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.
Debbie
We have not tried LED’s but my husband would love it make the switch.
Marcie
LEDs look to be a great green option
Marg Z
We have replaced some of our bulbs. I have been waiting for the prices to drop a little bit more before changing the rest.
Wendy
I am very interested in LED’s as I have not been pleased with CFL’s.
Lisa Rounds
I agree that the lighting is different to get used to. I have had some problems with many of them burning out before their time. Especially if a kid knocks a lamp over. :)
Jillian Preston
I would love to try led lights. We bought a box of cfl recently, but would love to change everything to the same and conserve as much energy as possible!
Beth
I love my LED bulbs, they are very bright and I can’t wait for the cost savings
Helen
I would love to put LED lightbulbs in when we buy our first home.
Kyra
I have 2 LED bulbs in my house and they are both in lamps. I have lighting fixtures like yours in all of my bathrooms that I haven’t changed the bulbs on in 9 years so i’m sure they will be due soon and I will definitely be going to LED’s!
Lucy
We just bought our first home and this may be our first purchase!
Jennifer
We have just starting buying LED bulbs as replacements for our CFL bulbs.
Will
Definitely will look for these on my next home depot trip
Shel
We have CFL’s and have had two burn out in lights we rarely use. There is also only one place I know to dispose of them in our area and its nowhere near me. I would definitely make the switch!
Katie Lewis
I would give them a try if they were a little cheaper OR I got a great gift card ;-) I’m a little hesitant on the CFL’s, but the LED’s seem a little better to me.
jennifer
yes. we are slowly replacing our light bulbs as they burn out.
Steve
A few of our bulbs have been switched. Far to costly to change everyone at once.
Sara
I haven’t tried LED’s, but when some of the bulbs burn out in my apartment (leftover from the previous renter) I will definitely consider them!
Jen C.
I’d be willing to try LED bulbs in our home. I might get some next time in our shopping. Thanks!
Laurel
We’ve switched nearly all our lights to CFL’s. We have 1 LED light. I bought it for my reading light but I must have bought one that’s too low in wattage because I could barely see to read with it. It is now in the kitchen. I bought that one a few years ago, so maybe LED’s are getting better and brighter. I’d like to try them again.
caroline
we don’t have any LEDs yet but would love to try them.
Valorie
No we have not replaced any bulbs yet, I will start to look into it in the near future
Savingyoursenseandcents
I have not tried LEDs yet, but I really like my CFLs so if LEDs are supposed to be better I am willing to give them a try! On a money saving note: our local Sam’s Club has packs of 8 CFL lights for under $2!
Megan Wark
We have in the past 2months switched over to the LED light bulbs because my husband raved it would make a world of difference. He was referring to the electric bill of course. I first they gave me a headache and were a bit strong, i thought so at least. After a week though i have adjusted. Now our bills is maybe a few cents less but i agree with you over time the difference adds up. My children as well are taking showers now and we wash 2x as much so that’s probably one factor too. Next step for us is putting them in the upstairs!
Robin L
I have LED christmas lights but have not used them in my house. I would definitely like to try them out.
Kayla
Would love to give them a try!
penny
I use them, but I’m not fond of them at all. The light just isn’t as good as the regular lightbulb.
Marissa
I want to try them but the cost is holding me back.
delynn
I have considered buying them and am in the research phase. Thanks!
Heidi
We haven’t tried them. I’m not sure … I may try them in the future :)
Joanna
We have not tried the LED lights ..but THANK YOU! For the CFL update.
I have kids in the house that think the house is a GYM! I have removed all CFL lights and I am
working towards trying the LED lights.