Have you converted your home to LED bulbs? What savings did you see?

[gregsandiego]

Just now, iacas said:

But with vinyl there is an actual difference in the sound (better or worse, I don't care to say, but it's different)… With the color temperature, people won't know the difference.

Same thing. 2nd order effects.

Can you tell  the difference when you look at an LED bulb? I bet you can. Your eyes aren't a spectrum analyzer.

 

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, gregsandiego said:

Can you tell  the difference when you look at an LED bulb? I bet you can. Your eyes aren't a spectrum analyzer.

When it's behind a shade? No. You can tell because the design of the bulb is different, but the light is the same.

Again, it's just light. If it's the same color temperature, there's no difference.

[Hardspoon]

55 minutes ago, iacas said:

But with vinyl there is an actual difference in the sound (better or worse, I don't care to say, but it's different)… With the color temperature, people won't know the difference.

Color temperature doesn't tell the whole story, though. The quality of artificial light also depends on the Color Rendering Index (CRI). Incandescent lamps have a CRI of 100 (the highest possible value). Some crappy LED's are in the 80's...even the best LED's can't get to 100. CFL's are in the 70's.

For specific applications that require the highest possible CRI, incandescents will probably be used for some time.

[saevel25]

On 7/3/2016 at 5:50 PM, David in FL said:

Like @iacas, I can't imagine having so many lights on to actually notice a savings.  Lighting makes up a minuscule part of my monthly electric bill.  A handful of lights for a few hours a day = $75 per month?  Just don't leave lights on in rooms you're not in, just like your dad taught you all those years ago!

It matters to the electric companies. DP&L actually gives rebates to the stores that cell LED and CFL's so they can price them low enough to get bought. Over time DP&L will save a lot of money and energy if their entire network is more energy efficient. 

1 hour ago, iacas said:

You can get the same color temperature with LEDs.

Correct. You can design and LED to be nearly identical to any other light bulb. 

Interestingly on color temperature. With street lighting it's actually come up in a few studies recently that cities should buy LED's with a certain color temperature to them as to not be detrimental to drivers with glare and limit the impact lighting can have on sleep. The white and blue temperature ranges mimic the daylight too much. It's been shown to throw off people's natural sleep patterns. 

 

[Hardspoon]

55 minutes ago, iacas said:

Again, it's just light. If it's the same color temperature, there's no difference.

Not true...see above!

(My post regarding CRI...thought it would merge, but Matt jumped me in line!)

[Ernest Jones]

It's not just colour temp. There is also a difference in frequencies. They are getting better, but still not there yet. 

[iacas]

Cool. I learned something today.

Makes (chemical) sense now that I think about it a bit.

[Buckeyebowman]

To quote Nicholas Cage in "National Treasure", "Yes, vinyl sounds better!" That is, if you have one king hell of a stereo to play them on!

My BIL is the property manager for a mental health facility. It has many buildings, parking lots and roadways on 400+ acres. Some years ago he was wondering how to get their electric costs down, and I suggested LED lighting. His concern was the upfront cost and the dependability. He does have to sell the idea to the board, after all.

A few years on, the dependability question has been answered, and the up front costs have come down some. He hired an outfit to convert the whole facility to LED. He said their electric bill went right into the basement! Of course, they're the kind of place that has to burn a lot of lights 24/7/365.

As for me, I was raised "old school". When you leave a room, turn the light out! Most of my very used bulbs are CFL. I didn't go on a mission to change them all. When an incandescent burned out, I'd replace it with a CFL. My light bill averages about 25-30 dollars a month.

Edited July 5, 2016 by Buckeyebowman

[Hardspoon]

Relevant (and pretty neat):

http://news.mit.edu/2016/nanophotonic-incandescent-light-bulbs-0111

[DrvFrShow]

I went over to LED lighting. I can't stand CFLs. I didn't notice any big difference although I think one of my biggest power sinks is my plasma screen TV. Great picture and small room heater in the winter.

[Buckeyebowman]

7 hours ago, DrvFrShow said:

I went over to LED lighting. I can't stand CFLs. I didn't notice any big difference although I think one of my biggest power sinks is my plasma screen TV. Great picture and small room heater in the winter.

Those electric heaters do suck up the amps!