Talk abouit the end of CFL light bulbs...

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I'll wait for long-term durability data before switching to LEDs. They're still expensive compared to CFLs. A few years ago, local stores were selling 4-packs of CFLs for $0.50 to $0.99 so I built up my CFL stash

I'm using them in my garage, which is supposed a non-ideal application, but they're still firing up after 2 years. What they don't like is heat from enclosed fixtures -- they only last several months in my bedroom ceiling fixture.
 
The local store that sells surplus home goods has pallets of CFL bulbs for 50 cents a bulb and that's a regular 60 watt equivalent. I passed. The local Walmart has LED bulbs that are dimmable for $1.88, that's the local utility subsidized price and they're supposed to last 22 years. Lowes had $1 LED bulbs around black friday, but those were only rated for 1000 hours. I bought a few anyway, wonder how long they'll really last.

When LED bulbs were $5-$10 I didn't bother to put them into my apartments because some tenants tend to steal them. I guess at $1.88, maybe I'll give it a shot.
 
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
I'm a big fan of open flames. Candles, oil lamps etc; sure they're dangerous, but I know when they'll burn out.


You'll know when a CFL or LED is burned out too, you'll be in the dark!
 
Got 3 of these a month ago to replace 3 34W CFL in a sealing fixture. Light is warmer and at 6W - 600 lumen a piece there is no difference compared to the previous CFLs.

This things don't even get warm to the touch after 30 min of use...pretty happy with them so far and I'd love to change all the bulbs in the house but at $7/pop and you need 20+...it adds up to the expenses.

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I recently switched all of our most used lights to LED. A lot of our lesser used lights are CFL, and a few that rarely get used are still standard incandescent bulbs.

The one problem has been the light over our dining room table, which has 5 bulbs. With only one 40 watt equivalent dimmable LED and the dimmer turned all the way down, it's about as bright as we can stand. Turn the dimmer up or put more bulbs in and it's absolutely unbearable. I need to find some LEDs that aren't nearly so bright.
 
The slow warm up, the lack of (affordable) dimmability or 3 way bulbs, the pathetic quality of light, and the poor quality turned me against CFLs early on.

Just over 2 years ago I converted virtually the entire house to LED-a combination of Cree, Feit and a couple of other brands, for somewhere around 80+ bulbs. In that 2 year timespan I've seen a noticeable drop in the electric use, especially during the winter months when the lights are used the most. However, one of the biggest advantages is not needing to replace bulbs. Since I changed to LED I've only had a single failure, which Cree promptly replaced with a simple email. No more dragging the 10' ladder in and monkeying around replacing bulbs several times/year. We also have the ability to dim most of the bulbs with a conventional dimmer, as well as a number of 3 way bulbs in various bedside lamps.

It's on track to pay for the bulb investment sometime later this year, and with the continued price drop a person would be foolish not to convert to LED from conventional bulbs.
 
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
The local store that sells surplus home goods has pallets of CFL bulbs for 50 cents a bulb and that's a regular 60 watt equivalent. I passed. The local Walmart has LED bulbs that are dimmable for $1.88, that's the local utility subsidized price and they're supposed to last 22 years. Lowes had $1 LED bulbs around black friday, but those were only rated for 1000 hours. I bought a few anyway, wonder how long they'll really last.

When LED bulbs were $5-$10 I didn't bother to put them into my apartments because some tenants tend to steal them. I guess at $1.88, maybe I'll give it a shot.


We got ten of those for .99. Ours says 2000hrs which would be 2-3 years in most spots. By then leds should be even cheaper.. no loss!
 
I'm slowly converting my whole house to LED. I have two recessed lights that I leave on all day while my wife and I are away at work so the dogs aren't in the dark. I recently swapped out those incandescent bulbs for LED. I noticed my electric bill drop $10 per month just from swapping those 2 bulbs alone.
 
CFLs as a technical solution have basically come and gone.
I bought our first CFL maybe twenty years ago on some kind of deal. I appreciated the longer life and lower operating cost.
I bought our first LED lamp a few years ago and we were surprised at how much brighter it seemed than the CFL it replaced and we were pleased with its instant on capability when the house is cold during the winter. The even lower power consumption and even longer life make an LED lamp a no-brainer.
When CFLs are offered with the regulatory requirement that they be subsidized by the local electric utility and sold for next to nothing, you know that their end is near.
GE is smart enough to recognize this as well.
 
I have almost nothing but CFL lights...honestly, I do not see any real reason to switch at this point. In my old house, I think I replaced 3 in 15 years. (Two of those were on 8-14 hours a day, 365 days a year for nine years!)
 
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
I have almost nothing but CFL lights...honestly, I do not see any real reason to switch at this point. In my old house, I think I replaced 3 in 15 years. (Two of those were on 8-14 hours a day, 365 days a year for nine years!)

I have mostly CFL too. But I switch 3 in kitchen and 2 in motion detection to LED for instant on.

I still have many CFL bulbs that will lasted more than 10 years. By that time price of LED bulb should be as cheap as CFL today.
 
I am slowly converting to LED. For the most part, as my CFL go out, I replace it with LED.

I bought 20 LED bulbs when Home depot had their 2 pack of Phillip's for $5 (no subsidies around here).
I swapped out 2 ceiling fans that had CFL (one has had them for 7+ years, very long warm up time), 2 in closets that get turned off an on a lot and 2 lamps. I am using those "old" CFL's in the kids bathroom and attic, all the rest of my bulbs are getting replaced with LED.
I have a ceiling fan in the bedroom that uses the candelebra base bulbs, ordered 4 of the filament type LED's for that. They seem just as bright as the incandescent that were in there.

The only incandescent I have left are 2 outdoor flood lights, 2 porch lights (I need a dimmable bulb, have not found a dimmable LED cheap enough for me yet) and 2 halogen flood lights in the back of the house.

I am looking for a replacemnt for the flood lights, just waiting for the prices to come down a little more (I need 2 sets).
 
Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
My CFLs seem to last forever and I have another 3-4 years of CFLs as backups. By 2020 when my CFL stock depletes, LEDs should be really cheap.


I mentioned this in a previous thread, but depending on the price of electricity, even if the CFL were free and the LED a few dollars, the LED can actually be cheaper. Just depends on how much the cost of electricity is and how often you use the light to figure out the payback time. The only thing holding me back is if they get stolen or fail prematurely.
 
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
My CFLs seem to last forever and I have another 3-4 years of CFLs as backups. By 2020 when my CFL stock depletes, LEDs should be really cheap.


I mentioned this in a previous thread, but depending on the price of electricity, even if the CFL were free and the LED a few dollars, the LED can actually be cheaper. Just depends on how much the cost of electricity is and how often you use the light to figure out the payback time. The only thing holding me back is if they get stolen or fail prematurely.


I used to change my two porch-light bulbs (60s) every three months, for they ran 12 hours per day on average. My CFL (13w) are lasting almost two years. My in-home CFLs may go four years throughout most of the house (minus living room and kitchen). My bathroom bulb is a flourescent stick with two pin connectors, over the sink. It lasts about three years.

If CFLs remained forever, I'm fine with it. I went 57 years with incandescent lighting. Life is very good with CFLs.
 
I'm thankful for the early adopters who signigicantly overpaid for LEDs. At Costco with rebates these are so cheap now. Even though we have a small stash of CFLs we are replacing with LEDs in rooms that see the most use.
 
My main use of CFL's are on my porch lights -- I turn them on when DST ends, they're on 24x7 until DST starts again so they're on all winter. I have gotten years out of them in this type of use. Thanks to utility subsidies. I've got a ton of CFL's that cost me about $0.22.

I have LED's waiting to go, not sure where I'll start though.
 
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