Atlanta Housing Source

I wanted to purchase LED (Light Emitting Diode) flood lamps to replace the one around the home that take a 30’ ladder to change and because I use them for security and burn a lot of duty hours.  I don’t climb ladders and don’t own one for that reason.  I want the 30,000 hour life cycle to avoid climbing the ladder to change those in high places and I like that I can burn less the watts as an incandescent or compact flourscent to save money. 

I have figured each LED watt is much less watt equivalent output as a traditional bulb.  LED watts equal 4 to 7 watts incandescent, and not all LED watts are equal.   I found this out when I bought a 4 watt and it wasn’t bright enough.  

Next I then went to a 5o LED traditional looking flood bulb that was about 14 watts.  It wasn’t bright enough for the outside lighting but makes great down light in the kitchen can lights.  

Cree is LED maker that sells great LEDs for manufactures to put into their bulbs.  I’m now up to a 21 watt LED to equal a 75 watt incandescent. It has 7 bulbs. They are some of the brightest.  This is now bright enough to light the back yard and driveway.   

The bulbs are typically made up in an aluminum housing that holds the LEDs in place.  The weight was an issue on pointing in the correct direction and keeping the bulb from turning in the fixture.  There are ones like the traditional glass flood but I had trouble finding one with enough light. 

First research had me buying from new internet sources that I never knew before.  Most experiences were positive.  My first order, I ordered PAR 30 lights that are small flood type that are short and small diameter.  They wouldn’t fit into the fixture so I had to order their big brother the PAR 38 which is equal in size to the traditional outdoor flood light.   

I am now looking for a candelabra style bulb bulbs with the small screw in base for my porch lights.  Each has 3 bulbs and I burn them from sun down to sun up. I have a programmable switch mounted behind the cover that a traditional light switch goes into.  It can be programmed to change with daylight savings time and adjusts for sundown and sun up automatically each day. It is so cool to help me manage usage. 

The candelabra bulbs I use are 25 to 40 watts. The largest LED wattage I have found are about 15 watt incandescent equivalent.  Not enough light. 

I also have not found a traditional round bulb for table lamp usage that throw off enough light. The key to look for is what watt replacement the LED is and there are no set standards. This makes it tough. I’ve bought 5 bulbs at anywhere from $20 to $69 dollars each.  I’ve spent a small fortune experimenting buying online.   

Research has turned up a Chinese company that will let me import at considerable savings (50%) but the minimum order quantity is 300.  I wont need 300 in a life time with their duty cycle.  I was so please when I found Home Depot started selling LED lights on line. 

The latest I found in that FEIT, the manufacturer that I first bought their compact florescent bulbs in 1997 is getting into the LED business.  Back then compact fluorescents were about $10 to $15 each. Now they are $2 to $4 each.  With them and other big distributors coming on board prices will start to fall.   

FEIT LED lights are now being sold in Lowe’s stores.  That is where I bought the latest and best light. It is the Performance LED 21w = 75w, 75 Watt Replacement Uses Only 21 Watts.  The Chamblee Lowe’s store had 4 quantity display pack on the shelf.  I bought one to try, in case it was another let down in light quantity and quality.  I am very happy with the black metal casing light, very happy and so is my wife. 

The key is to follow my advice and experimenting, or buy one at a time and try it out till it the correct brightness for the application.  There are also choices in light color so experiment there.  I bought cool white and warm light. Anne, my wife likes the warm white and I like the cool white.   

I was a pioneer using compact fluorescents back in 1997 to save on operating coast and to reduce the heat that incandescent bulbs give off that you then have to cool in summer.  My early use of compact fluorescents brought down costs for all of you but at the cost of some inconveniences that are the light slowly starts up, strange light color and mercury when they broke.  

Now with my conversion to LED, I am becoming mercury free as opposed to compact fluorescent, have a 30,000 hour light life, the lights operate cool so no heat is given off to the cool down in the summer, some light instantly so no waiting like with compact fluorescent, and they cost a whole lot less, up to 90% less to operate.