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Standing on a small stepladder in the understairs closet, I recently passed an uncelebrated milestone: I swapped out the last incandescent lightbulb in the house. It was hardly a grand achievement, just the natural result of traditional bulbs failing one by one over the years. Still, my frugal nature found it pleasing, and worth (pardon the pun) shining a light on.
Having changed every bulb with my own fair hand, I can confidently tell you there are 78 in the house. LED lighting should provide a decent “humble saving” from here on.
Take our kitchen/dining area as a small case study. It has 18 bulbs in total. Before LEDs, the fully lit space drew over 1kW of power, and now it draws under 200 watts. That is a wonderful 80% reduction in running costs.
I won’t claim every room saw a cut that big, since the kitchen/dining area was always the worst offender. But with 78 bulbs, the savings add up. Assuming roughly a fifth of the lights are on for four or five hours a day through winter, and far less in summer, I reckon we’re saving around $150 a year.
There’s also a small investment lesson hanging in that closet. The incandescent bulb reigned for well over a century and seemed about as permanent as the light switch itself. Then a better idea came along, helped by a nudge from the regulators, and the old order was gone. Some manufacturers adapted. Others, and anyone who’d put all their faith in them, were left in the dark.
No need to panic. But it might make me gentle question any company or sector that looks too established to fail. I can’t tell you which industry will be switched off next, which is rather the point. Spreading my investments widely means I don’t have to guess, and I can get on with my bulb-changing in peace.
So there it is: 78 bulbs, one stepladder, and a saving so quiet you’d never hear it. No fanfare, no ribbon-cutting, just a house that’s a little brighter and a little cheaper to run. I’ll admit to a small, private smugness every time I flick a switch. It’s the sort of triumph no one else will ever notice, which suits me fine.
After all, the best savings are the ones that happen while you’re not looking.
What was the initial lightbulb investment, in order to save $150/year? Glad you did it (for climate’s sake), but I was missing the payback month.
I only started switching about five years ago, and I never tracked the cost. As I remember it, LED bulbs initially carried a $3 or $4 premium over incandescent, but prices dropped quickly after the ban. I’d estimate my total spend at a few hundred dollars, and certainly no more than $500. Even at that upper figure, the savings of roughly $150 a year are a solid ongoing return, around 30% annually. I’d be thrilled if my portfolio made that every year!
It took me a few years to accept LEDs. They were expensive and their claims to longevity were, IMHO (and experience), blatantly untrue. A few were incompatible with certain wiring configurations and lamps. I stocked up on some incandescents to weather the ban. But then the LEDs got better, the choices among light shades got much better (daylight, cool white etc), and now many can be selected on the bulb. New electronics offered “on at dusk, off at dawn” and motion sensors. Even the prices got better. So I’ve now been completely converted. Every new replacement is now an LED. And I think I have a few incandescent spares I will never use.
I must say, the one place I really don’t like LEDs is on a dark, wet evening when a car is coming towards me. For some reason, LED headlights really dazzle me.