Upgrading Lighting to LED Bulbs

We get a lot of calls from customers telling us they want to change the type of lighting they are getting in their newer homes from the standard incandescent down lighting.

After much study and research I have found that incandescent and halogen lights generate a huge amount of heat (about 3° F more heat in your house) that you have to air condition out, and cost you on average of between $150 to $250 more on your energy bill over the useful life of the replacement LED bulb.  That is about 75% more than the LED replacements, even with the extra cost of the bulbs.

After investigating replacement bulbs, I found that LED replacements at The Home Depot generate much brighter light and create a much more pleasant home environment.

There are multiple replacement bulbs I would recommend and they are as follows:

1. The EcoSmart 16-Watt BR40 LED Flood Light Bulb for standard down cans
2. The EcoSmart 14-Watt BR30 LED Flood Light Bulb for directional cans
3. The EcoSmart 6-Watt LED Light Bulb to replace a standard 40-Watt bulb or the EcoSmart 10-Watt LED Light Bulb to replace a standard 60-Watt bulb
4. The EcoSmart Candelabra 4-Watt LED Light Bulb to replace a standard 25-Watt bulb
5. And multiple others that are equivalent to other standard bulbs

The steps for replacing these bulbs are as follows:

1. Count your down can, directional cans, standard light bulbs and candelabra bulbs in your home.
2. Purchase your bulbs and try to see if the manager at The Home Depot will give you a discount for these bulbs.  They run between $15 and $35 each but last up to 25,000 hours, use about 20% of the energy of a standard bulb and produce almost no heat.  All of this can save you as much at $250 over the life of the bulb.
3. Remove the existing incandescent light bulbs.
4. If you are replacing standard light bulbs, go to number 8. 
5. While replacing can or down light bulbs, if the bulb being replaced is the same length as the LED bulb, go to number 8.
6. If you happen to have a short version of can or down flood, about 1" shorter than the new bulb, you will need to adjust the bulb support inside the can.  This is done by removing the cover from the can, loosening the wing nut that holds the bulb support, move the bracket up toward the top of the can by about 1" and then re-tighten the retaining wing nut. (see illustration below)
7. Once the bulb bracket is secure replace the cover.
8. Install the new LED light bulbs and test it to make sure it turns on and off properly.
9. Repeat these steps on every bulb until you have replaced all the bulbs.
10. Discard all replaced bulbs properly as required by your local garbage collection or recycling authority.
11. If you are unable to make any of the above adjustments or steps please call a professional to assist you.

If you have any questions please email us at sales@onecallhomehandyman.com or go to our site at http://www.onecallhomehandyman.com for more information. You can also contact us by phone at (832) 800-4441.