New Cree LED Light Bulbs

Steve961
Steve961 Solar Expert Posts: 93 ✭✭✭✭
in Energy Use & Conservation #1
Not sure if anyone else has noticed, but Cree has just released their new residential light bulbs. The bulbs are efficient, omnidirectional, traditionally sized, and relatively inexpensive. They seem to be available exclusively through Home Depot, at least for now, and can be ordered online.

The 40 watt equivalent has the following specs:

6 Watts
450 Lumens
25,000 Hour rated lifetime
2,700K color temperature
Lights instantly, omni-directional
Mercury free
Safety-coated glass
Dimmable
Price of $9.97 at Home Depot

Here are links to two of them at Home Depot:

6W (40W) Warm White A-Type Replacement LED Bulb

9.5W (60W) Warm White A-Type Replacement LED Bulb

At my off grid cabin I plan to replace all of my 9W (40W) Phillips CFLs with these. Most of my electrical usage, especially in winter, is lighting, so I should see a significant energy savings with these. It'll hopefully postpone my needing to get a bigger battery someday. The only problem I'll have to work around is my SureSine inverters 8 watt autosensing threshold - the Phillips CFLs used just enough energy to trigger the inverter.

Steve
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Comments

  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: New Cree LED Light Bulbs

    Lucky Americans.
    Try buying an LED bulb in B.C. - $30, and it's not even a big one. :cry:
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: New Cree LED Light Bulbs

    those look promising, about the same price as the 180 deg HD brand of bulbs. (that I just bought 2 of)
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
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  • northerner
    northerner Solar Expert Posts: 492 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: New Cree LED Light Bulbs
    Cariboocoot wrote: »
    Lucky Americans.
    Try buying an LED bulb in B.C. - $30, and it's not even a big one. :cry:

    Actually, Philips has a good bulb out that I purchase recently for about $20 at Home Depot (in BC too, yaaaay). I am quite pleased with it, and is a little cooler than their endura LED's at 3000k. It's 10.5 watts and puts out 800 lumens. It's not suitable for dimmers or enclosed fixtures, however, but is OK for damp locations. Most of the LED's are not to be operated in enclosed fixtures. Only one I know of is from Switch Lighting, which uses liquid cooling.

    I'm sure prices of the LED's will keep coming down over time as well.
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  • NorthGuy
    NorthGuy Solar Expert Posts: 1,913 ✭✭
    #5
    Re: New Cree LED Light Bulbs
    northerner wrote: »
    Actually, Philips has a good bulb out that I purchase recently for about $20 at Home Depot (in BC too, yaaaay).

    I wanted to buy some in HD, but I didn't. I thought they were more like $24. In BC, with HST will be close to $30.
    northerner wrote: »
    I'm sure prices of the LED's will keep coming down over time as well.

    I'm waiting for this. For now, I think CFLs are more economical. They use slightly more power, but cost several times less.
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  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: New Cree LED Light Bulbs

    Northerner, which one? http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchView?D=philips&Ntt=philips&langId=-15&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&storeId=10051&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&catalogId=10051&Nty=1&s=true&N=172458
     
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    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
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  • northerner
    northerner Solar Expert Posts: 492 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: New Cree LED Light Bulbs
    NorthGuy wrote: »
    I wanted to buy some in HD, but I didn't. I thought they were more like $24. In BC, with HST will be close to $30.

    No, I didn't factor in that darn HST! I paid $20 on the island around Xmas.
    NorthGuy wrote: »
    I'm waiting for this. For now, I think CFLs are more economical. They use slightly more power, but cost several times less.

    I switched all my open air bulbs to LED and I use the existing CFL's I was using for enclosed fixtures. I think that the cost of bulbs is minimal when you compare with the price of putting in an entire solar system. I really don't care for the CFL's much, particularly in locations where the light is on for short periods of time, or in close proximity to people. So far, the Philips Endura LED is my favorite. Good color and light dispersal. It does have a minor hum, which could be annoying to some.
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  • ggunn
    ggunn Solar Expert Posts: 1,973 ✭✭✭
    #8
    Re: New Cree LED Light Bulbs
    NorthGuy wrote: »
    For now, I think CFLs are more economical. They use slightly more power, but cost several times less.
    I have been replacing most incandescent bulbs as they die with CFL's over the last few years. I have been somewhat disappointed with their longevity, or rather, the lack thereof. There's that pesky "up to" in the manufacturers' claims of how long they will last. The large print giveth and the small print taketh away.

    I replaced the ceiling light in my garage/music studio with a 60W equivalent LED, and other than its half second delay in starting up, which is just about long enough to think that it may be burned out, I like it fine.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #9
    Re: New Cree LED Light Bulbs
    ggunn wrote: »
    I replaced the ceiling light in my garage/music studio with a 60W equivalent LED, and other than its half second delay in starting up, which is just about long enough to think that it may be burned out, I like it fine.

    This is why I still have incandescent bulbs in my tool shed; CFL's at -40C don't light up until Summer comes. :p
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  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    #10
    Re: New Cree LED Light Bulbs
    Steve961 wrote: »
    Not sure if anyone else has noticed, but Cree has just released their new residential light bulbs. The bulbs are efficient, omnidirectional, traditionally sized, and relatively inexpensive. They seem to be available exclusively through Home Depot, at least for now, and can be ordered online.
    Thanks for the heads-up Steve.
    I see that they are also offering 5000K lamps that may be suitable for outside use or any application where the warm, incandescent-like appearance is not required. Those seem to be marginally more efficient (9watts instead of 9.5 watts for 60 watt equivalent.)
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
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  • williaty
    williaty Solar Expert Posts: 60 ✭✭
    #11
    Re: New Cree LED Light Bulbs
    Steve961 wrote: »
    6 Watts
    450 Lumens
    25,000 Hour rated lifetime
    2,700K color temperature
    Lights instantly, omni-directional
    Mercury free
    Safety-coated glass
    Dimmable

    These specs are missing one of the 4 most important specs: CRI. A quick googling didn't turn it up. Does anyone know the CRI for these emitters?
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  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    #12
    Re: New Cree LED Light Bulbs
    williaty wrote: »
    These specs are missing one of the 4 most important specs: CRI. A quick googling didn't turn it up. Does anyone know the CRI for these emitters?

    Look at the actual Cree site, and see that it is 80. Not great, but not outrageous either.
    There are definitely better. The Phillips L Prize model 420244 lists a CRI of 92 and a list price of $50 (color temperature unknown), while the less expensive Phillips A19 size bulbs have a CRI of 81 at 2700K.
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
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  • williaty
    williaty Solar Expert Posts: 60 ✭✭
    #13
    Re: New Cree LED Light Bulbs
    inetdog wrote: »
    Look at the actual Cree site, and see that it is 80. Not great, but not outrageous either.
    There are definitely better. The Phillips L Prize model 420244 lists a CRI of 92 and a list price of $50 (color temperature unknown), while the less expensive Phillips A19 size bulbs have a CRI of 81 at 2700K.

    Darn, that's too bad. 80 CRI isn't good enough to avoid causing me problems.
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  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    #14
    Re: New Cree LED Light Bulbs
    williaty wrote: »
    Darn, that's too bad. 80 CRI isn't good enough to avoid causing me problems.
    My guess (with no support whatsoever) is that if you combined one of their 40 Watt equivalent CRI 80 2700K bulbs and one of their 40 Watt equivalent CRI 80 5000K bulbs in the same fixture, or lighting the same area, the CRI for the pair would be pretty good. It really depends on just what individual LED chips and phosphors are being used in each bulb.
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
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