After one year of switching to LED bulbs in the house, the result...

5 years ago

1. I can't get comfortable.

I replaced our CFL bulbs (800 lumen, 2700K to 3000K) all through the house over a year ago with LED bulbs (800 lumen, 2700K to 3000K) and since then I have come to dislike LED's because they simply do not fill the room. I have to sit right under the light fixture to read. If I am sitting or standing as little as 2 feet away, I am in a shadow and reading is uncomfortable. Also, when directly under an LED light, I feel like I'm in a glare. I can't seem to get comfortable.

2. The electric bill did not go down.

The electric bill is actually pretty much the same, on average. I don't notice any difference vs using CFLs throughout the house. We do not have a huge house and we both work away from home; perhaps this is the reason.

3. Two LED bulbs out of 8 died within 1 year of use.

The LED bulb packaging says I'll get 20-22 yrs of life out of LED bulbs; but so far, that is not the case. I have doubts that LED bulbs actually will last that long. Perhaps the blame should go to the fixtures in some cases, but how do I know, as a consumer, what is going to be a perfect fixture for a particular LED bulb?

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Bottom line: My biggest complaint is that I need to be right under the LED to see effectively. Do I just need to try a "better" LED, or are all LED's uni-directional and uncomfortable? Do I return to CFL's? I didn't like that they take time to reach full output. I prefer a light that fills the room, going out in all directions. What to do?

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Comments (4)

tartanmeup
5 years ago
I wish I knew. I'm feeling the exact same way. I abhor these LEDs. You identified the exact reason: the light simply does not fill the room. I've been trying to explain it and all I could say to my husband was the light felt "empty". (We have 4000Ks - 800 lumens as well, if memory serves.)

Sorry to hear they don't last either.

Perhaps some lighting experts will chime in with solutions.
zver11
5 years ago
Physical LEDs are highly directional. In constructing a bulb, the manufacturer needs to put in multiple flat panels behind the glass to cover different directions. Some cheaper bulbs skimp on this and either provide weak light out of their top(missing top LED) or out of the sides(plastic base extends far up from base). CFL are not really directional and so more tolerant. The flip side is that CFL life is even shorter on lights that are turned on and off a lot. With both CFL and LED, life is more a function of on/off cycles than hours of use. I would buy a single bulb of an LED type you are considering and observe it in a lamp (or see it lit in a store). Watch for where the light is brightest. On a downward firing light, a reflector style(BR/PR) bulb is best. LED bulbs are great at this since they do not really need a reflector. The flat LED light source is simply pointing the direction light needs to go. The hardest fixture to make an LED work with is one where the bulbs are upright since they do not send light down in the direction toward their base.

As far as electric bills go, lighting is not that big a part of most electric bills with either CFL or LED. LED lights are becoming more efficient with newer designs but at this point are not noticeably better especially when used in existing bulb type fixtures. Newer fixtures with built in LEDs are a better use for LEDs and I would go this route when replacing fixtures for other reasons. It is likely most lights will be LED in 5 years or so as LED efficiency improves and light fixture designers get better at using integrated LEDs.
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After one year of switching to LED bulbs in the house, the result...

Comments (4)

tartanmeup

zver11

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