06-17-12, 02:46 PM | #41 | |
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06-18-12, 12:58 AM | #42 |
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I'm testing low wattage LEDs for my driveway and outdoor landscape since they're the bulbs that are on for the most hours of the day. They're on a "on at dusk, off at dawn" circuit and have been performing solid for 21 months. 5 watts total draw, with 4 bulbs each using 1.2 watts. They put out the light of a 25 watt incandescent, so I have 5 watts replacing 100 watts.
The leds I use are about $8 with tax, and are advertised to last 10 years (This is what I'm testing them for) and I think the 25 watt bulbs they replace are about a buck. Payback time is less than a year according to the above-mentioned LED ROI Payback Calculator at Patmullins.com. Wal*Mart and Menards carry the Feit Electric brand bulbs I'm testing, labeled as "accent" bulbs. Feit has since come out with 2 watt bulbs (about double the wattage and brightness) which I'm now using a few indoors. These lights have a nice 3000 kelvin color temperature. Other than being a little on the weak side for many purposes, I have not had a single issue with these bulbs. I've never had any die, dim, or discolor. They are also advertised to resist shock and vibration. |
06-18-12, 06:26 PM | #43 | ||
You Ain't Me
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Until they make ones that can dim from 0 - 100% slowly and smoothly I'll be sticking to incandescent bulbs. I just don't turn them on much. I sleep at night so I don't need lights much in the summer.
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06-22-12, 02:46 AM | #44 |
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06-22-12, 05:18 AM | #45 |
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My ROI was just adjusted
I've had my relatively expensive LEDs for about a year now and As I had posted earlier
".Running the calculations it will take 20 years for the lights ROI. But that is at todays dollar. The next time we have an increase in the cost of energy that ROI time will shorten. Just hope they will stand the test of time." We have just had a cost increase of 13% to electricity. I'm down to an ROI of about 17.4 yrs. I wonder how our Investments in the Stockmarkets are doing. Randen |
06-23-12, 01:14 PM | #46 |
Less usage=Cheaper bills
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How could you save that much? My yearly electric usage costs are under a third of what your predicted annual savings are, this is including computer, refrigerator, a/c, etc, everything! Do you have an extremely high electric rate and leave every light on in the house for every waking hour?
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06-26-12, 11:28 PM | #47 | |
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06-29-12, 01:14 AM | #48 |
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I have a couple $25 75W PAR38 LEDs that are nice IMO, but also a bit irritating because the drivers get really noisy as I dim them. I also have some ~15W equivalent LEDs that I use at night, one on a switch and the other on a light sensor. Everything else is CFL because they provide much warmer light at roughly the same cost and are much less expensive initially.
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07-01-12, 07:30 AM | #49 |
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I have two light fixtures in my house that use 6 x GU10 bulbs. The halogen bulbs in there now emit a lot of heat.
I'm looking at some LED's on ebay that are about $6 each. Anyone have experience with these bulbs? |
07-02-12, 12:55 AM | #50 |
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What brand and wattage are you looking at on Ebay? and what level of brightness do you need? Do you need dimmable?
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