Light Bulb Review, Test & Buying Guide for your Can Lighting
Are you curious about the claims that LED and CFL light manufacturers make about their energy consumption and light output? Are you unsure which bulb type is the best investment? I was, so I bought four different types of bulbs from the local Home Depot and put them through their paces.
This test included popular off the shelf bulb types; incandescent, CFL (compact fluorescent light) and two LED configurations. Here is the overview of the bulbs tested.
Details about the test: The test was conducted in a kitchen with ten foot ceilings. Six can lights were configured in a rectangle centered over the kitchen area. Using a LUX Meter and a Multimeter I installed each of the four different light bulb sets and tested the total light emitted to the work surface (in lumen) and the total draw on the circuit (in amps). I took light and power samples at the 0, 5 and 10 minute intervals to check power and light variances over time. Here are the results.
Incandescent - Phillips Duramax BR40
The Good: Light quality, light output & dim-ability are all exceptional. Dim-ability is fantastic ranging from full lumen output to almost zero. The light output remained constant at about 177 lumens when tested at the 0, 5 and 10 minute marks. Other bulbs, as you will see later in this article, see light degradation as the bulb gets warmer. The cost per bulb at $4.49 is at the low end of the spectrum.
The Bad: Yearly energy consumption is $7.83** per light bulb which is dramatically higher than the other bulbs tested. The expected lifespan for this bulb is only 2.3 years which is poor.
The NET NET: If you absolutely need/want the pure light of an incandescent bulb and the best dim range possible (especially at the low settings) this is the bulb for you. However, these features don't come cheap. Despite the per bulb cost being low you will replace these bulbs more frequently. Additionally, you can expect your energy bill from this lighting option to be 4x higher than CFL or LED!
CFL (Compact Florescent Lighting) - Feit Electric Ecobulb Soft White
The Good: Yearly energy consumption is only $1.81** per light bulb which is comparable with the LED's tested. The light output and quality were good but there was some fairly dramatic degradation in light output over time (see The Bad). This bulb has a lifespan of 7 years which is remarkably better than the incandescent light bulb but much worse than the LED's.
The Bad: This CFL simply doesn't dim although you can find some CFL bulbs that list dimming as a feature. Secondly, I noticed a dramatic degradation of light output over time, the worst tested. At the ten minutes mark the lumen output had dropped from a very good 199 lumens to a below average 140 lumens. This bulb produced the lowest lumen output at the 10 minute mark.
The NET NET: Although they are energy efficient I am very disappointed with these bulbs. Dimming these light bulbs ranges from very poor to not at all and the light output dropped off the map after ten minutes. Lastly, they contain mercury which is very hazardous. I'd only recommend these bulbs if your budget won't allow for LED and you don't need to dim your lighting. For excellent information on CFL and safety read Scientific American article on CFL's.
LED Bulbs - Cree EcoSmart Soft White BR30
The Good: First, this bulb has the lowest yearly energy consumption tested at $1.39**. Second, it has the highest lumen output of any bulb tested ranging from a peak of 242 lumens and finally stabilizing at 214 lumens at the ten minute mark. Third, it is the most energy efficient drawing a measly 0.35 amps (and recall this was 6 bulbs!!). This bulb dims fairly well dropping down to 5% of the total lumen output.
The Bad: There are only two weak points to this bulb and the first is the price. At $19.97 per bulb, outfitting an entire room or house can really add up. Second, the dim feature was not as refined as the incandescent bulbs. I list it as okay plus (being really nit picky here).
The NET NET: Fantastic bulb and the best tested! I was happily surprised to see these bulbs beat out even the Cree bulb with the integrated trim assembly.
LED Bulb w/ Integrated Trim - Cree EcoSmart Soft White 6" Flood
The Good: This bulb found itself squarely in second place just behind the Cree bulb without the integrated trim. First, a yearly energy consumption of $1.51** is still fantastic. Second, it outperformed the CFL and incandescent with 212 lumen and 201 lumen at the 0 and 10 minute mark.
The Bad: These are the same two points as the Cree bulb above. The price of this bulb is $26.97 which can make a multi-bulb project very expensive. Also, the dimming is not excellent but okay plus (again, nit picky).
The NET NET: Fantastic bulb with integrated trim. If you like the look of the integrated trim (which I do), it's a great way to update the entire look of your can lighting. I have bought over 80 of these lights for several projects and I absolutely love them. I strongly recommend these lights for any room in the house.
FIND ALL SORTS OF DETAILED INFO ON PAGE 2.
Appendix A - Lumens, Watt Equivalents, Bulb Life & Color
When shopping for bulbs make sure to find this label on the box (see label to the right). This label will tell you everything you need to know about the bulb. The following four features will help you choose the right bulb.
- Brightness (in lumens) - This is a good indication of how much visible light you will get from the bulb. Generally speaking, the bigger the number, the more light.
- Life of the bulb - Initial price is one thing, replacement frequency or life can change your math. LED's can last decades, CFL's from five to seven years and incandescent lights one to two years.
- Light Appearance (color temperature) - Lights range from warm to cool and most Home Depots have a helpful display setup where you can see the whole spectrum of light bulb temperatures. Warm tends to be a more inviting natural light and cool lights tend to have a more harsh industrial feeling. All the lights tested in this article are classified as cool. I encourage you to visit a Home Depot to check them out before making an investment.
- Energy Used - This is an indication of the actual energy the bulb is going to use and is measured in watts. For instance, a 65w incandescent bulb uses 65w but the LED shown here is a 65w "equivalent" and uses only 12.5w. This makes a big difference when you receive your electricity bill.
Appendix B - Light (lumen) Output Over Time & My Thoughts
I uncovered two interesting facts during this test. The graphs provide a good visual illustration.
Light Degradation Data - I was very surprised to see how much light degradation occurred over the ten minute test. Take a look at the Lumen Output Over Time graph below. The CFL saw dramatic light output degradation that occurred steadily over the ten minutes. It is worth noting that the amp draw also dropped indicating that the efficiency ratio was remaining constant. Although I have no evidence to support it, my suspicion is that the CFL bulb's performance dropped faster than the bulb with integrated trim because the CFL bulbs cannot expel heat fast enough.
Cree Bulb, Small Bulb with a BIG PUNCH - I am impressed with the amount of punch that the Cree LED light bulb packed. I was expecting the Cree bulb to under perform the bulb with integrated trim due to the larger heat sync on the later. Compare the two graphs. The Cree bulb was the lowest energy user and the best light generator.
