As of January, 2014, the Canadian government banned the manufacturing, importing and sale of incandescent light bulbs. The move was made in an attempt to create a more eco-friendly society, but it meant that I had to look at my lighting options and do some upgrading. Home Depot came to my rescue by offering me new lights for my house and I was excited to see if making the switch would have an impact on my house’s power bill. If there’s one thing that’s even better than making an eco-friendly change, it’s making one that saves me money too!
Our house currently had a mix of traditional incandescent light bulbs and CFL bulbs. I don’t like the high power usage of the standard incandescent, but I have to say I absolutely loathe CFL bulbs. They look ugly, they never seem to last as long as they claim, and they contain poisonous mercury. My boys have broken two or three CFL bulbs in the past and it’s always so scary trying to ensure that the bulb gets cleaned up properly.
Home Depot was ready with a solution though! The company sent me enough LED bulbs to replace every incandescent and CFL bulb in my home. These bulbs are the next generation when it comes to lighting and they have so many benefits! For one thing, the bulbs are available in a variety of styles so that exposed bulbs can be as stylish as a light fixture. Our bathroom lighting, for example, originally came with four incandescent globe lights. Over time, we replaced them with CFLs, but they completely ruined the look of the light fixture. Now, I have my beautiful globe lights back again, and the entire light fixture provides 160W of illumination and uses just 36W of electricity!
The other benefit of LED lights is their longevity. A standard LED bulb can last for up to 22 years, and the lights all have impressive warrenties. For example, if a Cree LED bulb stops working within ten years, I can return it for a full refund. And just by switching a single incandescent 60W bulb for an LED equivalent, I can save up to $139 over the lifetime of that one bulb! Most importantly for my household, LED lights don’t contain the dangerous toxic substances that CLF bulbs do, so I can feel safe about having them in a house with children.
After installing the bulbs, I learned that LEDs light up immediately and work in freezing temperatures, unlike CFLs. I was pretty worried about how I was going to replace my outdoor porch light once incandescent bulbs were banned; in a province that regularly reaches minus 50 in the winter, CFL bulbs often won’t even light at all. But the LED bulbs have shone bright in the night even in the extreme Saskatchewan cold. With all kinds of lighting options for different needs including dimmable bulbs and special shaped bulbs like the globe lights I received, LED lighting is versatile enough for any household. And best of all, the light is soft and warm just like incandescent lighting instead of having the harsh tone that CFL bulbs do.
While the LED lights have been a big hit with me so far, what I am most excited about is monitoring my electricity bills over the next few months to see how the new lighting impacts the energy cost. I’ll have an update on the results in a few months to share the differences I’ve noticed, because if there’s one thing that makes the initial expense of upgrading to LEDs more palatable, it’s seeing how much money can be saved over time!
I have to admit, I didn’t expect to be as impressed with the LED bulbs as I was. Having tried and disliked the previous eco-friendly lighting option, I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high when testing out the LED lights. But I have been blown away by how beautiful and useful these lights are for my home. The quality of the light is phenomenal and the bulbs themselves look sleek and stylish. If you currently have incandescent or CFL bulbs in your home, grab a few LED bulbs from Home Depot and give them a try to see if you prefer them. They’re a great choice for anyone looking for safe and eco-friendly lighting!
Anne Taylor says
We have yet to hop on the LED bandwagon, but are planning to very soon. Thanks for the info!
Wanda Tracey says
Wow! I’m kind of blown away by the savings you get in return for going LED.When the government banned incandescent light bulbs I went out and bought as many as I could find …LOL…so it’s going to be a little while yet before I change over, but I definitely will get there.
Erika B says
Its so awesome to be able to save money!! Thanks for sharing
Heidi C. says
We only have LED now. It took a little adapting…
Lynda Cook says
I haven’t gotten any LED bulbs yet, but I did switch all my bulbs to CFL and like you said they do not last like they tell you and plus I’ve had a few actually break right in the socket when they died, not safe at all…I’ll have to same my money and invest in the LED lights
Doris Calvert says
We changed all of ours a year ago and do not regret it, did it more for our earth than money
Karen HIll says
There has been so much controversy about LED lights I have been on the fence for awhile now
Erika says
These are great! My husband only buys LED now.
Treen Goodwin says
Awesome i don’t have any LED yet but we will be getting them very soon !! 🙂
kristen visser says
my hubby only buys LED now!
Teresa Claire says
I prefer the new LEDs too. They cost more initially but I think the cost out weighs the benefits.
ZAINAB says
Great tips
Emily Chui says
they’re so pricey but so worth it!
Lisa Paquette says
I also prefer the LEDs. We are slowly replacing our lightbulbs with LEDs as they burn out – it’s too pricey to replace them all at once anyway lol
Gord says
I would really like to try these!
Valerie Crawford says
I think I am going to try these. Some of my bathroom lights need to be replaced anyway.
Judy C (Judy Cowan) says
We are slowly starting to replace our bulbs with the LED ones so we can spread to cost of the replacement over a period of time.
christel says
I love my CFL bulbs. I used to go through a case of incandescent bulbs a year because of my old wiring and fixtures, but the CFLs handle the electricity fluctuations. I’ve only had to replace one and Ive had them for years and years. However, I will definitely look at the LEDs when I need to replace my CFLs.
sarah sar says
Uh oh I had no idea incandescent light bulbs were being banned. I have not used LEDs yet but perhaps now I don’t have a choice. I will pick some up soon and see how they fare!
angela m says
We changed most of ours a few years ago. I still did not do our bathroom ones which is the round ones like in your picture.
Stephanie LaPlante says
We are slowly changing our bulbs to eco-friendly
Dreena says
Thanks for your info on the LED lighting.
Cheers.
kathy downey says
Thanks for sharing,we hope to be all changed over by summer
Melanie B says
I really should look at replacing the bulbs in my bathroom! I will check this out!
Deb Dorrington says
We are slowly replacing all our bulbs to LED, like you I really dislike CFL bulbs because they are ugly and do not last as long as they should.
cheryl says
Ive never even heard of LED! I will be looking into these now!
Debbie W says
We have switched over our entire house, but sadly we just break even. With all the hydro increases, our bills are the same as last year. I hate to imagine our bills if we didn’t switch.
Ester G says
It’s great that the LED lights have become more popular and slightly more affordable
Nena Sinclair says
I love this lighting, but wish it was less expensive to buy. I guess since it lasts so much longer, though, it would be worth it!
Clifford says
I am slowly switching over to LED lights, they are a bit expensive but so much better than the CFL bulbs which we didn’t like at all.
mrdisco says
just in time for earth hour too
Jennifer L. says
I need to replace a couple lightbulbs. It sounds like it makes sense to look into LEDs.
beth says
we only buy LED’s they really do make a difference
caryn s says
thanks for the review Kat as i was worried what i could use to replace incandescent light bulbs!
Florence C says
We have some Led and some of the regular ones in my house
Jeannie says
My dad was huge with LED lights and I love how LED lights now comes is soft lighting so it’s great if you want the look of a regular light bulb.
Tanis says
We renovated last year and switched all of our bulbs! We like the light better and it’ll save us money!
Fan R says
Home Depot is far from me so may be find those somewhere else.
Yuen Chik says
I got some money saving coupons on lightbulbs that I will use
Erika Messer says
Thank you for the review – I haven’t ever understood the differences between the types of light bulbs until reading this! I just knew that one was a lot cheaper! I have about half LED in my house right now because they are so expensive and I am on a VERY tight budget. I am not happy about not having a choice for much longer because it may mean I can’t afford to put light bulbs in my house in all places 🙁
Doris H. says
The amount of savings is amazing. Thanks for sharing this review!
Jennifer says
I find those CFL bulbs never last, and I haven’t gone searching for new light bulbs in a long time. I am super excited to try the new LED ones now! I love they don’t have the chemicals in them.
Denise Klay says
Never too late to learn some new ideas!
Christy Martin says
Very helpful post! I have made a few fails when it comes to which bulbs to purchase. Mistakes are expensive and long lasting claim seems to hold true only when you have an ugly bulb that lights up a room like a baseball field.
Viv Sluys says
We are slowly (as they die) replacing regular bulbs with LED. We’ve already been noticing a difference in our electricity bills
Darlene Schuller says
We switched to LED and noticed a small difference.