I am, shall we say, specific about my gentle bulbs. And as we switched over our whole house to LED bulbs recently, I needed to make sure I obtained it right (especially since one big pro of LEDs is that you won’t should substitute them for years - maybe even decades. So on this post we’ll cowl the whole lot from our favorite general use LED light bulb to some fancy-schmancy, special use bulbs too. That’s a direct quote from my mom when she texted me about what LED bulbs to purchase. While I’m not 100% certain what "heyday" of mild bulb shopping she’s referring to, I can utterly relate to the sentiment. The classic incandescent gentle bulbs are being phased out and the as soon as-newfangled CFL bulbs are trying downright oldfangled today compared to LEDs. LEDs was crazy pricey, but have come down in price considerably, which means it’s finally practical for EcoLight everyone to make the switch.
Our favorites nonetheless aren’t as low cost as CFLs (they’re about $5/bulb) but they are saying the average individual recoups that value inside a 12 months or so by decreasing their electric invoice with their use. So off we set to upgrade our house to LEDs. Let’s discuss two intimidating phrases on LED packaging: Kelvins and Lumens. They’re not almost as difficult as they sound and EcoLight (spoiler alert) you may mostly get away with ignoring them. Lumens are about brightness, or how a lot gentle a bulb offers off (both L words!). Alternately, EcoLight LED bulbs you possibly can consider it as how a lot it should illuminate a space. Kelvins is about colour temperature, or how warm (yellow) or cool (blue) the sunshine is. The more Ks a bulb has, the kolder the temperature can be (both Ok phrases…sorta). So a 4000K bulb is cooler (bluer) looking than a 3000K bulb. But the good news is that most mild bulb packaging nonetheless includes familiar shorthand. "Lumens" typically correlates to a "wattage equal." So if you’re at present utilizing a 60 watt bulb in a fixture, you have to be fantastic putting a 60-watt-equivalent LED in its place (usually around 800 Lumens).
There are exceptions (like specialty LED Edison bulbs that have much decrease mild output) so it’s helpful to double-verify the lumens on a label. But when that’s an excessive amount of in your noggin to process - like it's for me sometimes - don’t fret. Kelvins additionally has a plain English correlation, and that’s to terms like "warm white," "soft white," or "daylight." Though these descriptors seem to be applied considerably standardly, I’m a real maniac about coloration temperature so I all the time confirm the Kelvin ranking. Our go-to is a 2700K bulb, which is normally known as a "soft white" bulb. You’ll discover this Cree 60W Equal Delicate White LED mild bulb in many of the fixtures in our house - lamps, overhead lights, sconces, and so forth. The value is some of the reasonably priced we’ve found, EcoLight they promote them in bulk (so inventory up on 4-packs!), and there’s not any kind of delay or humming that we’ve had with other brands. We stick to 2700K bulbs for the sake of consistency and simplicity, and only in some instances use corresponding 40W equivalents for a barely dimmer gentle (like in sconces).
There’s additionally a candelabra version if you want that. And if in case you have recessed lights, here’s a soft white dimmable version of those that we love. This Philips 60W Equivalent Clear Glass bulb gives the identical gentle as our go-to Cree bulb, but the clear glass cover and Edison-esque filaments made it a greater choice for exposed fixtures where the bulb is seen. There’s additionally a candelabra version of this bulb for chandeliers and such. This specialty Philips Dusk To Dawn LED bulb incorporates a mild sensor (that red dot) which permits the bulb to robotically turn itself on as the sun sets after which off when the sun rises. We put these in our entrance porch lights, meaning we not have to flip them on and off each day. That is one area the place I make an exception to my smooth white rule. In work spaces or storage areas like closets, EcoLight brand garages, attics, or sheds, we’re not after that cozy "warm glow" of a comfortable white bulb - we need a brilliant, crisp mild to seek out what we’re searching for!