84 might be OK or not depending on how many square feet the home is. $22k divided by 84 bulbs works out to be $261 per bulb. I don't know of any light bulb that sells for that amount of money.

A standard can light fixture can take a regular incandescent or LED bulb. Your choice.

If you went to a lighting designer and he/she did all the planning I say it is worth it and you will be happy not be be changing bulbs at all......we love ours and it is a process....just put it in the mortgage at a very low interest rate.....do not have your contractor install them, sounds like he doesn't know how. Plus if you have high ceilings you need more light....just bite the bullet but make sure your installer knows what he is doing. Oddly enough is you are building this very large house you should have the $$$ to pay for all of it.

$261/bulb? That's insane.

Cree brand par spotlight bulbs top out at about $20 each. They screw into a standard bulb socket. And Cree is generally considered to be the leading brand.

Want dimming? The Cree bulbs are dimmable, but you may have to replace the dimmers themselves.

Even WiFi connected bulbs that you can dim with your smartphone would be far, far cheaper than that.

I have found electricians are still old school ( many of them) and make LEDs sound like the biggest job in the world when all that is needed is a change in the bulb and if you are using dimmers they need to be the ones for LEDs . I hd all halogen lights in pots, tracks all ove and have switched about 90% of them now to LED with no problem. I would advise you to go 4” cans not 6”

These are not the normal cans they are very small and are covered with a plate, from the normal electrician I can probably get a credit for the can housing which I am sure is minimal. I should be clear the builder just meant that I would probably not recoup the cost in a resale but that is not something I plan on as this will be the last home I build.

Thanks for all you input and advice

In Ontario, Canada, rebate programs are offered through local hydro providers, throughout the year, for the purchase of LEDs. Perhaps something similar is offered in your area?

I would not purchase can lights that are specific for LED. Too proprietary and not worth the money IMO.

We just converted to LEDs, but couldn’t stand the quality of the light. It was too harsh even with the warmest bulbs. We went back to halogens. Even on dimmers LEDs don’t get “warmer” they retain their harsh bluish light. We did keep some in mud room and laundry, but in living areas they were awful.

We bought a ceiling fan with an LED. We couldn't tell until it was installed that the light was harsh. We use the dimmer on it but it still doesn't look good. However, I've had good luck with CREE bulbs and the warmth they have. The lamps we use because the ceiling fan light is too harsh all have CREE LEDs.

In my area, the electric company offers a service for free where they come assess the energy efficiency of your home and offer suggestions. In addition, they replace every single lightbulb in your house with an LED! I have 16 alone in my kitchen/FR. So we had our contractors put in regular ones and then we had them all changed out (told the electrician to use the dimmers for the recessed, etc.) Now, it is a free service that everyone pays for on their monthly bill (like $1) but few people know about this. Check with your company first to see if they offer anything like this. They also give huge rebates on insulating, windows, and other energy saving projects. (Part of our house is 100 years old so that was a bonus.)

I would shop around for pricing for the LED's I would say that using them instead of normal bulbs especially for 84 lights could save you a lot on the electrical bill!

Thanks again I am so confused over this I don't want harsh but don't want to change bulbs and I like the small casings.

Saving 17K by going with the retrofit LED is a no brainer. I hope your architect sorcified ICAT housing. You can do the ICAT housing plus the retrofit LED insert for under $50. 22K is unconscionable.

Too much $ for recessed.

You can put LED bulbs in older style standard recessed canned lights -- anything that can take a regular bulb can take one of the newer LED bulbs, too. Check to see if that seriously large expense is for specialty fixtures and/or includes bulbs -- ask for detailed list. You might be better served to buy the bulbs and install them yourself.

LED bulbs do last a lot longer and don't produce the heat of other bulbs or, I'm told, use as much electricity for the same amount of light. I swapped out an old 60W bulb (the kind they no longer make) for a 1600 lumens LED and the difference was stark -- more than twice the light.