stop you from trying them out for yourself.
The biggest wallet breaker I think will be once I get around to replacing the outdoor flood lights.:flame:
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Its not the money so much for me, but the ability to use my existing dimmers wo having to rewire most of the switches in the house. I like being able to adjust the light.

I moved into this house in 2005 and there are several ceiling bulbs that I still have not changed out since then, so they are not used a whole lot anyway. I would not be happy getting a alternative light bulb for twice the price and then have them burn out quickly because they didn't liked to be dimmed.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
I'd say upgrade where ya can when it seems practical. I went with all new led Christmas lights this year. Wow what a tremendous difference in energy savings compared to the old lights.
 
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