What You Need to Know About LED Bulbs

Due to the eerie tint those spiral-shaped compact fluorescent bulbs projected just a few years ago, using energy-efficient light bulbs meant turning green in all but name. However, modern LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs are now reasonably priced (between $6 and $10 for a 75-watt equivalent bulb), making it simple to reduce your energy expenses, protect the environment, and fill your home with bright, white light.

However, purchasing the bulbs is more complicated than simply looking for the "watt equivalent" of the normal bulbs you intend to replace. Here are five items to consider before making an LED purchase.

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LEDs can make a dimly lit home more visible.

By choosing an LED with a higher watt equivalent than the old bulbs, you can use LEDs to brighten interiors if your living area lacks enough light fixtures and lamps. Because the fixture can't handle the heat produced by higher wattage lamps and would pose a safety risk, many fixtures have warnings not to use anything more powerful than a 60-watt bulb. However, using a 100-watt equivalent LED bulb, which consumes only about 17 watts and is therefore significantly less than the safety limit of a 60-watt maximum fixture, is not an issue. You may avoid having to purchase pricey new floor lamps or add more hard-wired fixtures (costing $300 to $800 each) because you get lower energy bills and two times more light production (measured in lumens, which is also labeled on product packaging).

New dimmers are required.

Make sure to choose dimmable LEDs when adding LED bulbs to fixtures with dimmer switches, and prepare to change your dimmer switches as well. It's not as easy as just screwing dimmable LEDs into your current fixtures to use them. LEDs frequently buzz or hum inconveniently when used with dimmers made for conventional incandescent lamps. You must replace the existing dimmer with one that is compatible with LEDs; even better, choose one that is explicitly listed on the packaging of the LED bulb. The switch will cost you around $25, and you might have to pay an additional $25 to have it properly installed (labor costs start at $100 to $200 minimum).

It's possible that LED lights will last less time than you anticipate.

Screw-in LEDs don't need to be retrofitted into existing sockets because they include both the electrical driver and the light-emitting diode. (In contrast, in a special LED fixture, the driver is in the light fixture and the bulb only contains the diode.) "The ads say LED bulbs will last for 40 years, but it's the driver that determines the life of the bulb," says Chesapeake, Virginia, kitchen designer Dave Alderman. Change out LED trim kits with higher quality drivers would cost about $50 to $85 each, and that's when you can expect extremely long bulb life. "You're lucky to get a five-year warranty on bulbs with built-in drivers," says the expert.

Various colors are available for LED lights.

See the K ratings for the merchandise on the LED packaging. You can find bulbs ranging in color temperature (light hue) from 2,700 to 6,500 Kelvin, which is the abbreviation for the letter K. Generally speaking, light from bulbs up to 3,000k is warm (slightly yellow) and calming, making it perfect for rooms used for general living; light from 3,200k to 4,500k is cool (white) and ideal for workspaces like kitchens, bathrooms, and garages; and anything above 4,600k is daylight and is best used for outdoor and security lighting. The color rendering index (CRI), which reveals how accurately colors appear in the light from the bulb, is another metric of color clarity. Make sure the LEDs you purchase have a CRI of at least 80.
 

13w Dimmable Led Bulb

Feature

● The BW 13w dimmable led bulb apart as an excellent replacement for a standard 75W incandescent product
● Color temperature: 2,700K, warm white
● Lumens (light output): 1100
● Package dimensions: 3.0" L x 3.0" W x 5.5" H

Specification