They probably did, but not daily...and by now they probably have it on a UPS.
Let's shine some light on LED light bulbs
- Thread starter Toothpick
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They probably did, but not daily...and by now they probably have it on a UPS.
I was in Walmart yesterday and noticed an aisle display of various light bulbs, including Walmart Great Value (IIRC) brand dimmable 60W equivalent LEDs with 9W usage for $2.88. I grabbed one to try. It's bright and its color is decent. It doesn't dim quite as well as my TCP dimmable CFLs from 2005 but that's acceptable, and if I replace the rest of the bulbs in that fixture then maybe it won't interfere with my TV remote anymore...
At the prices mentioned over the last few pages, I will be switching out EVERYTHING in my home to LED. Cannot buy incandescents any more, and I have NEVER liked CFLs.
FWIW if you prefer incandescents, I saw plenty of them at Dollar Tree where I was hoping to find LEDs as reported by others.
Problem is, I m in Ontario Canada. Our elected overlords determined that we are not smart enough to choose for ourselves and BANNED the sale of Incandescents. At this point, I am willing to bet that a lot of folks have nothing in their homes BUT CFLs, unless they stocked up on incandescents before the ban started (1/1/2014).
Does this mean there is some power consumed even when switched off?
I did a very similar experiment. Bought a single Great Value brand (Walmart) dimmable LED bulb, a 25 Watt equivalent (4 Watts used) Candelabra style bulb for $2.88 a couple of weeks ago. The initial test appeared to work, in that it would dim and brighten along with five other incandescent bulbs that remained in the light fixture, but its light output looked too high on the lowest setting which was of some concern. Also the visible white base was unattractive compared to the all-frosted bulbs this would potentially replace, so this decorative aspect was another hurdle to getting all bulbs in the fixture replaced. But after after a few days/weeks the contrast faded in the mind's eye so put some effort in trying to see how this single LED bulb would dim/brighten as compared to the other incandescents before making any final decision.
I started the test of the LED bulb by unscrewing all the other incandescent bulbs in the fixture and to my surprise the LED bulb came on even though the fixture was switched "off". The toggle switch could not make it turn back off or control the brighness, the light output was pretty constant no matter what the dimmer setting was. Only way to turn off the fixture, or return control back to the wall switch was to screw in at least one of the incandescent bulbs. So cannot use in this older fixture. Must be because of what @mrb7 is pointing out.
Picture of LED bulb:
Yes. The industry term is vampire loads.
That's exactly how all my older fixtures work, too.
Interestingly newer electrical standards are requiring that the neutral be wired to the light switch box so that newer controls can function without the leakage current. Took me forever to find a true two wire dimmable motion sensor.
Speciality bulbs in incandescents are still available. Halogen bulbs that look like the most common bulb in homes are available that last longer and use less electricity. . . and are dimmable. On of my concerns has been the colour of the light. I'm sitting in a room just now with a warm halogen bulb . . . happy. I have a couple of halogen bulbs that emit a blueish light. I'm saving these for outdoors.
My dimmable LED bulbs are here, and they work in the 3-way touch lamp. Only difference is, low is equal to medium with a regular bulb, medium is high, and high is extra-bright. Overall, I count it a success. 
I just added another recessed light over the kitchen table, so while I was at it - I swapped out the existing 3 halogen floods (75W) with LEDs.
There are now 4 LED floods in "warm white", each using 12W to produce 800 lumens. I did have to read the packaging at Lowes, because some of the LED floods were not dimmable, but the ones I purchased were and work well with the existing dimmer.
The painful part was ea. box w/2 bulbs was about $45 bucks - so I just dropped $90 on frigg'n lightbulbs!
There are now 4 LED floods in "warm white", each using 12W to produce 800 lumens. I did have to read the packaging at Lowes, because some of the LED floods were not dimmable, but the ones I purchased were and work well with the existing dimmer.
The painful part was ea. box w/2 bulbs was about $45 bucks - so I just dropped $90 on frigg'n lightbulbs!
I've got six in our kitchen, with one over the sink. I intend on swapping them out for LEDs, but it's going to be painful to do all at once. They put out an awful amount of heat, so I'd imagine I may recoup the cost in one summer.
My dimmable LED bulbs are here, and they work in the 3-way touch lamp. Only difference is, low is equal to medium with a regular bulb, medium is high, and high is extra-bright. Overall, I count it a success.
Good news!
Our experience at work was the reduced heat load in small areas more than offset the costs. We had one elevator with six par 20 lamps. The elevator car was so warm it got to be uncomfortable. We replaced them with led equivalents and dropped ambient temperatures by at least ten degrees F. It will not take anywhere near as long as people think for leds to completely dominate the lighting industry.
My dimmable LED bulbs are here, and they work in the 3-way touch lamp. Only difference is, low is equal to medium with a regular bulb, medium is high, and high is extra-bright. Overall, I count it a success.
Good deal. Glad that worked out.
what about using these adapters. from tiny screw base E12 to standard medium screw base E26. I have some on order myself. Even 5 packs of the adapters for a few dollars, shipping inc.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/251506025713?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pack-E12-...783?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43da1eed6f
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- #197
what about using these adapters. from tiny screw base E12 to standard medium screw base E26. I have some on order myself. Even 5 packs of the adapters for a few dollars, shipping inc.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/251506025713?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pack-E12-...783?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43da1eed6f
I would rather not.
I also don't think they would fit inside the globe on the fixture.
It's a good suggestion though and I didn't know such a thing was available.
I haven't done any scientific, rigorous study on these, but I use them. I only buy them on sale, so I don't spend much over $10 on any one. I have them in lamps in the living room, family room, and bedrooms. They are also in ceiling canisters in the kitchen, and vanity bathroom lights. Oh, and one candle bulb in a ceiling fixture.
As bulbs burn out, I replace with LEDs. I would guess I've used them for at least two, maybe three years, and have never had to replace an LED yet. I get them at home products stores, which for me means Home Depot or Lowe's.
As for brightness, I see no difference from any other bulb, whether incandescent or fluorescent. A sixty watt bulb requires only about 13 or 14 watts in LED for the equivalent lumens, if memory serves.
As bulbs burn out, I replace with LEDs. I would guess I've used them for at least two, maybe three years, and have never had to replace an LED yet. I get them at home products stores, which for me means Home Depot or Lowe's.
As for brightness, I see no difference from any other bulb, whether incandescent or fluorescent. A sixty watt bulb requires only about 13 or 14 watts in LED for the equivalent lumens, if memory serves.
I found a good deal on some Cree recessed LED bulbs from Home Depot, 65W. They had a special on sets of four. We have six in the main part of the kitchen, with one over the sink, so ordering eight gave us an extra if one burns out. I wasn't planning on installing a dimmer, but they were so bright I ended up getting one. So far, it's very noticeable how much cooler they are. We usually run them with the dimmer about 1/3 of maximum and they are brighter than the incandescants they replaced.
I think there will be specialty applications where incandescent bulbs will remain. But for everyday use the LED is already winning handily. The idea from Washington to restrict sales of incandescent bulbs was totally unnecessary. The average Joe in America at least always votes with his wallet.
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