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Are LED light bulbs worth it?

Dave Farquhar Saving money July 4, 2017September 3, 2017adapter, air conditioner, bulbs, CFL, Compact Fluorescent, curtains, electrical outlets, electricity, garage door opener, GE, home depot, home improvement, incandescent bulbs, led bulbs, life expectancy, Lighting, longevity, lumen, lumens, philips, plastic, thermal curtains, water, wattage, watts 2 Comments

I’ve been buying modern forms of light bulbs for almost 15 years now. So when someone asks me, “Are LED light bulbs worth it?” or “Do LED lights really save you money?” I can answer the question. I was more accepting of CFL bulbs than most, but I had some reservations about them. On the other hand, I really like LED bulbs.

LED light bulbs have saved me a lot of money over the years, and they have quite a few advantages besides the money they save you every month on your electric bill. I thought LED light bulbs were worth it five years ago, and I really think so now.

Connect a 2 wire light fixture to a 3 wire ceiling box

Dave Farquhar DIY June 6, 2017September 1, 2017bulbs, electrical outlet, electrical tape, electricity, Fuse, led bulbs, light switch, Lighting, red wire, volts, wire nut 2 Comments

If you’re changing out a light fixture and find two wires on the fixture and three wires in the box, you’re not out of luck. Here’s how to connect a 2 wire light fixture to a 3 wire ceiling box.

Fix kitchen light bulb flickering

Dave Farquhar DIY, Saving money March 14, 2017August 3, 20171960s, bulbs, fridge, garbage disposal, incandescent bulbs, insurance company, kitchens, led bulbs, light switch, Lighting, microwave, wattage 0 Comment

Flickering lights can be a sign of a serious electrical problem. But kitchen light bulb flickering often is due to other issues because a kitchen provides challenges you usually don’t find elsewhere in the house. Let’s look at things that cause kitchen light bulbs to flicker and burn out more quickly than other rooms and things you can do to prevent it.

And yes, flickering usually does go hand in hand with reduced lifespan.

Fix bathroom light bulb flickering

Dave Farquhar DIY, Saving money March 7, 2017September 1, 2017bulbs, CFL, conductivity, corrosion, electrical tape, electricity, extra mile, led bulbs, life expectancy, light switch, Lighting, paint, screw, screws, Volt, wire nut 0 Comment

Flickering lights can be a sign of a serious electrical problem. But bathroom light bulb flickering often is due to other issues. Let’s look at things that cause bathroom light bulbs to flicker and burn out more quickly than elsewhere in the house and things you can do to prevent it.

And yes, flickering usually does go hand in hand with reduced lifespan.

Wire a bathroom fan and light on one switch

Dave Farquhar DIY, Landlording January 17, 2017September 1, 2017bulbs, led bulbs, life expectancy, light switch, saving energy, water, wire nut 2 Comments

Sometimes you need to wire a bathroom fan and light on one switch. Code often requires a fan in bathrooms these days, but you may only have one switch. Or maybe you have two switches but just want one switch to run both. Fortunately it’s easy to do. Here’s how.

Bathroom lighting ideas: bar vs fixture

Dave Farquhar DIY, Saving money December 15, 2016July 14, 2017bulbs, led bulbs, Lighting, lumen, wattage, watts 0 Comment

When you’re looking for bathroom lighting ideas, there’s more to consider when looking at bar lights vs fixtures than just the up front cost. A fixture may look nicer, and it’s likely it can save you money in the long run. New light fixtures can solve flickering issues too.

When a ceiling light fixture doesn’t work

Dave Farquhar DIY, Landlording October 13, 2016September 10, 2017bulbs, CFL, copper, electrical tape, Fuse, GFCI, led bulbs, light switch, plastic, screw, screws, Voltage, wire nut, wiring

If your ceiling light fixture doesn’t work, let’s talk about one I worked on last weekend. It wasn’t my first time doing that. I ended up replacing the fixture, but then I fixed the broken fixture afterward.

Fixing a light bulb stuck in a ceiling fan

Dave Farquhar Landlording February 2, 2016August 30, 2017bulbs, copper, corrosion, led bulbs, life expectancy

I was working in a vacant house the other day and noticed the previous tenants never changed light bulbs. When I went to change them myself, I saw why. Everywhere I saw a dead bulb, it was in a ceiling fan. Stuck hard.

Here’s the cause, and here’s how I fixed it.

Philips’ new LED bulbs are cheap but have caveats

Dave Farquhar Saving money April 27, 2015April 23, 2015bulbs, CFL, led bulbs, longevity, lumen, lumens, lumens per watt, philips, receipt, watts

Later this week, Philips will be releasing a new, cheap LED bulb at an introductory rate of $5 for a pack of two. They are 800 lumen bulbs, equivalent to a 60w incandescent in light output, use 8.5 watts to give off an impressive 94 lumens per watt, and have a color temperature of 2700K that’s comparable to a soft white incandescent.

Sound good? It ought to, but there’s a catch. Often there is.

Home Depot’s Ecosmart 40w replacement is a good $5 LED bulb

Dave Farquhar Saving money March 19, 2015April 15, 2017bulbs, Cree, home depot, led bulbs, lumen, lumens, lumens per watt, receipt, watts

So I took the plunge and bought a package of the Ecosmart 40w equivalent soft white LED bulbs last week. As long as you’re aware that it’s not dimmable–let me repeat that, it’s not dimmable–it’s a really good bulb, especially at $10 for a package of two, assuming no local subsidies.

For $5 each, you get 450 lumens of soft white light while consuming only 6 watts of power.

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