I think I like the "edison" style bulbs. Wasn't sure about the color(2.4k?), but its grown on me. I've had several several brands of normal lamps, and they've all been good. I've had one failure on a spot light. It works for awhile, and turns off when it heats up. It lasted til the lower electric use paid for the lamp, so I can't complain.
I think each room has its own light color needs. I, for one, cannot tell dark navy and black apart without close inspection in a yellow lighted room but can instantly tell them apart in a white lighted room. Thus, I like whiter light in the closet. White light also helps spot blemishes in the bathroom. White light in those rooms helps me avoid leaving the house as a fashion disaster. But white light just doesn't feel correct in the den. Yellow light just is so much more soothing there.I must have mental problems, I love the sterile look of 5000K. I want to make a big jump to the Hue White but haven't gotten around to it, right now we have a three pack of the full color Hues which are fun to play with.
The direct energy use is only a small fraction of the cost of powering a light. You also have to pay to cool down your house that the light just heated up (assuming you live where you have AC). The cost to cool something is generally far more than the cost to generate that heat to begin with. In winter this is lessened, but you are still heating your house with inefficient methods rather than gas or a heat pump.Most people don't use lamps nearly as much as they think.
They don't run 24/7, or even the traditional 8hrs/day you might think.
Assuming you are replacing a 60W incandescent with an 10W LED on $.10/kwh power.
LED replacement lamp cost versus hours to payback:
$3 lamp cost: 600 hours
$5 lamp cost: 1000 hours
$10 lamp cost: 2000 hours
$15 lamp cost: 3000 hours
$20 lamp cost: 4000 hours
Interesting. I haven't really thought about that except in intense situations like a vanity in a bathroom.Also, you aren't thinking of comfort.
My problems with LED lighting have been trying to find a reliable source that isnt gouging on price for 60w equivalent candelabra base LED lighting. The GE ones ive found are great and they arent TOO terribly priced at $8 per but dang is it hard to find them in stock.
Most people don't use lamps nearly as much as they think.
They don't run 24/7, or even the traditional 8hrs/day you might think.
Assuming you are replacing a 60W incandescent with an 10W LED on $.10/kwh power.
LED replacement lamp cost versus hours to payback:
$3 lamp cost: 600 hours
$5 lamp cost: 1000 hours
$10 lamp cost: 2000 hours
$15 lamp cost: 3000 hours
$20 lamp cost: 4000 hours
It probably is person dependent.Interesting. I haven't really thought about that except in intense situations like a vanity in a bathroom.
Still, I think the effects are relatively negligible to most people, especially general lighting like table lamps.
It is probably a bit different for people way up north, but many of us in the US who heat with electricity have heat pumps which are maybe 4x to 5x cheaper than direct electrical heat.Regular incandescent lights actually make sense if you heat with electricity, since it's simply adding to the heat anyway. If you heat with gas, then not so much because gas is like 10x cheaper per watt of heat. For the summer months it's negligible as you won't need to turn the lights on as much since it's practically always bright out.