Back in January I shared some interesting facts about LED light bulbs and I took you shopping with me at The Home Depot as we replaced all of the fixtures on the first level of our home with LEDs. I’d hoped to wow you by reporting dramatic savings on my electric bill, but sadly our bill is actually slightly higher year over year. BUT I have some good theories on why this is the case which I’ll share in a moment.
The installation process was easy as can be — we just unscrewed all of our old CFL bulbs and screwed in the new LED light bulbs. Note that we chose not to discard our CFL bulbs since they’re all still in good working condition. Instead we boxed them up and put them in the crawl space in the basement so that we can take our new LED light bulbs with us when we move. However, if have CFL bulbs that you need to dispose of, I’d encourage you to read the information here on CFL cleanup and disposal.
What immediately struck me after replacing all of the bulbs was the difference in the quality of light. It’s not necessarily a good or bad difference — it’s just brighter and, well, different. I found it most noticeable in the bathroom where the light is forced out of the bulbs rather than being dispersed evenly from the entire bulb because of the way the bulbs are constructed. You can see in the image above that only the forward half of the bulb is giving off light. However, I quickly got used to this within a few days and now it’s not even noticeable to me.
So I mentioned that our electric bill is actually up slightly year over year when I had anticipated it going down based on my research. I have a few theories about why this is occurring:
- First, we already had CFL bulbs installed throughout the entire house courtesy of a great deal at Target a few years ago. Because our electric usage from lighting was already incredibly low, we’re not seeing a noticeable decrease from switching to LEDs. We’ll still see savings in the long run; however, they will come from the fact that we won’t have to replace the bulbs for many, many years to come. I’m also glad to not have to worry about the complications of cleaning up the mercury if a CFL bulb should break.
- Second, we also already have many electricity-saving measures installed in the house. Our kitchen light is on an automatic switch so it shuts off automatically after no movement has been sensed for five minutes. We also have a device that monitors our electric usage constantly so we can see how high our load is. And we tend to use our large appliances like our washer and dryer and dishwasher in the evening and early mornings outside of the peak load times which have a higher cost.
- Finally, as our children get older we’re naturally using more electricity as they start using more technology and such throughout the day, taking more frequent showers instead of baths, and increasing our laundry with sports involvement.
I found it interesting to note that my father’s electric bill was roughly the same as ours. We have houses of similar size; however, he has a two-person household with a regular work schedule outside of the home. In contrast, we have a seven-person household where there are nearly constantly members home since I work from home and my husband is still unemployed.
Overall, I’m impressed with the LED light bulbs and I think they definitely have an integral part in saving on our electricity. I just believe that our savings will take more time to become apparent than a household that was not already somewhat frugal with their electric usage.
Thanks for following along with me as I gave this new technology a try, and I’ve got one more $50 The Home Depot gift card to give away!
To enter: Just tell me — have you given LED light bulbs a try yet? Or after reading more about them, are they something you’ll consider when making your next light bulb replacement?
This giveaway will close at 3:00pm EST on 3/3/11.
The Home Depot works with bloggers such as myself to conduct product reviews. They do not tell bloggers what to say about their products or how to say it. THD fundamentally believes that people should be free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot often provides product – free of charge – to bloggers for review as they did for this post. The Home Depot’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.
Melody
We did the same thing and have replaced the majority of light bulbs in our house with LED and are saving the “old” light bulbs to replace if we ever move.
We’ve seen some savings but I think a lot of it will come when we have to replace less bulbs over time.
It’s nice to be “green” though in that way.
It’s something quick and easy you can do to help the environment.
carrie
i haven’t tried them in the house yet…would love to, esp if it’ll save us more $$.
MrsK
I have not yet tried them, but I am willing to give them a shot.
Joy
We have not tried the LED lights except for Christmas lights. Dh is convinced the CFLs are the way to go and has replaced most of our lights with those. But I hate the CFLs because they aren’t bright enough. I rather use standard bulbs (which are being phased out soon), but I’ll look into the LEDS.
Anne Marie
I have not tried these but definitely plan to do so.
Rachel R
I haven’t tried them because I rent and haven’t stayed in an apartment long enough where it would justify the cost. I’m always paranoid about bulbs breaking in the move. I am hoping to move into a new apartment soon and this time am planning to stay for as long as possible, so I may give it a go.
Jessie
Have not tried them yet, but am planning on it when we need to replace a bulb.
Darla
I have not tried them YET!
Terri C
We use them in various places in the house! Love them over my bathroom vanity! Great blog!
Liz B
Have been trying them for awhile in lamps. I like the future of these bulbs but haven’t found one I’m in love with yet.
What type of device do you use to automatically turn off your kitchen light? Need that in every room because of all 3 children but in particular one that keeps all lights on even at noon because she is scared of any dark. :(
Tiffany
I have not tried them yet but would definitely love to try them out.
Erin
We haven’t made the switch yet, but would like to.
Charles P
Until the price comes down significantly, I can’t see making the switch to LEDs from CFLs just yet, especially if the electric bill savings doesn’t justify the cost difference.
Heidi
We have CFLs and really like them; however, the LED bulbs sound like they might be worth looking into for the long term. Thanks for your informative post!
Chris Buckley
I have some in my house but I hate the wait while they warm up. Other than that, not bad.
Lisa
I haven’t tried them but I would like to!
Tia
We have a combo of LED and CFL lights in the house. They are all we buy.
alcee clayborne
We have installed about half the rooms in our house with these type of bulbs. They one weird thing about them is that when i turn on the bathroom light it takes about 30 seconds for the bulbs to get to their full brightness. Which on a dark morning is actually nice not to be blinded.
Kim
Our house already had them!
amanda
We bought two for our recessed cans in the basement and I love them, especially how nicely that they dim!
Brandy
We have been using CFLs for a few years but would be willing to try LEDs in the future….especially in rooms where the lights are on the most.
Bridget
I’m all for LED bulbs; use them in lights that are on for a fair amount of time; haven’t used them in the lights that are only used occasionally for a short amount of time.
Valerie
We have not tried LED yet, but my husband wants to.
Brian Hagan
I’d try them if they were Made in the U.S.A.
Alessa
We’ve been waiting for the price of LED’s to come down. We bought them for my in-laws for Xmas, and they like it, so we would love to try it.
Carol
Love LEDs
Maria
I would love to try LED lights they are just so expensive we have been trying to decide if it is worth the change.
Noel
Haven’t tried them yet
Gwen G W
I’m all for trying the LED bulbs! I have been telling my husband they will save us money in the long run. I would love to prove it to him! :)
jennifer
We have being using these lightbulbs for about a year now.