LED Lights Great For Special Uses

LED Lights Great For Special Uses BUILDINGS Houses 32-3-14 After hearing so much about energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs, I tried some in my garage. They didn't last. One failed after a few months. Neither was satisfactory. Turn on the lights on a cold night, and instead of 100-watt equivalent light it felt like 20. To make it worse, because of the mercury in them, there is a $1 recycling fee to discard them. Thinking LED bulbs might be a better answer, I picked a seller off the internet and ordered two. They weren't cheap, at $35 for a 2-watt bulb and $45 for a 3-watt bulb, but they're supposed to last 60,000 hours. The 2-watt was described as being good for a bedside lamp, while the 3-watt was recommended for reading lamps or ambient light. It also was supposed to be perfect as a porch light. I tried them both in a couple of spots. The first was stairway lights. Both were adequate at replacing 40-watt bulbs. The bright white light wasn't a problem, and the money saved over the life of the bulb would make nearly any color light acceptable. Between using less electricity and lasting longer, the company figures savings of $353 over the life of the bulb. I then tried them both in reading lamps. Glossy paper reflected a bright glare that was hard to read through, while non-glossy paper and newsprint, like FARM SHOW, was fine. Outside lights were another use where the bulbs really (pardon the pun) shine. Unlike fluorescents, the LEDs are not temperature sensitive. The hard, white light was more than sufficient. While not the warm yellow of incandescents, it was acceptable, and those savings again make the difference. My wife endorsed the idea of replacing all stair and porch lights with LEDs. As she said, "We may never have to change them again!"

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