Miss Peregrine Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 DH and I are having a friendly disagreement over switching to LED bulbs. One of us would rather switch the working bulbs out now and toss them because they use so much electricity. The other would rather use up the bulbs we already paid for and then switch as they go out. It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things( or any scheme, for that matter) but what would you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I'd probably switch as they burn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I'd leave them until they burn out. Throwing out working light bulbs seems kind of wasteful to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Since I prefer the old type of bulb (especially in low light situations and where I need to use a dimmer switch) I would take out the older ones and save them, then use the newer ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I would wait until they burn out and replace them. One I have a hard time throwing out things that still work and two it means the cost of the LED bulbs would be spread out more which would be much easier on the pocketbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alef Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I would wait till the old ones burn out. And hey, maybe the price of the LED bulbs will drop between now and then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I'd replace as they burned out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 The person who wants to trash the working bulbs is wrong. Yeah, I said it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 The person who wants to trash the working bulbs is wrong. Yeah, I said it. I'm with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5of5 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I’d replace as they burn out. LED technology and cost are still changing rapidly, so the longer you can put off buying LED light bulbs, the less they will cost and the better they will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 To add insult to injury, the LED (and compact fluorescent) only last as long as they claim if you (and your town) have new wiring. If you get lots of burps in your electricity, they don't. ETA. Not only are we NOT throwing perfectly good incandescent bulbs out, we stocked up on them before they quit selling them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I think you need to fight to the death over it. :banghead: :smash: Obviously there's no right answer. Maybe you can draw a line down the middle of the house and do one half each way. If you currently have compact florescents, they dont burn out. they fade away. Very annoying. My biggest concern right now is the PRICE of the LEDs. I have a ton of CF in the house, still unused, so it'll be a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Keep them until they burned out. I had the bright idea (no pun intended) to stock up on regular lightbulbs and bought a huge case of them from amazon. Didn't read the fine print and they were made in mexico. They last approximately a month. :gnorsi: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 we resolved this by doing a cost analysis. we looked at the price of electricty and how much each kind of bulb used and how long before those numbers met. it became pretty obvious pretty quickly that with the cost of electricity for us at that time, it was cost effective to throw out the incandescent bulbs and switch. (it moved us down into a different cost tier, so really worth it!) nevertheless, we left an incandescent bulb in my nighttable lamp for years before i was ready to let it go. hth, ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I hate the new ones... I just want the old! :( And do the new ones really have mercury? I heard that... Hmmm... sure, everyone will dispose of them properly. I thought of the mercury thing when I almost dropped the bulbs when I was changing the lights this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 Costco has LEDs for around $6.50/bulb. I think that is pretty reasonable, compared to some that I've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I hate the new ones... I just want the old! :( And do the new ones really have mercury? I heard that... Hmmm... sure, everyone will dispose of them properly. I thought of the mercury thing when I almost dropped the bulbs when I was changing the lights this morning. LEDs don't have mercury. (compact fluorescents do, but about 1/100th of what is in old thermostats or thermometers, and only a very small amount comes out when they are broken) and LEDs (at least most) work with dimmers. hth, ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I hate the new ones... I just want the old! :( And do the new ones really have mercury? I heard that... Hmmm... sure, everyone will dispose of them properly. I thought of the mercury thing when I almost dropped the bulbs when I was changing the lights this morning. Fluorescent bulbs have mercury in them. Our trash company has special bags to dispose of them. I broke one last year (and managed to cut myself on the bulb too) and freaked out a little. After some research, I discovered the mercury content is really tiny, so I'm not too worried. No brain poisoning yet ;) I don't think LEDs have mercury (but I haven't actually researched that). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Win, win: save them to donate to an organization that needs them to hatch birds: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/incandescent-bulb-ban-leaves-bird-care-centre-with-dim-hope-1.2492890 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Oh, and one more vote for replacing the bulbs as they die out. I have a hard time throwing away things that are working perfectly well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 To add insult to injury, the LED (and compact fluorescent) only last as long as they claim if you (and your town) have new wiring. If you get lots of burps in your electricity, they don't. ETA. Not only are we NOT throwing perfectly good incandescent bulbs out, we stocked up on them before they quit selling them. I intended on stocking up but never got around to it. :glare: That said, we have a fixture with 4 bulbs. Two have been replaced with LEDs since they burned out. I can't believe how bright and clean they look compared to the regular incandescent bulbs that look so yellow and dingy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I hate compact flourescents (and I can't spell it)--they start dim and have to warm up, they're more expensive than incandescents, and their lifetime is not the promised 7 years but more like 1 or 2. Over Christmas we bought a few LED bulbs and other than the price, they are fantastic. Instantly on, the ones at our kitchen table are slightly stronger than the other 60 watt bulbs, and they're supposed to last 23 years (we saved the receipt!). The floods are way more expensive than the regular bulbs--$20 not on sale at Home Depot (the regular bulbs were on sale). I bought one to try it and I am eager to trash the rest of the CF floods in the house (~20 of them), but it's pretty costly. I may still replace a few strategically where I don't want to wait for the bulb to warm up--over the front door, by the shower, in the kitchen. I think I'll keep checking HD for a sale and buy them 4 or 5 at a time if they're $15 or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Incandescent bulbs only last a year or two, so I'd get a few LEDs at a time and replace them as they burn out. The prices are still going down. We are finding LEDs fantastic compared to CFLs, which did not last as long as they were supposed to (maybe 2 years, not 10) and required special handling (classed as a hazardous waste material here). I prefer the ones made in the US when I can find them. Now, about the dimmer thing: many LEDs say they can be used with dimmers*** if you have a new kind of dimmer. That's fine by me (we only have 1 and it's in the kitchen), but I think they should only say they work with dimmers if they work with the dimmers most houses already have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I intended on stocking up but never got around to it. :glare: That said, we have a fixture with 4 bulbs. Two have been replaced with LEDs since they burned out. I can't believe how bright and clean they look compared to the regular incandescent bulbs that look so yellow and dingy. I hate the bright and clean. I like the yellow and dingy. LOL. The compact florescent bulbs give me headaches, but I don't know if LEDs do. Guess I'll have to wait and see, as we stocked up on incandescents, too. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I hate the bright and clean. I like the yellow and dingy. LOL. The compact florescent bulbs give me headaches, but I don't know if LEDs do. Guess I'll have to wait and see, as we stocked up on incandescents, too. :-) No headaches here at all from the LEDs. I love them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I just heard a report on the news radio station yesterday that some animal rescue centers are looking for older lightbulbs as they are used for warmth for wild animals being helped. Perhaps you could see if there is a way to donate the older bulbs for a good cause? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 If you currently have compact florescents, they dont burn out. they fade away. Very annoying. Mine burnt out. :thumbdown: I hate the bright and clean. I like the yellow and dingy. LOL. I thought I saw a few different colors (of white) LED bulbs at Home Depot. At different price points, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I hate the bright and clean. I like the yellow and dingy. LOL. The compact florescent bulbs give me headaches, but I don't know if LEDs do. Guess I'll have to wait and see, as we stocked up on incandescents, too. :-) I have photosensitive epilepsy, and the CFLs give me seizures. :( It's the frequency at which the light flickers. It's too fast for the eyes to see, but it causes headaches and seizures in some people. I haven't tried the LEDs yet. If they cause the same problem, I'm going to be in trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Just checked dimmability with the LEDs and they do dim. We have 5 bulbs in the fixture over the kitchen table--2 LEDs, 2 working incandescent, 1 burnt out incandescent that I need to change. The fixture is on a dimmer switch and they all dim (well, not the burnt out one. actually it just stays dim...er, off). Also, the color of the light is the soft white color, not the stark brilliant white of the early CFs (or at least the CFs dh bought). So while it is a slightly stronger, "cleaner" look than the incandescent, it's about the same color-wise. It is not annoying to have two different types in the fixture--not that much of a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Our family room has 9 recessed fixtures. With the old-style bulbs, we felt like we were under fry lamps. Switching them all out made a HUGE difference. Other bulbs I replace when they burn out unless they're in a fixture or near other bulbs because the color difference drives me nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I'm a little worried about this causing headaches as the CFLs caused major ones; I'm hopeful the LEDs are better. The CFLs did not last nearly as long as they said they do here either. (I have them in the garage.) OP...if your old bulbs are high wattage, I read about a bird rescue / sanctuary that was taking them for donations or even purchasing them to keep the birds warm. I did stock up on the old ones, but my stock will only last so long. I have photosensitive epilepsy, and the CFLs give me seizures. :( It's the frequency at which the light flickers. It's too fast for the eyes to see, but it causes headaches and seizures in some people. I haven't tried the LEDs yet. If they cause the same problem, I'm going to be in trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 We've been switching to LEDs for a while now. I don't think we have many incandescents left (maybe the one above the kitchen sink?) I get headaches from CFLs but not a one from the LEDs. We have a ceiling fan in the living room with 4 of them, and they're about 3 years old now, have never had any problems with them. I also have a 5 fixture chandelier that's dimmable in my school room. The dimmer is at least 14 years old and never had a problem with the lights, they dim just like the incandescents do. We big puffy heart our LEDs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I just put in my first LEDs in a new vanity light fixture. The light is beautiful (2700 on the warmth scale -- so approx. the same as incandescent) and I am happy with the way they look and the instant-on feature. We'd already gone to CFLs for most of our lighting, but all our new fixtures in our upcoming addition will be LED, and I'll be swapping out CFLs for LED as the CFLs burn out. I'll be strategically swapping out LEDs for the CFLs first in the rooms where I really want the instant on. The slow warm up of CFL really is irritating to me. My vote is to swap out a room or two or a fixture or two right away, and see how you like it. You might find that you love it enough to go along with dh's desire for a rapid swap out. I agree that if you are swapping out incandescents, they burn out fast enough that you'll be make the switch fairly quickly any way. You could always let dh swap out a room or two and set aside the working bulbs for re-use in rooms that you haven't swapped out yet . . . or donate them to someone who wants them -- local fb friends who are traditionalists, lol. Or, renters who don't want to invest in expensive bulbs for a rental . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 No headaches here at all from the LEDs. I love them. This is good to hear. I have photosensitive epilepsy, and the CFLs give me seizures. :( It's the frequency at which the light flickers. It's too fast for the eyes to see, but it causes headaches and seizures in some people. I haven't tried the LEDs yet. If they cause the same problem, I'm going to be in trouble. I'm so sorry to read this, Mergath. I do hope you won't have this problem with LEDs. If we do end up with problems, I guess we can always go back to kerosene lamps and candles. :lol: (But more like: :glare:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 If you need some of the old bulbs, Mergath or anyone else that has reason to need the old technology, there are a few companies still selling old stock, here is what is available through Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&field-keywords=60%20watt%20incandescent%20light%20bulbs&linkCode=ur2&sprefix=60%20watt%20incande%2Caps%2C279&tag=insta0c-20&url=search-alias%3Daps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I would use what you have until they burned out. LEDs are expensive, and IMO the savings would not be enough to justify throwing out the working bulbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 This is good to hear. I'm so sorry to read this, Mergath. I do hope you won't have this problem with LEDs. If we do end up with problems, I guess we can always go back to kerosene lamps and candles. :lol: (But more like: :glare:) It'll give the house a certain ambiance, anyway. Perfect for those nights I feel like pulling out the old ouija board or reenacting my favorite scenes from Pride and Prejudice. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 We just change light bulbs as they burn out. So we just buy whatever might be the best replacement at the time when we need it. Hubby is thinking of replacing the TV and computer monitor with the LED kind though. We have 5 bulbs in the fixture over the kitchen table--2 LEDs, 2 working incandescent, 1 burnt out incandescent that I need to change. ...... It is not annoying to have two different types in the fixture--not that much of a difference. Good to know that I can mix the bulbs. I have 6 energy saving bulbs in my kitchen and 2 have burnt out. Have not bought replacements yet and I though I would have to get identical ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 It'll give the house a certain ambiance, anyway. Perfect for those nights I feel like pulling out the old ouija board or reenacting my favorite scenes from Pride and Prejudice. :P When the kids were younger, we watched Little House on the Prairie. My husband used to joke about the light their lanterns supposedly put out. He said that they must be powerful lanterns. They actually put out a tiny little circle of light, LOL, we used to use them occasionally when camping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I would use what you have until they burned out. LEDs are expensive, and IMO the savings would not be enough to justify throwing out the working bulbs. i'm curious, because for us with the electricity cost factored in, it was a slam dunk in favor of switching over right away. how big a savings would it need to be for you to justify throwing out the working bulbs? curious and curiouser, ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 we resolved this by doing a cost analysis. we looked at the price of electricty and how much each kind of bulb used and how long before those numbers met. it became pretty obvious pretty quickly that with the cost of electricity for us at that time, it was cost effective to throw out the incandescent bulbs and switch. (it moved us down into a different cost tier, so really worth it!) nevertheless, we left an incandescent bulb in my nighttable lamp for years before i was ready to let it go. hth, ann I agree. Where I live, electricity is VERY expensive. We are switching a room at a time to LED bulbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I would use what you have until they burned out. LEDs are expensive, and IMO the savings would not be enough to justify throwing out the working bulbs.Depends on the cost of electricity where you live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I'd wait until they burn out to replace them because I'm cheap like that. You can still buy something very similar to incandescent bulbs just like the old style, but 25% (30?) more efficient per the standard. GE already has one http://www.gelighting.com/LightingWeb/na/consumer/inspire-and-learn/lighting-legislation/ More on the changes - http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/energy-efficient/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-lightbulb-law-14789203 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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