Deal Seeking Mom

Shopping for LED Light Bulbs + Win a $50 The Home Depot GC!

by


I asked you all last week what your favorite benefit of LED light bulbs is, and I think it’s pretty safe to say that the longevity of them came in first. But the facts that they’re mercury-free, glass-free, don’t give off heat, and use far less electricity were all mentioned repeatedly as well. And check out those savings pictured above!

These were all benefits that I was also excited about, so I was really looking forward to shopping at The Home Depot to check out the selection and learn more from an expert. They provided me with some tips to review before we went shopping.

Shopping for LED light bulbs:

  • Identify Your Fixture Type: With so many bulbs to choose from, it’s important to educate yourself about your fixture and lighting needs before you make a purchase. Light fixtures can dramatically alter the look of a room, so be aware of where shadows will fall and how that will affect the atmosphere. To ensure safety, and the maximum life of your bulb, review the information on the package to be sure you have selected the correct bulb shape for your light fixture.
  • Choose Your Desired Brightness: Watts, a measurement of power, is a common way traditional light bulbs are identified (ex: 60-watt, 75-watt and 100-watt bulbs). Since CFL and LED bulbs use less energy than traditional bulbs, be sure to look at the measurement of light output, known as lumens, instead of watts to select the right bulb.
  • Understanding Color Temperature and Intensity: When selecting an LED light, choose a color of light that suits the mood and activity taking place in your room.

With these tips in mind, we made a quick tour of our downstairs fixtures to assess our lighting needs and then headed out to The Home Depot. Upon our arrival we first had to grab one of the infamous Home Depot race car carts of course…

And then we were met by EJ, our local Home Depot Master Trade Specialist. He was extremely knowledgeable about the LED light bulbs and also shared a number of other tips for decreasing the energy consumption in our home. I never knew there was such a thing as a water heater timer! Definitely something we need to check out further.

I was impressed at the large selection of light bulbs carried by our local store. We have a few fixtures that call for some unusual sized bulbs, but The Home Depot has an even larger selection of LED light bulbs online.

EJ made finding the LED light bulbs we needed a snap, and we filled our cart and checked out in record time. The real challenge was prying the kiddos our of their hot rod to head home.

Next week I’ll share the installation process and hopefully whether we’ve been able to see any savings on our electric bill. But in the meantime, you can win a $50 gift card to The Home Depot!

To enter: Just leave a comment! Do you have any lighting fixtures that call for an unusual size light bulb or wattage? If so, were you able to find a suitable LED light bulb on HomeDepot.com?

This giveaway will close at noon EST on 1/21/11.

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.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Alicia I.

    We have LED light bulbs for all our standard bulbs the rest we have been replacing one by one. Now we have two burnt out flood lights and I didn’t know they made those in LED, we will be making the switch this weekend!

  4. Danette

    I have gone to the site to look at the different bulbs they have available. When I click the Shop Phillips or the Shop EcoSmart links I don’t get any results for online or my store.
    I really am interested in the LED lights. We have A LOT of lights in our household. The longer a bulb can last the better. We started using the CFL bulbs a while back, but they don’t last as long as they say they will, plus the environmental issues with CFL bulbs is bothersome. Will check back with the Home Depot site later and see if I can get better results. Thanks for posting this information.

  6. alysia

    Our security lights in the back yard and recessed lights in the family room were not listed on the website, but I think I will have to go to the store and check! Thanks for the information!

  8. Isel

    I always have trouble finding lightbulbs for my microwave which I use constantly since it lights my stove and my cool and crazy kitchen fixture. I’ve learned the hard way to go straight to the HD even if its a farther drive since they always have them!!!

  10. Erin

    I do need an unusual size bulb for the ceiling fan/light in my son’s room. I haven’t looked yet, but I bet I will be able to find it at Home Depot!

  11. Rebecca P

    We love the idea of using LED lights to save energy and not have to deal with the mercury in the CFLs. HD was always the best place to get the different shapes and sizes of CFLs as they came out, so we look forward to having our LED needs met there as well.

  12. Dan

    I have a few 3-way fixtures which I’ve only been recently able to switch to CFL. One of the CFL lamps is about to go, so it’d be great if I can switch that one to LED… alas, doesn’t look like they have 3-ways yet.

  13. jessica rasmussen

    We don’t have anything unusual but we slowly moved to CFLs and are so glad we are now slowly moving to LEDs.

  15. Cricket

    I do have an unusual bulb in my kitchen above the sink. I did not find what I needed on line but I will take it to the store and look. :)

  17. Jim

    I’m with Jenn, LEDs for recessed lighting. I just installed can lights and put CFLs in them. They take awhile to warm up. LEDs are instant on and with no heat they will work in confined spaces. They are still pretty pricey,so gift card would be great!

  20. Kar

    I’m with Amy. I have a hard time getting rid of something that works, so I’ve been switching things over gradually. I need to see if LED bulbs are compatible with dimmer switches, something that was a little complicated with CFLs.

  22. Alison

    I would love to switch all my lights to LED but must consider
    1) initial cost – more likely to buy if on sale or price decreases
    2) maximum brightness – some areas just need bright lights and CFLs haven’t been able to match halogen light output. Hoping LEDs will.

  24. Elissa

    Use CFLs now and they last a very long time, especially when compared to incadescent bulbs. Would consider switching to LEDs if I won the gift card!! ;o)

  25. Lisa

    We’ve been working to replace all of our lightbulbs. I’m just glad complanies will send out coupons. :-)

  27. Gina

    We have slowly been switching over to LED’s – the cost of the bulbs is much higher but I try to remember the lifetime cost savings =)

  29. Sarah

    Working on switching our houses over room by room!!! Have found all sizes we need so far at Home Depot!!!

  30. robyn

    yes, our ceiling fans take really strange bulbs! we’ve begun changing our other lights and replacing them with LEDS!