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.
Cheryl S
I would try LEDs.
traci s
i havent had the chance to try led lights yet, i was worried that they wouldnt be bright enough, if i win would love to get some! thanks
Barbie
I have slowly started making the switch so it won’t be as easy for me to see a difference but I believe in the long run it will pay off. I enjoyed following your posts on the subject though, thank you :)
Lauren
We have a few LED bulbs and like them!
Jennifer Anderson
I have not tried LCD lights personally, but my mother swears by them.
Jackie Cirillo
I have not tried them, but would love to give them a try and hopefully reduce our electric bill. Thank you!
Melissa
I havent tried them yet. But when a light goes, I intend to give one a try. I hate that the CFL have mercury too,
Misty
No,I haven’t tried them yet. I was hoping to hear good news from your report. Thanks for sharing.
Andrea
We had led Christmas lights, they are great!
Kandace {Making It Bright}
Yes, different but like you said, not bad. $50 from Home Depot would definitely help with upcoming projects as it gets warmer outside!
Nancy
No, I haven’t tried one yet. But I did just purchase one to replace a flickering bathroom light.
Laura Hamrick
I would say that 20% of our light bulbs are now LED. We are slowly but surely becoming believers!
Rick
I have not tried them yet. Thanks for the information.
shelli dore
YES! I am slowly converting all bulbs to led as they go out.
Pamela M.
I have LED lights in a small part of my living room. After reading of their benefits, I believe I will slowly start becoming a more LED user-friendly home!
Michelle H
I haven’t tried them yet, not even the Christmas light ones, but I have gone to Home Depot to price them out. Have you noticed any decrease in the amount of light you get from the LEDs? I really want to switch to a “clean” light source and LEDs are in that category! I would love to get some from Home Depot.
Jessy N.
Hi,
No, unfortunately, I have not given LCD a try yet. Would love to! Anything to cut down on energy costs is a must these days! We also have automatic on/off sensors in several rooms to help save energy. Would love to try them out with a Home Depot GC:) Thanks!
amy owens
i have not tried the LED lights yet. i am interested in them. have you noticed a difference in the amount of electricity used (not money savings)?
bryce
I have not tried them yet because they tend to be on the pricey side, however after seeing this article I might set some money aside for these
Charity
Have not tried the LED’s yet. If it can save me money in the long run I am all for it.
Tammy
I have tried them in 1 bedroom, but would eventually like to replace all in the house.
jen
Haven’t tried yet,
but probably will!!
Katie
I haven’t tried them yet but i was just thinking about it the other day that I need to hop on it!
Allie
I have not tried LED lights but you raise a great point about clean up of broken CFL bulbs. Because I have a small child, I think switching is worth it for that reason alone. I’ll have to work it in my budget. :0)
Lisa M
I have not tried but would love to. I am always looking for ways to save $$$.
Adina
about half our bulbs have been switched…
LauraF
Haven’t tried them but i would like to
CherylHelms
I have not tried LED yet just barely changed from incandescent to florescent. But not happy with the light they give off.
Jackie
I have read about them, seen them on DIY, but I didn’t know they were available at Home Depot. We primarily use CFL bulbs and I would definitely consider LEDs as replacements.
Ann Lay
No, I haven’t tried them but I definitely will buy them instead of CFL’s the next time because I do not like the CFL mercury mess.
Thanks for the info