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LEDs require a specific type of dimmer. Older dimmers don't work with them. In fact, X10 and other types of automation can actually make them flicker.

http://www.popularmechanics.co...
https://www.earthled.com/colle...

I liked the popular mechanics analogy:

Legacy dimmers were designed to work with incandescents, and CFL and LED bulbs bear no electrical resemblance to these types of bulbs. Comparing them is like equating an electric heating element and a television set. Both use electricity and both give off light, but that's where the similarity ends.

Your dimmers aren't dimming the right way for LED. You also need dimmable LEDs, which are different than non dimmable ones.

waiting for a good price point

I don't know how much these cost where you live, but where I live I can get LED bulbs at Home Depot from $6 to $20 depending on quality and brightness. They have an expected lifetime of 20+ years, and I don't have to change the light in that time. To me, this is a no-brainer and I've been buying LEDs for my whole house.

In fairness, I know that the power company where I live is subsidizing the bulbs, and absent the subsidy they would cost more. But it seems likely that you might be able to buy subsidized bulbs where you live too.

Also, I just checked the EarthLED web site, and without asking me where I live, the site showed me a deal: $100 for a 20-pack of LED bulbs. I've never heard of the brand ("Euri") but surely you could pay $5 per bulb for something that will last so long?

I like the Cree TrueWhite bulbs and I pay extra for them. LED bulbs tend to be a bit too yellow, so Cree developed a "notch filter" that takes out some of the yellow from the light, correcting the color. But now the light is a bit dimmer since some was taken out; so Cree puts a few extra LED modules into the bulb. Result: same amount of light, better color, consumes a little more power but not too much more.

I have also replaced all the 48-inch fluorescent fixtures in my home with Cree Linear LS4 fixtures at 3500K color temperature. Wow, it's so much nicer light and completely silent. Totally worth it.

If you are using incandescent bulbs, and you replace your most-commonly-used ones with LED bulbs, you will save enough money on electricity to pay for the new bulbs within a reasonable time. If you already have compact fluorescent bulbs, and you don't mind their light, then LEDs aren't guaranteed to pay for themselves right away and it might make sense to keep waiting. Otherwise, go for it.

There are several LEDs now rated for enclosed fixtures.

EarthLED has several of LED bulbs for enclosed fixtures. I'm using an XLedia D100 in my kitchen with no problems. I've got a couple of Switch Infinia bulbs on order for a bathroom. Those ones are pretty new, relatively inexpensive, and come with a lifetime residential warranty.

The only issue I have with the bulbs is the size. Right now I've got a couple of enclosed fixtures that need a single 100W equivalent bulb, but none of the LEDs are small enough to fit. You should be able to find 60W equivalent and under that are comparable size to incandescents, but the 100W equivalent are not quite there. I'm not sure about the 75W equivalent ones. LEDs have been getting smaller over the past few years, so I expect that 100W equivalent bulbs will get small enough in the future.

The other bulb type that is hard to replace with LED is a 3-way bulb. Right now I am only aware of one 3-way LED bulb by Switch that's a 30/60/90W equivalent. I'm stuck with incandescent or CFL for my lamp that takes 50/100/150W for now.

Not all white LEDs. Some have fairly broad spectrums.

There's a measure for that, though, and it's called CRI. A perfect CRI is defined as 100, and you'd think that incandescent would have a 100 CRI but it often doesn't. Great CRI is anything >=95 and halogens often achieves that, but general purpose incandescent lamps are usually less, sometimes horrifyingly less. LED is commonly worse than 95, but almost always better than CFL. For critical viewing LED isn't always the best choice unless it's made for the purpose, but that's true for any bulb. LED as a class looks better than FL and metal halide.

Here's a link to some LED bulbs with CRIs over 90: http://store.earthled.com/collections/high-cri-led-lighting-90-cri-led-lighting

If you want that looks good, LED is not problematic like CFL.

What?!? There are CFL's with a CRI of 95, where is the LED bulb that competes? Oh, that's right they're the same, because they use the same phosphor based system to create full spectrum light.

As far as the use in cans, both LED's and CFL's have the same problem with overheating ballasts, unless you have DC power run to your LED can light you'll run into the same power and a similar lumen ceiling that you do with CFL's in that application.

I have a set of these from Home Depot. The warranty is a real PITA to comply with because you have to show a receipt (original or copy). The problem is that Home Depot uses thermal paper for their receipts. The thermal paper will lose its legibility very likely before the six years are up, especially if you store the receipts anywhere that is warmer than room temperature. So you have to make a scan or xerographic copy of the receipts, then file them somewhere you will remember 1-6 years from now (which is why I prefer scans). The fine print in the warranty also says that they assume you don't use the bulb for more than three hours per day. How anyone can determine compliance with that term I have no clue. I wonder if they have an inexpensive circuit on that PCB that logs the running time of each bulb, as a teardown reveals a Cypress Semiconductor CY8CLED04 microprocessor with more than enough muscle to keep a running meter, provided some non-volatile memory.

Ah, man, you got me! Here's one list of places which have LED bulb rebates, and even though you are surrounded by rebates, you live in an island without one (on that page, anyway). You'd have to fall back onto rebates available to the general public, or wait for your company to introduce a program.

Try here: http://www.earthled.com/

Home Depot is also starting to stock LED bulbs.

I have two EarthLED bulbs, a ZetaLux and EvoLux. They were not as cheap as I'd like, but the problem was that the ZetaLux is too long (5.5") and the EvoLux has a fan that is already quite noisy when the light is on, after only 1 year of use. Only the EvoLux has the Sh model that is the normal 4.5" height like all the regular bulbs and CFLs, so it can at least fit into common fixtures, but the fan sucks.

I also have a Oznium.com X5 that is apparently no longer for sale. It's pretty dim, maybe a 40W replacement at best, but it was only 4" tall and cheaper than the EarthLEDs.

The new ZetaLux 2 line looks interesting. They were not available last year and might actually be what I'm looking for. Size is 4.2", price is $35 for the Pro. 550 lumens might be bright enough. No fan making noise. I'll have to order one and see. Price could be lower and 550 lumens could be higher, but it's an improvement on the old models.

ap.

Anybody know where I can get good 800-1000 lumen LED bulbs, that fit in regular A19 socket with 4" clearance (too many are 5" or more tall, and don't fit in many fixtures), and don't have a fan and heatsink?

Try here: http://www.earthled.com/

Home Depot is also starting to stock LED bulbs.

It will take a while for the shops to get those into stock, but they already exist, I own two of them. Just 5W but lights like a 40W bulb. Have a look at http://www.earthled.com/

Have a look at EarthLed.com, they have LED PAR20 replacements.

There are dimmable LED-bulbs available, have a look at http://www.earthled.com/

Dimmable LED-bulbs are no real problem, given that they have to use a regulated power supply anyway. See EarthLed.com, they have dimmable LED-bulbs and also have a LED-bulb to replace a 100W incandescent, but it is not dimmable (yet).

While I wouldn't mind using LED as replacements when the existing CFL wear out, particularly if they are less toxic when discarded, what I really need is a replacement for halogen small US base and bayonet, along with a few "candelabra" small base bulbs. Dimming would be a plus.

Anyone making those yet?

Hmm, don't know about your socket requirement (I'm not US-based), but have a look at EarthLed.com, they have replacements for 10W halogen bulbs as well as most CFL forms. And yes, they are dimmable.

the current crop of cheap CFLs are not green by any stretch of the imagination.

Why not side step the CFL problem all together by using these?

Sigh, wasting a good thread for modding by replying to this but since no one else has I'll bite.

Why legislate? If the lamps were cost effective, then the municipalities would make the switch. Right now in central Ohio the primary electric provider charges in the neighborhood of $5 per lamp per month for power. The muni is responsible for purchasing the bulbs if I am remembering correctly.

First, you legislate it since its the only way to get it done. Sad but true. Next, you only need LED light bulbs. You don't have to replace the full lamp, at least if these consumer sites are anything to go by.

If the cost of power and the cost of the bulb are figured in, the LED street lamps take an insane amount of time to recoup the cost. Even when you figure in the labor to replace the bulbs every couple of years it still doesn't add up.

Per the source Wikipedia provided the extra initial cost is paid off within two years just from the electricity savings, and barring a physical disaster (such as the streetlamp falling over or getting shot with a gun) you don't have to change the bulb for 20 years. Really, it is a better choice but it would require work by city employees to actually make the change happen. They may even have to do a slide show!

When many budgets are being stretched to the breaking point would you advocate for your town to install LED street lights that will cost more? Would you vote for your taxes to be increased to purchase the lights, or would you prefer that a couple of employees be terminated to pay for the cost difference? I, myself, am not opposed to the idea of installing power saving, pollution reducing equipment, but there has to be a balance somewhere.

Hell yes I would advocate for this. Budgets don't magically get bigger on their own. You have to work for it. You have to plan and invest for it. This is a very, fucking, simple, means to save the city/town a lot of money and power, and it cuts down on light pollution as an added bonus!

Oh and something else to chew on: as more demand for LED lights increases, in the form of cities and towns using them for streetlights, the manufacturing process will be improved as companies compete with one another to produce a cheaper light bulb to sell. That's basic market principles. Demand drives innovation. Yet another long term economic bonus by mandating a switch to LED lights.

Apparently the Department of Energy in the US thinks they're a damn good thing that should be improved so they can become the defacto light source. They're hosting a contest since May 2008 to create a better LED light bulb. They call it the L-Prize.

Really, once you look at the known facts and the future potential you have to ask yourself why not? A handful of employees might lose their job? Taxes may go up a fraction of a percent? You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, and you can't make improvements for the future without paying for it. To hold back on something as simple as this for the reasons you gave is petty, just petty.

EarthLED has a 100-watt equivalent LED bulb that sucks about the same amount of power as the equivalent CFL (13 watts) without the mercury. The reason it's using 13 watts isn't just the high-power LED inside-- it has a small fan inside of it to keep the thing from overheating (yes, the fan could fail, and the chip might fry well short of its stated 50k hour lifespan and long after the warranty expires...). It costs $80, which is good considering that a year or two ago they had a 40-watt equivalent for that price. I might spring for one once the paycheck is in the bank.

If that's still too rich for your wallet, there's a 40-watt equivalent for $40, and a halogen desk-lamp replacement 2-pack for $40. They're not as bright, but they might do the trick for small appliances.

I got a ZetaLux from Advanced Lumonics last month. It's an all-LED bulb that puts out quite a bit of light. Not quite as much as a 60W incandecent, but damn close! I am happy with it. Expensive, but a nice bulb and supposed to last 12+ years.