Outside lites: LED, CFL, or incandescent?

[Dick in Wisconsin]

We have six outside lights tied to a photo cell and motion detector. I think the fixtures are maxed out at 60 watts each.

What is the best solution for outside lights? LED, CFL, or incandescent? We're in Wisconsin so its cold in the winter. Usually 20 to 35 degrees in the winter and as low as 10 below.

Because of the motion detectors, the lights seem to have a tendency to go on and off often at night. So my concerns are lights (1) that will handle lots of on/off cycles and (2) can handle the cold weather.

 

[Norcal]

What kind of lamp and what base type, if medium base try the CREE LED from HD, but for motion lights a incandescent/ halogen works best because of the frequent on/off cycling.

 

[turbodave]

I would cross cfl's off the list, in cold weather they take too long to warm up. I tried them in the security light on our back porch and in winter it takes 5-10min for them to reach full brightness.

I went shopping for new flood light bulbs a few weeks ago with the intention of getting some nice led ones, came home with incandescent, the savings just aren't there with the led's for me.

 

[Highbeam]

Led Cree floods are still over 20$ each after all the various rebates and subsidies here in the pnw. I installed two new motion fixtures and spent more on bulbs than fixtures. Love the leds though. Instant on, no cold issues, low watts.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

What kind of lamp and what base type, if medium base try the CREE LED from HD, but for motion lights a incandescent/ halogen works best because of the frequent on/off cycling.

I have what I would call "normal" bases. The most common for lights. Can't remember the technical term.

Led Cree floods are still over 20$ each after all the various rebates and subsidies here in the pnw. I installed two new motion fixtures and spent more on bulbs than fixtures. Love the leds though. Instant on, no cold issues, low watts.

I'm not surprised you spent more on lights than the fixtures.

What are you thoughts about frequent on/off cycling and LEDs? Does frequent on/off cycling lead to premature failure of LEDs?

 

[rsanter]

Led is the best for cold and on/off cycles

Bob

 

[yeldogt]

LED's I have changed all my thinking with outside lights.

Most of the bulbs use so little power -- I have put them everywhere outside.

Most of my lights are now on timers -- they stay on all night and I only use the incandescent lights when I need it extra bright or in an area when I don't want a light on all the time.

IKEA sells a great bulb for $5 -- I think it is 600 lumens. It is the perfect light for an outdoor fixture -- bright but not too .. they 900 is too bright. I think it is 7W !!

I have tried different bulbs -- the color and light output varies so you have to pick the bulb for the application. I have some Philips bulbs that I installed in my kitchen sconces -- they work great but not advisable in anything where the bulb would be visible. You can get LED bulbs that really look like a typical incandescent.

 

[Buckgnarly]

My neighbor did the LED crees from HD, and after seeing them I will buy nothing else. We see -40F and I am anxious to see how they hold up, but they are freaking bright!

 

[M10]

I have LG LED bulbs outside here in MN, gets plenty cold and they work fine. I think they've been out there 4 years or so and run dusk-dawn. They're older tech, so it takes almost a second for them to turn on if manually switched. I have Cree in the house and they're better, brighter, instant on, better light.

 

[dfiler2]

In MN also and switched out a couple of CFL bulbs in an outside motion light because at -10 they were almost useless for the first 5 min, and it will get a lot colder here yet this winter. I put in two LED lights I ordered from Amazon, they work great and they are on sale right now.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F4S1ZOI/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Joe G.]

CFL = good if you turn on and leave on (ie: dusk to dawn), even in the winter. 12 years in MN and never had an issue - turned on every night but does take some time to warm up to full brightness. POOR when used with sensors - ie: motion sensor lights.

LED = great in almost every application. Handles cold great, only issue is to not use it in a totally enclosed fixture ("jelly jar" type) especially in the summer - heat kills LEDs. Costs coming down making it financially acceptable - though I highly recommend staying with a "name brand". Looking back, poor results usually come from the off-brand models rarely meeting their claimed performance. Just be careful using them outside - many/most are NOT rated for outdoor use, or must be kept totally dry (ie: under a soffit or in a fixture that doesn't allow rain/water to enter).

 

[Fishplate]

LED = great in almost every application. Handles cold great, only issue is to not use it in a totally enclosed fixture ("jelly jar" type) especially in the summer - heat kills LEDs.

And

must be kept totally dry (ie: under a soffit or in a fixture that doesn't allow rain/water to enter).

Are sort of mutually exclusive, eh?

 

[Casey69]

as mentioned, can't do cfl's in super-cold climates. not only do they take a while to warm up, they also use a lot more energy when they're cold (iirc).

i'd still go with incandescent floods if you're using them as a motion detector light. they're cheap, can tolerate all types of weather, and can cycle on/off without decreasing their life.

 

[jd_77]

I have the Cree led bulbs on the back of my house and I turn them on and off few times at night for the dogs. Been working fine. I would try them. I got them at homedepot by you.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

I have the Cree led bulbs on the back of my house and I turn them on and off few times at night for the dogs. Been working fine. I would try them. I got them at homedepot by you.

Thanks neighbor!

 

[maynard9089]

Im using LEDs for all my outside loghting and have been also replacing the inside lamps with LED. Prices are still too high but I think its worth it in my case.

 

[packofqtips]

leds in my motion sensor, not ure on brand but i got dimmable ones because my motion sensor dims the light unless motion is sensed
4 hours after dusk they go off instead of dimming

 

[aar0s]

I've got all led bulbs outside that I leave on 24/7. No problems with em from -7 to 115F.

 

[-Brent-]

I had a more expensive LED in the front light but someone liked it enough to make it their own. I like the instant on, that LED provides over the CFL. I replaced it with a lesser expensive Home Depot LED.

 

[Fueler]

I have most of my place converted to led. I did the outside lights the year before and they survived that Polar blast thing. Still working this winter.
Impressive illumination for blowing out the snow in the early morning also.

 

[Hybrid AWD]

I really like my outdoor LED light I installed in our dog run. The light spread is perfect for what I am after but I would still like to replace the light at the corner of our house with another LED.

I have zero complaints about it.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

What kind is everyone using? CREE from Home Depot?

 

[Highbeam]

What kind is everyone using? CREE from Home Depot?

Yes. Cree for all.

 

[dsimatt]

Just picked up a couple dusk to dawn led lanterns from Costco so I will see how those are.

 

[Joe G.]

And

Are sort of mutually exclusive, eh?

Not at all.

This is will keep it dry but still be outside:

This is outside but totally enclosed... and will cause the LED to overhead.

 

[jeep_boy02]

Just recently read that LEDs do not attract bugs as they don't like the wave of light they put out, any first hand experience with that claim? I'm thinking of changing just for that reason

 

[packofqtips]

i would say false judging by the bugs that fly around the one on my porch in the summer

 

[jerseywild]

You want LED
I installed a dusk to dawn on the front of my shop and it is bright. I had one on the side but too much light coming to the house so I put up a smaller on on the side.

 

[cybrdyke]

Just recently read that LEDs do not attract bugs as they don't like the wave of light they put out, any first hand experience with that claim? I'm thinking of changing just for that reason

There's been alot of R&D done on this and there is no real good conclusion. LED's dont give off any UV light or IR light and some bugs are attracted to those things. LED's dont give off much heat in comparison to incandescents, and some bugs are attracted to the heat. What the scientists are leaning to is this...it seems like the bugs are less interested in the warmer colors 2700 thru 4000 kelvin, but they seem to be a little more interested in the cooler, blue-er colors like 5000 and 6500 kelvin. That would kinda make sense if you think about the color of light in bug zappers.
Anyway, it doesn't seem like all the studies agree one way or the other.
CD

 

[Highbeam]

I had CFLs in my motion lights and the bugs would come so fast that they would keep the motion detector on and the light wouldn't shut off. Switch to LED and I can now use the motion detector fixture as it was intended. In my experience, the LED do not attract as many bugs. Big enough difference to effect my life.

 

[GDPossehl]

I've been replacing all of the indoor bulbs in our new house with LED replacements and am really pleased with the results. They're getting to be more affordable and look great. I was never a true fan of CFLs because of their shape, light color, and warm up times. With the pool running year-round and 2 electric heat pumps I'm hoping to knock just a bit off the power bill where I can.

As for outdoor lights, it's usually most cost-effective to use the retrofit bulbs in the existing standard fixtures. I've only replaced one of the flood lights with an LED replacement, but at $23/bulb I'm holding out on those until the price comes down a little more. I've got 7 of those to go and only a handful of can lights in the house.

 

[Outlander]

I have been using CFLs in all my outdoor lights for a while (save the motion flood lamps). Yes, they do need time to come up to full light, but I'm fine with the light they put out even in cold Quebec winters.

This week I bought 2 LEDs to replace the kitchen lights that never seem to be off except when they burn out. I must replace them 3-4 times a year. If Mrs Outlander likes the LEDs, I'll swap them all out. <sigh> this means I have to repair one of the can fixtures, too.

 

[Toolfool]

I have replaced all of my exterior lights with these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F9WOGBS/?tag=atomicindus08-20 . They throw a more even , whiter light. The motion sensors are more accurately adjustable, and they come with permanently sealed lights.

 

[bullnerd]

Hows the quality on the Lithonia stuff?

Great thread.

 

[artieb]

Would this type of led fixture work well for outside yard or pole light?
https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...xtures&ved=0CAwQkjA&ei=2kyjVM7ABoymyATSxoCgAw

 

[Toolfool]

Hows the quality on the Lithonia stuff?

Great thread.

I like them. Another nice feature is that the angle adjustments can be done without tools.

 

[cybrdyke]

Would this type of led fixture work well for outside yard or pole light?
https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...xtures&ved=0CAwQkjA&ei=2kyjVM7ABoymyATSxoCgAw

Yes, but you can find them much cheaper than that. Try a local supply store.
CD

 

[cybrdyke]

Hows the quality on the Lithonia stuff?

Great thread.

Lithonia is probably the biggest fixture manufacturer there is. That by itself doesn't necessarily mean that they are the best, but they have been around for a million years and they are the preferred brand by most architects and specifiers for lighting projects. They make varying grades of stuff, like most manufacturers. The cheaper stuff is sold in big box stores and by internet sellers, and the better stuff is sold by electrical supply stores.
CD

 

[jimindm]

I like the led stuff. One problem with it is I have some pathway lights, and some up lighting in the landscaping. LEDs do not put out enough heat to melt the snow of of them.

On fixture shining down or out, I would go with LED.

 

[bullnerd]

Lithonia is probably the biggest fixture manufacturer there is. That by itself doesn't necessarily mean that they are the best, but they have been around for a million years and they are the preferred brand by most architects and specifiers for lighting projects. They make varying grades of stuff, like most manufacturers. The cheaper stuff is sold in big box stores and by internet sellers, and the better stuff is sold by electrical supply stores.
CD

Thanks