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.
Jaime
We don’t have any unusual size bulbs and should be able to find all of them at Home Depot once we are ready to make the switch over. Hopefully with the $50 gift card!
Allison
We replaced our kitchen ceiling lights with dimmable LED’s from HD about 6 months ago. They work great! However, I have not noticed any difference in my electric bill and those lights are on at least 8 hours a day….
Ellen
We have changed most of our bulbs
Melissa Abbott
My husband has been switching them-no complaints yet of funny sizes!
Deborah
We haven’t changed any of ours over yet. Our current house is on the market, but in our new house I would like to start switching to the LEDs!
jenna
I don’t have any odd shaped ones… or at least ones that we have found yet!
Holly
love them
Elaine Acierno
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?
YES! I have a Coca-Cola Ceiling Fan that has a Vintage Looking Light Fixture at the bottom of the fan. The light fixture is a round white globe, the opening on the globe is very small, so I was unsure I would find a any CFL or LED bulb to fit the light fixture. I had given up on CFL bulbs they are to big for the globe. We just kept a regular light bulb in the globe because nothing else seemed it would work. If the fan light was left on a while, when you reached for the pull chain for the light fixture it would be super hot. After looking at a few stores here. I decided to give HomeDepot.com a try. I compared the measurements on-line for this – EcoSmart A19 8.6-Watt (40W) LED Light Bulb, and using the measurements (I found on-line), I measured the globe I decided to purchase the light bulb. I have noticed a big improvement in both the light and NO heat is given from the LED Light Bulb!
priscilla h
We are hoping to buy a short sale house and I am sure that we will find one! This would help alot :)
shawn
We started changing to LED’s for Christmas lights & always find the type of bulbs we need at home depot. They have a great selection.
Amberly
I would love to change out all of ours, but our bathroom vanity requires a certain wattage and shape and they don’t have that in LED. Maybe someday..???
Jennifer
I bought 2 led’s last week…I’d say in about a month all of our house will have them!
Aimee
We are switching over as bulbs burn out. Would love to find a great deal on these better bulbs.
Sherri Bogue
We are changing our bulbs as we go, but sometimes I don’t think the LED ones look as nice as the old ones.
Mel
We have changed all our light bulbs about 4 years ago. Tons of savings! Thanks for the giveaway.
Marcie
Love these for my kitchen lights
Jacquelyn
Haven’t started switching over yet but would like to!
Noel
I have tough to fit den lighting, so I would love to try these LEDs
Cynthia Kirk
We have a couple. Slowly changing over. All lights are normal as of now. Love to use them in the nightlights for the kids room. We use the string lights so it’s also pretty for them.
Ashley Allen
Just started some changes, but need lots right now. All our lights are burning out at the same time!
Kim B
We still hadn’t managed to get everything over to CFLs, but I’m excited about the option of LEDs. Now, if we don’t win the gift card, I may have to try to work some into the budget!
Jamie
We always struggle to find bulbs for our china cabinet. Other than that, no problems here! CFL’s are in place mostly, but we’re moving toward LED’s slowly.
Sara
We are changing our outdoor floodlights…haven’t had any problems finding the bulbs! Thanks for the info and the giveaway!
Niki M
All of our lights are regular, nothing special – but I would love to replace them all with LED lights!
Beth
These look great and are energy efficietn
Lucy
Adore these for our outdoor lighting
Amy E.
Our fixtures all seem to call for standard size bulbs…thank goodness!
Sheryl
We are remodeling our bathrooms (updating them since everything in them is form 1980, when the house was built). The one in the hall has a vanity light fixture – one overlay piece with 4 small round bulbs underneath. This gift card would help us twofold since we still need to purchase other items for the remodles!
Keri
We switched everything to LED when we moved into our home three years ago and haven’t replaced more than once bulb since! Our living room has weird bulbs but we found them at HD!
Tara
I love that do not have mercury in them! Slowly changing ours as we move!! Would LOVE LOVE LOVE the gift card !!!!!