new LED technology?
- Thread starter MikeB
- Start date
I was reading about that just a minute ago:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1649...he-horizon.html
Looks very promising!
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1649...he-horizon.html
Looks very promising!
No need to wait for the Brits. Cree Lighting here in the good old USA offers an excellent recessed fixture. It is the lumen equivalent of a 65 watt R-30 incandescent recessed fixture. I installed them in my boss's boss's office. Great color and intensity, easy install. It is supposedly dimmable to 20%, but I don't have it on a dimmer. The lamp can fit some 6" existing cans. Best of all it's only about $100 for lamp and fixture - a great value for an LED lamp this bright. Payback in an office environment was calculated at less than two years when compared to CFL.
Mark
I have a circuit of 5 recessed lights (PAR - 30 type, as I recall) over a section of our back porch (large wrap-around, and this is the section between the back door and the back stairs). These lights go on many times each day, whenever it's dark outside and we open the back door, or when someone drives up to the detached garage (they enter the house from there through the back door), etc. It's handy, but I keep thinking about how much energy and money I'm wasting, despite the convenience. If I put in CFLs, they won't function well in the cold or come on quickly to a reasonable level of brightness. They're 65 watt incandescents. Does anyone know of a good, reasonably priced (the big problem) LED substitute for each of these incandescents?
Good topic. I'm currently installing some high quality Nemalux decorative LED lights around the outside of my home. The PODS house an adjustable magnifying lens allowing for variable light angle from 12[sup]o[/sup] to 120[sup]o[/sup], excellent for outside use and hi-lighting various walls and areas around the home. They are not exactly cheap initially but over the long term it should work out because they each LED only uses 1.2 watts and they light up a considerable area. So far there are 15 connected to the transformer with another 15 to go around the back, all controlled by ISY and Insteon Outletlink (which is very reliable).
I decided on the warm white LEDS because the white ones come across as quite cold and tend to make the surroundings appear bluish. Looking forward to prices coming down so I can use more of them.
Wayne
I decided on the warm white LEDS because the white ones come across as quite cold and tend to make the surroundings appear bluish. Looking forward to prices coming down so I can use more of them.
Wayne
Cree is definitely coming out with some cool stuff. They have been installing the LR24 units in many places now, and just announced that they are installing more of these in the Pentagon. The specs look impressive, but still very expensive. Hopefully this will change soon.
I had decent success dimming the LED floods I purchased last year with Insteon. Here is a demo video I did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo53m4UqI58
Neurorad
Senior Member
That Cree LR6 is pricey, ~$90/bulb, sans housing.
I wonder how long it will pay for itself.
Of course, if I factor in the headaches of changes the scores of can light bulbs in my house, they may pay for themselves a lot sooner. Especially the ones that are 25' up.
I'm guessing they'll come out with a 4" retrofit bulb soon, as well as outdoor floods.
The biggest prob with these LED's, of course, is the color 'temperature' - sounds like Cree is there now, though I'll have to see for myself. Thanks for sharing your experience, Mark.
I wonder how long it will pay for itself.
Of course, if I factor in the headaches of changes the scores of can light bulbs in my house, they may pay for themselves a lot sooner. Especially the ones that are 25' up.
I'm guessing they'll come out with a 4" retrofit bulb soon, as well as outdoor floods.
The biggest prob with these LED's, of course, is the color 'temperature' - sounds like Cree is there now, though I'll have to see for myself. Thanks for sharing your experience, Mark.
I switched all the CAN lights in my house over to Cree. They are fantastic. I don't use the dimming much but they dim very nicely, down to maybe 25%. The only problem that I have had, is that they are quite sensitive to electrical noise which causes them to flicker a bit. I had a problem with a Panasonic microwave causing them to flicker, and it also caused my UBP lighting not to work. I built a filter for the microwave and it solved both problems.
They are rated at 12W but I measure about 8W. If you walked into my house, you would NEVER know they weren't incandescent. NEVER. I went the CFL before this and they are bad. They take time to "warm" up in the winter and I was changing one at least every two weeks. Never again. I'm sold on these.
They are rated at 12W but I measure about 8W. If you walked into my house, you would NEVER know they weren't incandescent. NEVER. I went the CFL before this and they are bad. They take time to "warm" up in the winter and I was changing one at least every two weeks. Never again. I'm sold on these.
You have to be careful with these lights that just use a series of white LED's. From experience they are mostly worthless. The Cree can put out 650+ lumens and gives a true 55- 65 lumuns/watt. That spotlight probably puts out 150 lunums, if your lucky. A "standard" incandescent GE 40W light bulb puts out 280 lunums, so I can guarantee that the LED bulb is NOT a 45W equivalent.
damage
Senior Member
which is why if you're gonna test it out, you might as well buy it from costco because they'll let you return everything
there are a few people happy with the floodlights (although not technical reviews):
http://e-conserve.blogspot.com/2009/01/aft...029738994531228
http://splendoroftruth.com/techtemptions/2...ed-flood-lights
http://twitter.com/cyberentomology/status/1145388662
