LED light bulbs make cents!

 At some juncture, while looking at ways to winterize my home and make it more energy efficient, I got to looking at the light fixture by my bed. As is my habit, I like to read in bed and so inevitably leave the light on after I fall asleep. So, the light burns night after night for about eight hours. It’s a regular 60 watt incandescent bulb as opposed to a CFL light bulb which I found can cause skin cancer when used close to the body. Over time I found that this little bulb, being on every night, could cost around $18 per year to operate. Not a great savings, that’s true, but if there’s a cheaper alternative I'm all ears.

Enter the 40 watt LED light bulb from a company called Hitlights. An alternative light source that costs about $11but which boasts a 40,000 year lifespan! (That’s about 13 years if I were to use it 8 hours a day). And, at only a power consumption level of 6 watts (.006 kWh), that would bring the cost down from $18 for a 60 watt bulb to about $2 over the course of a year. Not a bad savings in my book! So, what’s the downside?? – In a word, color. This bulb’s color rating is 6500 K – which puts it more toward the blue end of the color spectrum when viewed by human eyes. (Note: for $18, they also offer a 75 watt bulb that uses 9 watts of electricity, but which is much closer to a regular incandescent at 2700 K). Will that work for a bedside lighting source? I’ll update this post when it arrives sometime in October.

Update: Hold the presses! My light came recently in the mail and when I installed it I was amazed at how good the light looked!  Here. Judge for yourselves....This photo was not altered in any way and shows just what the light looks like.