LEDs still make the difference

LED bulbs are even more useful now as prices drop and choices abound.
Even the special 'MR-16' bulbs for many outdoor landscape lights have LED equivalents.  The lower wattage and temperatures, and longer life also mean less maintenance since the bulb sockets will last much longer.  That can mean a big savings in repairs.

LEDing the way

Get the LED out.

 They’ve stopped making the incandescent bulbs but even if you don’t like the CFL fluorescent bulbs, there’s hope.  The LED bulbs are (finally) ready and affordable.

LED bulbs are electronic (Light-Emitting-Diodes) so there’s no filament/wire to burn out.

Bulb Type	Annual operating cost 3 hrs/day	Total cost (20 years)	Lifespan (hours)
Old style	$7.20	$165	1,000
CFL fluorescent	$1.56	$40	10,000
LED	$1.30	$35	25,000

They are now available in many different types and styles.  The bulbs will end up saving hundreds of dollars over time. And for hard to reach places like high floodlights or post lights, they’re a real saver.

And it will only get better.  As more people use them, the choices will increase and the cost will decrease. 

Simple comparison (it can get complicated, numbers vary):  

Lumens are the amount of light you get.  If you’re comparing similar bulbs but one has more lumens, that’s probably what you want.

Bulb Type	Annual operating cost 3 hrs/day	Light output (Lumens)	Instant On?	Light color	Watts (energy use = heat)	Cost	Lifespan (hours)
Old style	$7.20	850	Yes	2700°	60	$1.00	1,000
CFL fluorescent	$1.56	775	No	2700°	14	$4.00	10,000
LED	$1.30	800	Yes	2700°	10	$8.00	25,000

Still not convinced? Since they use less electricity and make less heat, you can get more light out of your fixtures (use brighter-equivalent bulbs) and have less heat in the house.  You know how hot the old bulbs got.  That was fine in the winter but it meant more air conditioning in the summer!

1. How much light will you get?  Although the packaging lists ‘Equivalent watts’, it can be misleading. It’s supposed to help guide you in choosing a similar bulb, but check the Lumens!  I’ve seen ’65-watt equivalent’ bulbs with the light output ranging from 650 to 800 lumens.  That’s a big difference. 
2. What color is the light?  The typical incandescent bulb color is rated at about 2700° K(elvin) The warm color is what you get if you heat an incandescent bulb's tungsten filament to 2700°K.  That's best for household lighting.  Fluorescent and some LED bulbs are often 3000° or 3500° for whiter light.  Depending on the room and your preference, there is such a thing as too white.  Look for the 2700° or perhaps 3000° warm white LED bulbs.

For more reading, here's a NY Times article on LED bulbs.

Cost comparisons on another site:  http://eartheasy.com/live_led_bulbs_comparison.html

Snow around generators

Snow build-up around automatic generators can be a problem.  A generator is like a small car engine and needs good air flow for the intake and exhaust.   We went around to our customers to shovel out the snow (at no charge) from all the way around the generator.   The snow will melt away eventually but meanwhile it will run properly during its weekly test cycle and during a power outage.

"If only homeowners had crystal balls to see into the future to know how they would feel after they call a contractor.  We want customers to look back on experiences with us as helpful and satisfying, and to know we'll be ready in the future to provide help or just good advice (check the web site's Helpful Hints section). "

I thought of that after we got a wonderful review from a customer on Yelp.  Part of what we try to do is take the stress out of having work done. 

Get the LED out.

We're suddenly seeing a lot of new and less expensive LED bulbs on the shelves.  These can no be used almost anywhere.
They give the same amount of light as the old bulbs but use 1/6th of the power.  And they can last over 20 years.
Since the prices have dropped dramatically, you'll start to find everyone switching over.
The 2 key questions to remember:

1. How much light doe the bulb make?  Your guide is the 'equivalent watts' number.  The LED bulb that is a 65 watt-equivalent means it's about the same as a 65 watt bulb (but only uses 9 watts).  You save on energy and heat output (important in the summer)..
2. What color is the light?  The typical incandescent bulb color is rated as about 2700° K(elvin) The warm color is what you get if you heat an incandescent bulb's tungsten filament to 2700°K.  That's best for household lighting.  Fluorescent and some LED bulbs are often 3000° or 3500° for white and sun-light.  That's too white for normal use.  Look for the 2700° warm white LED bulbs.

Here's a NY Times article on LED bulbs.

Storm Sandy anniversary

I don't think you celebrate the anniversary of a natural calamity like Storm Sandy!
Remembering it is a good idea.  Learning from it is better.
It made life difficult for everyone.  Perhaps it also made us appreciate all the 'normal' things we take for granted every day.
Do you have a plan or stragegy for what to do if the power is out for just 6 or 12 hours now? 
What if it was a snow storm with 20° temperatures?

 "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

From our web site:

Bulbs and Broken bulbs

Bulbs come in different sizes, shapes, colors, brightness and longevity.  Some bulbs are interchangeable, some are not.  Here's how to make some bright decisions:

• Buy name brand bulbs.  Off-brand bulbs may have the same wattage (watts say how much electricity it uses) but will not be the same brightness.  We've solved more than one lighting problem by simply having the customer use good bulbs.  Examples:  GE, Philips, Sylvania, Westinghouse.
• If you change a burned out bulb and it still doesn't work, try a bulb from a working fixture.  If it doesn't work, be sure the bulb works when you put it................................
  
  
  A lot more info follows on CFL and LED bulbs also.
  http://a-1electricco.com/hhbulbs.php