Some new 800 lumen bulbs use ~9W (~90 lumens/watt), while others use ~5W (~160 lumens/watt).
| Brand | Price (each) | Lumens | Watts | lm/W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand P | $3.86 | 850 | 5 | 170 |
| Brand I | $2.50 | 800 | 5 | 160 |
| Brand G2 | $3.81 | 800 | 7 | 114 |
| Brand A | $2.69 | 800 | 9 | 89 |
| Brand G1 | $3.99 | 800 | 8.5 | 94 |
| Brand F | $3.25 | 800 | 8.8 | 91 |
These are all basic bulbs: dimmable, E26 socket, A-shape, a single color, and no smart features. They are sold in sets from 2 to 6 bulbs.
I'm not advertising, so I omitted the brand names. I'm just excited about conserving energy.
When shopping for bulbs, here's a general guide to how many watts to expect.
| Lumens | Watts: low efficiency | Watts: high efficiency |
|---|---|---|
| 450 | 5 | 3 |
| 800 | 9 | 5 |
| 1100 | 12 | 7 |
| 1600 | 18 | 11 |
Of course, if you turn off the bulb, it uses zero watts!
40% more efficient LED bulbs are available
byu/ahz0001 inFrugal
Posted by ahz0001
4 Comments
I finally leave lights on with abandon thanks to led bulbs. I wish you didn’t put in the bit about turning them off. Light is a wonderful thing! Saving a dollar a year turning them off doesn’t make any sense.
Thank you for the information about even more savings
… assuming their power and output numbers are trustworthy.
These bulbs all claim to last many thousands of hours, but in my experience they often fail earlier. The LEDs may last ages, but the power converter is usually what dies.
Going from 9 Watts to 5, running 8 hours every day at $0.20/kWh, means saving $2.34/year. One that needs replaced in half the time could wipe out any savings in power.
And I suspect it’s the “discount” brands that have lower efficiency anyway so, that is to say, get the quality ones.
If you have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore check there for bulbs. I’ve been to two and they both had LED Bulbs for insanely cheap; less than $2 for a four-pack of any bulb.
Edited to add: I replaced all the bulbs in my house three years ago with said LEDs and didn’t have to replace them again.
Wow what are we gonna do with 40% more bulbs? Screw them into to 40% more lamps?