So I have been meaning to look into the whole lightbulb thing for a while
Stumbled across this article which is a good primer and it seems LED is the way to go HowtoGeek
As is usually the case there should be some Ozbargainers with indepth knowledge on the topic including what bulb to use where/when
And most important - what & where to buy cheaply
Go at it my friends - enlighten us all on this illuminating topic you bright sparks!
I buy Philips LED Bulbs.
You can get a remote controlled LED delivered from Aliexpress for about $5. They come with a cheap infrared remote. I got a colour changing one but I accidentally got the wrong socket so I'm not using it atm.
I find that one of the problems with most LED globes is that they only emit light out the base of the globe. Whereas CFLs emit light in all directions. Even so, my place is full of ceiling light fittings with the LED globe mounted horizontally and it's not really an issue.
Another problem is that "cool daylight" and "warm white" can be quite different shades across different brands. But again that's not really an issue and overall it's still better to get LEDs.
I bought these which are decent.
lets face it, it takes a whole lot more expense, people and tech to change a light bulb now-a-days, especially from cfl to led…
led don't seem to illuminate a whole area as well as cfl's, tha's where im at…
I personally prefer halogen bulbs, and use it in my living room and bedroom. I have yet to find a led bulb that emits the same warmth as halogen.
I only use LEDs in high traffic areas like the kitchen and bathroom…
Well first you look at the application of the lightbulb and the kind of cap/base it needs to connect to existing light fitting.
If its for a lamp, you're looking at either Bayonet or Edison Screw. If its for a downlight/spotlight then its normally GU10 or MR16.
Then you look at the actual type of bulb and how energy efficient you want the bulb to be… incandescent, halogen, CFLs and LED. Incandescent uses the most wattage, costs the most to run but is the cheapest to buy. LEDs obviously costs more but is offset by saving alot more energy.
Next thing you want to look at is how bright you want the bulb to be. The key word here is 'lumens'. The higher the Lm, the brigher the bulb. You often see comparisons of LEDs around the web of how they produce the same lumens as tradional incandescent bulbs while using 1/10 of power (wattage).
After that, you'll want to look at the colour temperature of the bulb, this is normally expressed in kelvin/'K' in the packaging. Warm white being around 2700–3000K and cool white being over 5000K.
Most people stop at this point but if you want to go abit further, you can look at the CRI (color rendering index). Pretty much the higher the CRI, the more accurate the colour is, the better…
Another thing to note is whether you want the bulb to be dimmable. Not all LEDs are designed to be dimmed, the ones that are dimmable are usually a little more dearer. Most incandescent and halogen are dimmable.
In terms of where you want to buy the bulbs, bunnings is a good start and you can't go wrong with Osram and Phillps. Another good one is Brightgreen, just search here on Ozbargain, they often have regular promotions on their discount site.
If you want to compare different LED bulbs, have a look at www.ledbenchmark.com
:)
^^^^^ This guy
Nice work mate - exactly what I was after
Thank you JY1
JY1 provides good advice.
Just to add to it - a standard (general) incandescent globe will be approx 900 lumens in brightness. So if you wish to replace like for like, aim to get a standard LED light general light (not downlight) that has a lumen count of at least 900 lumens. General (standard) type light bulbs will provide more light to a room than a downlight, the drawback being that they stick out from the roof.
CFL's (compact fluro lights - the twirly globes) don't dim. There is only a marginal electricity benefit in switching from CFLs to LED. CFLs are typically 14 watts, vs an equivalent LED at 12 watts - so it's only worth it when the lights blow.
If you have halogen downlights, you need to change them to LED. The return on investment is ridiculously high (and you can change for free in Vic). Halogen downlights are between 59-35 watts, vs an LED at about 7W. Aim to have a downlight no less than 600 lumens.
Use a warm white LED in your home. It's more flattering on people and the surroundings.
short version (NPI)
There is only a marginal electricity benefit in switching from CFLs to LED
many thanks JY and Doz
And again - Thanks you DQ
My knowledge is now robust :)
CFLs are typically 14 watts, vs an equivalent LED at 12 watts
A 14 watt CFL is about 800 lumens and is equivalent to a 9W LED. Not a 12W LED.
Here are two for comparison:
14 watt CFL - http://www.kmart.com.au/product/led-gls-bc-27k-9w/782416
9 watt LED - https://www.lightonline.com.au/3u-tube-cfl-lights/philips-ge…
Thanks for the links. LEDs keep getting better out looks like.
Am I the only one who got the pun in the title?
no, but i think you have been the slowest to get it… 8)
Are you a bright spark?
CFLs can take some time to get to full brightness too, especially cheap ones. I had 2 outdoor CFL fitting that took so long to warm up I didn't know what the switch was doing when I first moved into this house, there wasn't enough light out of them until about a minute later so I couldn't see it come on from the switch location (inside switch, outside light).
I have pretty much all LEDs in my current house. Just a few full size flouro fittings in the garage and verandah area and a one or two CFLs in low usage locations. Certainly don't have an incandescent, except in the fridge as the power usage is too high.
Get on it before they sell out: LIFX Smart LED Bulb Sale