Here's a Bright Idea: Everything you need to know about LED Light Bulbs

I consider us "green" people. We like to save energy, save water, recycle, save the earth. One of the easiest things to do is to change out your lightbulbs. LED bulbs look more like traditional CFL bulbs and are actually brighter while using just a fraction of the energy! 

Wow these bulbs are bright! I replaced all of our compact CFL light bulbs with LED bulbs (some are warm white and some are cool white) and the rooms are seriously like twice as bright!

Years ago, Honey Graham and I replaced every bulb in our new house (new to us, anyway… the house is from the 70s) with compact CFLs. They were the most energy efficient at the time, so that’s what we wanted to go with. It saved us money on our electric bill, and more importantly, was better for the environment. They are not the most attractive light bulbs and my least favorite thing about them is that they take a little bit to “warm up” to their maximum brightness. 

We replaced the CFL bulbs in Froot Loop’s room with three of these LED bulbs and it is like being outside. I thought the curtains and blinds were open! His room is BRIGHT! His video monitor also switched to “outdoors” mode. We also replaced the bulbs in the bathroom and it's incredible how bright it is in there now. These bulbs also have a cool white glow so they appear a bit more like fluorescent lighting, which will take a few days to get used to. The bulb says it replaces a 75 watt bulb but it appears to be much brighter than a mere 75 watt bulb. Each bulb in his room is 9 watts and 1125 lumens. 

Replacing traditional incandescent light bulbs with these led bulbs save you a boatload of money. One company claims to save you $1089 lifetime savings in energy costs per 6 pack of these bulbs. This figure is based on using the led bulbs for 25,000 hours life at an energy cost of $0.11 per kWh (kilowatt hour), compared to using a traditional 75 watt incandescent bulb over 25,000 hours. Each bulb is estimated to cost a mere $1.08 per year of use. This is based on using the LED bulb for 3 hours a day at the same 11 cents per kilowatt hour electricity charge rate. Using the bulb for 3 hours a day gives an estimated life of 22.8 years. ALMOST 23 YEARS! 

The bulbs turn on and get to their maximum brightness instantly. Unlike compact fluorescent bulbs, they don't take a while to turn on and get bright. They also don't flicker.

There's no Mercury or lead in these bulbs and they are uv and ir free too. It may sound crazy to rave about something as common as a light bulb, but these LED bulbs are amazing. 

I will note that these bulbs are for indoor use only. Also, on the box it says to not install it in a totally enclosed fixture. They still get hot. 

Since these bulbs are so bright, obviously don't look at them for any length of time as you will hurt your eyes.

Have you tried these bulbs? What do you think?