Dean's LED House

[KarenH]

I'm hoping that soon we can all retrofit our homes to LEDs, but without having to spend $$$$$ like Dean did.

I'm finding that the compact fluorescent lights are unsatisfactory. In California, you can't throw them in the trash (probably shouldn't anywhere--they contain mercury). I decided to accept that when I made my first purchase.

But now I realize that their performance is not as good as traditional light bulbs. Some kinds take forever to "warm up". So you walk into a hotel bathroom with no windows, turn on the light, and wonder why the hotel put in such a dim light. Later, you wonder why the bathroom light is so bright!

At home, we put a CFL in our bathroom, and it sure didn't last any 5 to 10 years. In fact, I believe it lasted LESS time than an incandescent bulb.

My experience with LED lights, on the other hand, has so far been better than with CFLs. They seem to be reliable, instant-on, instant-off. Some color issues may need tweaking, and it may be hard to put them in a traditional light fixture. I don't know all the technical details, but I hope they get worked out before the California government daddies and mommies try to force everybody to use the CFLs.