LED lights cheaper than CFL and flourescent tubes when bought on special

[smitty]

I know I wasn't really in favour of replacing CFL with LED light bulbs when I last wrote about in March 2013 but time has passed, the price of both electricity and CFLs has increased while LED prices have decreased so I think an update is in order.

I've been swapping out the most used (i.e. hours per day) fluorescent lighting whenever LEDs were on special.

E.g. replaced 2x 36 Watt with 2x 18 Watt LEDs. The LEDs are really bright - it's like daylight in the kitchen. They are also instant on and completely silent.

As I recall purchase prices was R200 for both tubes a couple of years back. This light tends to stay on during the evening due to the layout of the house.

The numbers also work out well for LEDs vs CFLs when you factor in replacement cost.

Philips LEDs are currently on special for under R70. A 9.5w LED gives you > 800 lumen. I'm sure the readers can do the maths by subtracting the LED wattage from the equivalent CFL's wattage, multiplying by your average "running" hours per day for the light in question, multiplying by 365 days per year and dividing by 1000 to get to kilo Watt hours per year. A final simple multiplication by your electrical price per unit (kilo Watt hour) will reveal your yearly saving.

I eventually had to deviate from my strategy of swapping out CFLs only when they burned out as they didn't burn out quick enough. And now that I've replaced the most frequently used ones the less frequently used ones seem to never burn out. I think I'm back up to one dead one sitting in the cupboard and a pile of spares that were replaced before failing. With the spares pile and the underused lights I suspect I will never buy another CFL.

Oh and I estimate (obviously varies on usage) that lighting uses on average about 5% of my overall electrical usage at least until some other category of usage is reduced but that is for a separate thread.

[AndyD]

I'm also at the stage where I'm relamping my house which was all CFL with LED's. Apart from being roughly 50% of the power consumption of the equivalent CFL, the other advantages of LED's is the wider range of lamp types, shapes and sizes. Especially higher wattage CFL's tended to be awkwardly long whereas LED lamps can be half the size. Led's are also easier dimmable if the appropriate type is selected, CFL's aren't.

[HR Solutions]

I have replaced my lights with led's as well. As a bonus I have changed some of them to those lED lights that come on and acts as a normal light when there is a power failure

[smitty]

I'm also at the stage where I'm relamping my house which was all CFL with LED's. Apart from being roughly 50% of the power consumption of the equivalent CFL, the other advantages of LED's is the wider range of lamp types, shapes and sizes. Especially higher wattage CFL's tended to be awkwardly long whereas LED lamps can be half the size. Led's are also easier dimmable if the appropriate type is selected, CFL's aren't.

Good points on the sizes and shapes. I've had a few reading lamps where the long CFL bulbs stick out the lamp shade which defeats the entire point of the shade... The LEDs have sorted that problem out.

Oh and Makro has a two for R100 special on those Philips LED bulbs at the moment which makes it better.

[shawncla]

When you looking at LED lamps Lumens per watt needs to be considered. You want a high lumen output with a low wattage , meaning you get more light for your money. Also look at the suggested burn rates and warranties when buying. Ellies now offers a lamps with 25 years warranty where most companies advertise a life expectancy of between 15-20 years.

Read the fine print when buying LED lighting.

[shawncla]

One more thing I notice a lot lately, and this does not apply to residential users, it power factor on LED lighting. When you have a commercial property, or where you are paying for KVA, take special care in the lamps you choose. Industry norm is between 0.5 - 0.95. This said I have found power factors as low as 0.2

I tested a lamp at one of the hotels in the foreshore in Cape Town recently. They were rated at 5 watts but tested at 3.6 watts, which is great for residential users. However, at a power factor of 0.2 it means the Hotel is now paying for 18 watts per lamp...

Choose a reputable supplier for you lamp and understand the technologies available. Everyone is always concerned about the chip being used, but there are far more to consider.