Save money by replacing incandescent holiday lights with LED versions

If your holiday lights have seen better days, you might want to replace incandescent versions with more-efficient and more-durable LED lights.

Our tests of mini, C7, and C9 holiday lights showed that while incandescent versions did burn more brightly than LEDs, the LEDs were much more durable, ran cooler and posed a lower fire risk, and cost less to operate. While the initial cost of LEDs is higher than that of incandescents, we found that LEDs used 1 to 3 kilowatt hours of energy compared with 12 to 105 kWh for incandescents, generating savings of $1 to $11. Watch the video for more details.

Home Depot is offering an added incentive to trade in your played-out strings. For each string of used or broken incandescent holiday lights you turn in through November 15, Home Depot will give you $3 off any new LED lights you buy. The retailer says it will recycle any lights you turn in.

Remember, LED lights are not foolproof, as evidenced by this March 2009 recall issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The lights presented a fire hazard and lacked an easily verifiable label from Underwriters Laboratories or any other recognized testing laboratory indicating that the product had met all safety and construction standards. To keep things safe at your home, follow these precautions for holiday lights:

• Buy only products certified by a recognized testing laboratory, including UL, ETL, or CSA. For UL-listed products, look for the silver- or gold-foil UL label on the cord itself. Labels with the green holographic UL logo indicate the lights are for indoor use only, while those with the red holographic UL logo can be used indoors and out.

• Before you hang them, inspect light strings carefully for loose connections, bare or frayed wires, missing bulbs, and cracked sockets.

• Don't use indoor string lights for more than a 90-day season without inspecting. Don't use outdoor lights for more than three holiday seasons.

• Don't connect more than three strings of push-in bulbs or up to 50 screw-in bulbs together. There are no specific limitations for LED light strings.

• Since the lights' electrical cords might contain lead, refrain from eating while hanging lights and wash your hands after handling them.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Save money on lighting elsewhere in your house by using Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent lightbulbs. Read our latest report on CFLs and check out the ratings of these energy-saving bulbs (available to subscribers).

What's new in Consumer Reports: Home content from the December 2009 issue

The December 2009 issue of Consumer Reports is loaded with coverage of items that will make practical gifts or spectacular additions to any household. (Some items below are available only to subscribers.)

Low-cost, high-performing coffeemakers. We found excellent coffeemakers that cost $20, $40, and $70; the top-rated model topped out at $100. And for $80, you can buy an excellent brew-station type that lets you fill cups directly from the machine.

Lack of versatility dogs pet-hair vacuums. Many vacuums are specifically marketed as the solution to pet-hair problems, but we found none provided a universal panacea. Instead, two mainstream Hoover models stood out for being excellent against pet hair, very good on bare floors, and excellent at cleaning carpets and limiting emissions.

Microwaves that do more. Want convection and speed cook modes? Countertop models from Kenmore and newcomer-to-the-field Cuisinart and an over- the-range model from Samsung offer both; the Cusinart and Samsung also offer grill modes for a taste of summer during the cold months. We also took a look at the innovative Sharp SuperSteam Oven AX-1200[K].

Ranges that make the grade. Induction models are hot, but our tested ones remain pricey at $3,000. Instead, we found four under-$800 ranges from Kenmore and GE that outscored pricier ranges from Dacor and Viking. Move up to the $1,500-to-$2,000 price point, and you'll get a range with a second oven or cooking drawer.

Paper towels in store. Our tests confirmed a similar trend among foods, where store brands outperformed national brands. So you might want to pick some up when you're buying wrapping paper. We also found something for greens to celebrate: One brand of recycled paper performed very well overall. Watch the video on how we test paper towels (above).

Light's (you should toss) out. Discard holiday lights after three seasons. Here's a checklist of things to look for and safe practices to follow when hanging holiday lights.

In the era of the CFL and LEDs, looking back at Edison’s 1879 incandescent invention

Today marks the 130th anniversary of Thomas Alva Edison’s invention of the first commercially viable incandescent lightbulb. (The image, from the National Archives, is from Edison’s patent application; he received the patent in early 1880.) And while incandescents are still being improved upon to be more energy efficient, the emphasis today is on compact fluorescent lighting and LEDs, like those vying for the L Prize in the U.S. Department of Energy's Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prizes competition.

Check out our latest report on and ratings of compact fluorescent lightbulbs and learn how to save money on your annual utility bill.

Essential reading: Find out how to choose CFLs, read "10 Questions for . . . Nadarajah Narendran, Ph.D., Lighting Researcher" for news on advances in lighting technology, and see what European consumers think about the EU's ban on some incandescent lightbulbs.

Buzzword: Socket Saturation

What it means. Socket saturation represents the number of lighting fixtures that use compact fluorescent lightbulbs in this country, according to the folks who run the federal government's Energy Star program.

But the term is actually a misnomer: Although 70 percent of all U.S. homes have at least one CFL—the average is 4.4 CFLs per household—only around 11 percent of all residential sockets are fitted with a CFL, according to Energy Star's March 2009 "Big Results, Bigger Potential" market profile (PDF). Hardly a saturation point. That Energy Star report even acknowledges that "Despite recent market growth, CFL household saturation is still low throughout the United States, even in regions with successful and long-standing energy efficiency programs. . . . Overall, there is still plenty of room for the CFL market to grow." Rush Limbaugh, bombastic basher of CFLs, would probably be happy to read about this less-than-significant saturation.

Why the buzz? Given that CFLs are not an emerging technology and that they can save you significant money over their life span, you'd think that their market penetration would be deeper. Plus, all the coverage of these energy-efficient lightbulbs—including our October 2009 report, which includes ratings of two dozen different CFLs (available to subscribers)—seems like it would have been a sales booster, too.

There are a number of likely causes of this modest socket saturation, including problems with the bulbs themselves, such as cost, quality, performance, and light quality. Recession-driven belt-tightening by consumers is another reason for the shallow penetration. Indeed, even as the price of CFLs has come down, their 2009 sales have dropped 25 percent from their 2007 peak, according to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

The long CFL life span and fewer available in-store promotions and incentives from utilities haven't helped sales either, according to Christina Kielich, a spokeswoman for U.S. Department of Energy.

If you want to take advantage of the money CFLs can save you—about $56 over the average bulb's life—follow the buying advice from our October 2009 report and remember:

• CFLs aren't ideal for every application. They work best in light fixtures that remain on for long periods since frequent cycling on and off can shorten their life, and you won’t get the maximum energy savings from fixtures that are left on for only a few minutes at a time.
• Color is key. As with all lightbulbs, CFLs come in different   "temperatures"—that is their yellowness, blueness, or whiteness. So learn about their various colors as well as their light output (lumens). And since it might take some trial and error to find CFLs that work in your surroundings, save your receipts so you can return bulbs that don't work for you.
• CFLs take time to fully brighten. Since run-up time ranges from 27 seconds to 3 minutes for the bulbs in our tests, don't use CFLs in areas where you need instant light.
• Energy Star-qualified bulbs are best. In our tests, most non-Energy Star CFLs had lower overall scores than Energy Star models. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential reading: CFLs, including all we've tested, contain small amounts of mercury. To keep mercury from being released into the environment, don't throw CFLs out with the trash or your regular recycling. To learn how to dispose of them properly, contact your local department of public works. And if a CFL breaks, follow these clean-up instructions. Finally, if you have you avoided or stopped using CFLs at home, tell us why by leaving a comment below.

Forum Friday: CFLs light up the discussion boards

Compact fluorescent lightbulbs have long been a popular and controversial subject on our forums. So it was no surprise that after airing an interview with one of our editors about CFLs, National Public Radio reported receiving an unusually large number of e-mails. (To find the best CFLs for your home, read our October 2009 report and check out the ratings of specific models, available to subscribers.)

Among reader concerns about CFLs are short life spans, disappointing light quality, and the potential mercury hazard. Learn how to safely dispose of CFLs.

Join in those discussions and others about on/off cycling shortening bulb life, consumers' experiences with brands, and dimmer switches.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: To learn about the latest developments in lighting, read our 10 Questions for interview with researcher Nadarajah Narendran, Ph.D., the U.S. Department of Energy's Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prizes competition, or L Prize, and the European Union's ban of incandescent lightbulbs. For more news on energy efficiency, including the cash for clunkers for appliances program, visit our Energy Saving & Green Living guide.

With new LED lightbulb, Philips is first to enter DOE's Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prizes competition

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that over the course of a year LED lightbulbs could save enough power to illuminate more than 17 million American homes and also keep nearly 6 million metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions from entering the environment.

That's why the DOE, through its Energy's Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prizes competition, or L Prize, is fast-tracking efforts to find replacements for two of the most widely used inefficient lightbulbs—the 60-watt incandescent lightbulb and the PAR 38 halogen lamp.

Philips Electronics recently became the first company to submit an LED bulb (shown) into the $10 million competition, which was established through the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The winning bulbs will also be considered for federal purchasing agreements and promoted by DOE partners, including utility companies.

The DOE has set the bar high for the winning products. It's looking for LED lightbulbs that use less energy than not only incandescent and halogen bulbs but also compact fluorescent lightbulbs. (Check out our latest report on and ratings of CFLs, available to subscribers.) These LEDs must consume less than 10 watts, last more than 25,000 hours, and produce more than 900 lumens—a comparable output of a 60-watt incandescent lightbulb. What's more, the bulbs must be dimmable, and their color, light output, and light distribution must be similar to that of the bulbs their replacing. Independent laboratories will confirm that the bulbs meet the DOE's high standards through testing that's expected to take up to a year.

The competition encourages manufacturers to address LED drawbacks faster than the 20 years it's taken them to improve CFLs. Governments offering prizes for innovation isn't new. To help those lost at sea, the British government offered a prize in 1714 for coming up with a device to measure longitude, and in 1810 Napoleon offered a reward for finding a way to preserve food for soldiers. The chronometer and the canning process resulted.

You can find LEDs in stores now, and some are more efficient than CFLs, last even longer, turn on instantly, and don't contain mercury. But the quality of the white light LEDs typically produce isn't great, they don't produce enough light, and bulbs cost $20 to $50, with some soaring to $100.

The DOE has provided the following rough price guidelines for the winning LEDs: $30 (halogen replacement) and $22 (incandescent replacement) the first year the bulbs are on the market and $14 and $8, respectively, by the third year. These prices reflect rebates and other incentives to consumers. That's aggressive pricing, given that DOE is emphasizing a Made-in-the-U.S.A. model for the LEDs. For instance, 75 percent of the LED must be assembled in this country or packaged here, or the majority of the LED's die or chip must be U.S. made. One of the factors behind the price drop for CFLs is that most are made in China.

We'll continue to track the news surrounding the L Prize and keep you informed of the latest developments in LEDs.—Kimberly Janeway | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential reading: Find out how to choose CFLs, read "10 Questions for . . . Nadarajah Narendran, Ph.D., Lighting Researcher" for more news on advances in lighting technology, and see what European consumers think about the European Union's ban on some incandescent lightbulbs.

What's new on ConsumerReports.org: October 2009 home-related content

Tests that reveal the pros, cons and long-term costs of pellet-burning stoves and solar water heaters headline the new Energy Saving and Green Living Guide that we've published in tandem with these stories from our October 2009 issue. Among the key findings:

• Pellet stoves and solar water heaters. Our Alternative Energy overview reveals how both pellet-burning stoves and solar water heaters could reduce heating costs. But their high prices ($1,300 to $3,900 for pellet stoves; $2,200 to $6000 for solar water heaters, not including installation) and in the case of pellet stoves, higher operating costs (burning pellets is more costly and more polluting than burning natural gas) can lengthen payback times. Both also require upkeep and maintenance. Ratings of pellet stoves and an interim report our solar water heater testing are available to subscribers.

• Simple energy savings. Cut your Energy Bills lists more low-cost and cost-effective ways to reduce your utility bills, including specific tactics for heating and cooling, water consumption, and electricity use.
 
• Tracking federal incentives. See qualification criteria, installation costs, and annual monetary savings from the many energy-savings products and projects eligible for a 30 percent federal tax credit. We also describe how energy audits (done by private firms or on your own with help from government Web sites) can spot home energy wasters.

• CFLs now offer savings and style. Choosing the right compact fluorescent lights is another great way to cut your electric bills. They've been showing up in more and more fixtures, and our ratings (available to subscribers) include models that will work in conventional lights and recessed and track lights, outdoor and flood lights and porch/post lights.

• Readers share mattress ratings. When it's lights out, tap into the wisdom of 17,444 Consumer Reports readers who shared their ratings of the best mattress brands and retailers.

• Vacuums for tough times. Our report on Vacuums rates the performance of both the high-powered high-end and low-priced (but still well performing) models that manufacturers are rolling out during this recession.

• Standout shower towers. Our tests of shower towers revealed three models that could provide an invigorating spray while staying within federal water-consumption regulations and avoiding surcharges imposed by some utilities for heavy water use.

• The scoop on a robotic gutter cleaner. We unleashed the iRobot Looj 155 robotic cleaner on some sections of leaf-clogged gutters and found its promise exceeded its performance. Subscribers can read the full report here.

• Snow blower problem. We found a Toro snow blower that lacks an essential safety feature and gave it our Don't Buy: Safety Alert rating. But safe and cost-effective blowers did abound in our new ratings of 17 models (available to subscribers).

• Green dishwasher detergents wash out. Our tests of three phosphate-free dishwasher detergents also proved disappointing, although you can find capable phosphate-free performers in our August 2009 review of dishwasher detergents.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Find our more about upcoming increases in federal incentives for energy-efficient appliances.

EU begins ban on incandescent lightbulbs

Retailers and consumers in Europe are complaining about the new ban on incandescent lightbulbs of more than 100 watts. According to this New York Times/International Herald Tribune report, the move is supposed to spur use of energy-saving compact fluorescent lightbulbs, but the ban's opponents are citing CFL's higher per-bulb price and inferior quality of light.

The European Union argues that the switch, which will be gradually extended to cover lower-wattage lights by 2020, will save enough energy to power 11 million households and lower the average family's annual electric bill by about 50 euros (around $71.50). The EU also notes that consumers can still use transparent improved incandescent bulbs with halogen technology, which they claim provides exactly the same type and quality of light as conventional incandescent bulbs. (Read this post about new energy-efficiency rules for incandescent reflector lamps and general-service fluorescent lights. For more on the current quality of CFLs, read or listen to this National Public Radio interview with Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman, deputy editor of the Consumer Reports Home franchise.)

The EU is also pinning its long-term hopes on LEDs, which are free of the mercury found in CFLs and last even longer than CFLs. In a recent interview with Consumer Reports, Nadarajah Narendran, the director of research at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, described future improvements to LED lighting and its potential to help millions of people in the industrialized and developing worlds.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Our October 2009 report on CFLs found lower prices, better performance and a host of new models for a wider range of applications; ratings are available to subscribers. Find out what other green technologies are worth deploying in your home in our updated Energy Saving & Green Living guide.

10 Questions for . . . Nadarajah Narendran, Ph.D., Lighting Researcher

In this installment of 10 Questions for . . . , Associate Editor Kimberly Janeway interviews Nadarajah Narendran, Ph.D., director of research at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, New York. Narendran discusses the future of lighting and explains how LED lighting holds promise for hundreds of millions of people in developing countries worldwide.

Why is LED technology the next big thing?
They last longer, so there’s less landfill. And the light they produce is improving. It’s not great yet. We’re confident because there’s a lot more research money being put into LED technology than into compact fluorescent lightbulbs. Therefore LED technology will improve greater and faster. There’s no one perfect lightbulb in this world. It’s a matter of more pros than cons. Compact fluorescent lightbulbs are better than incandescent bulbs. But now LED lights have come in. The CFL market will be eaten up by LEDs. Not everything, but little by little.
(Our tests have shown that CFLs can lag in color rendering and run-up time.)

What else needs to be done to improve LED lighting?
For LED lights to be transforming, we need to look at the infrastructure. It’s a waste of “talent” if we put an LED light in an incandescent socket. One of the LED features is you can dim up and down and change color, from more yellow to blue. That doesn’t happen with incandescent bulbs. The existing sockets and fixtures do not have good thermal management. So now if we replace incandescents with LED lights, the LED lights may not perform optimally.

When will LED lights be more widely available and come down in price?
Over the next five years we’ll see more products in stores. Now they’re not commonly available, so it’s hard to see that LED lights are a good option.

Where will CFLs fit in as LEDs become more common?
LED lights and CFLs will coexist. With LED lights, the price is going to come down. Now they’re in the $20-to-$50 region for a consumer. Part of the reason is the products are coming from overseas.

Have CFLs been perfected?
CFLs are really good now, and the quality has improved. It did ramp up when leading manufacturers made them. It’s a better product, better lasting, with better light and less mercury, but more products are in the market and not all are performing the same.
(Look for our new ratings-based report of CFLs in the October 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, online and on newsstands in early September.)

Incandescent bulbs had a long run as the dominant lighting source. What precipitated the move toward more-efficient technologies?
The energy crisis of the 1970s and climate changes forced the need for change.
(Read our interview with Ed Hammer, inventor of the CFL.)

Other than CFLs and LED lights, are there any other lighting alternatives?
There are people trying to do other lighting. Some researchers are trying to even make incandescents more efficient.
(Learn about the White House’s plan to boost the efficiency of some fluorescent and incandescent lightbulbs.)

You’re working to improve the quality of life for South Asians through lighting. How can lighting accomplish that?
We take lighting for granted. But there are many millions of people who do not have access to it—they use kerosene and candles and can’t do activities after darkness. They rely on daylight and the day is short for them. If you can provide lighting at affordable costs, you can provide opportunities, knowledge, education, and economic growth.

How can lighting change a family’s life?
In the U.S., lighting is a smaller portion of our home energy use compared with air conditioners, washers, and TVs, and. In South Asia, the cost of running lights is a significant part of budget. So if we can help with lights that use one third or one-tenth of the energy then it will save money.

What kind of lighting do you expect will be used in developing nations?
LED lights are wonderful lights sources when you don’t have access to the power grid. These lights are the answer because power requirements are low. You’ll be buying fewer bulbs over time, so they’re more cost effective when there’s no power grid. And LEDs are much more efficient than CFLs and don’t have mercury and disposal issues.

Essential information: Our experts debunk some of the myths that surround CFLs.

By the Numbers: GE hiring new employees to build water heaters in Louisville, Kentucky

400

Approximate number of jobs GE plans to fill to build hybrid water heaters. (The GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater is shown.)

In May 2008, we told you about a decision by General Electric to sell its GE Appliances division. Just over a year later, that GE division is adding employees, according to this story in The Wall Street Journal, which also noted that GE is unveiling LED products and is investing in research on organic LEDs, or OLEDs. (Read our "10 Questions for . . . " interview with Ed Hammer, who invented the compact fluorescent lightbulb in 1975 while working for GE Lighting.)

"We made the decision to build these products in Louisville because of the strong support from our state and local governments and the cooperative spirit of our Union leadership and our employees at Appliance Park," said James Campbell, president and CEO of GE Consumer & Industrial President. Read more on GE's Appliance Park in this item on the Appliance Talk blog. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Find out whether a tankless water heater is a worthwhile investment. And look for our new report on CFLs and lighting in the October 2009 issue of Consumer Reports.