[DangeloInspections]

Hello all. Many of you have the post light fixture that has 3 candelabra bulbs in them. I typically find 3 40 watt bulbs in them. I'm told by a local Electrician that this costs the homeowner about $83.00 per year to have on every night.

I always suggest to my clients that they change these bulbs to the more energy efficient LED bulbs. LED bulbs last 25 times longer than regular bulbs, use about 1/10th of the electricity, and attract less bugs.

Today amazon is selling a 6 pack of these bulbs for only $17.83. That is less than $3.00 per bulb. This is a good deal. Even at regular prices it is worth it, but at this price you will recoup your money on as little as a couple of months.

Here it is;
TCP LDCT4W27K6 LED Torpedo - 25 Watt Equivalent (4W) Soft White (2700K) Dimmable Candelabra Base Light Bulb - 6 Pack - - Amazon.com

This will bring your electrical usage of your postlight from 120 watts down to 12 watts. Mind you, this gives you SIX bulbs.....enough for both you and a neighbor....Hope this helps!

Frank

[Ecuadog]

Thank you, Frank. You're a prince.

[MikeV]

I just asked friends yesterday if anyone knew of LED lights for this type of lamp post. No one knew of any so thanks a lot I am buying them right now.

[TNLAKEPANDA]

I have had LED bulbs in all my outside lights for over a year. I believe I bought them at HD (rarely go to Lowes). It makes a big difference in the electric use on the lamp post!

[John_W]

Originally Posted by MikeV

I just asked friends yesterday if anyone knew of LED lights for this type of lamp post. No one knew of any so thanks a lot I am buying them right now.

I swapped out my lampost bulbs about 4 years ago, because I had done that years earlier at my home in Baltimore. I got tired of getting the ladder and replacing a bulb about 2 or 3 months, I had 4 lights on the front of my house since we had no street lights. Then, I only needed the regular size LED bulbs.

Here in the TV, I remember going to Home Depot and Lowes looking for the candelabra size bulbs, but I think I found them at Walmart in 2 packs. Those with the smaller size male screw are normally labeled candelabra. That was one reason I didn't find them right away. The ones I found at Walmart were labeled 'ceiling fan'. Since I only needed three, I still have one new in the package. It reads 'GE Energy Smart 7 year 60 watt replacement uses 13 watt 850 lumens ceiling fan'. I think I paid less then $10 for each 2 pack, but that was 4 years ago.

[villagetinker]

Our entire house has been converted to LED lights (Lowes CREE brand), love these lights. Frank great tip.

[eremite06]

Ace Hardware has a good sale on bulbs: Feit brand 60W equiv. 3.99, 75W 9.99 & 100W 11.99. Valid 'till Dec. 20.

[Jima64]

Remember to show your VA card at Lowes and get your veterans discount off.

[jnieman]

Can you use these bulbs in a chandalier? We've been wanting these but they were so expensive before.

[DangeloInspections]

Originally Posted by jnieman

Can you use these bulbs in a chandalier? We've been wanting these but they were so expensive before.

If the socket in your fixture is the small base candelabra type, then yes, these will work. mind you, the bottom portion of these bulbs are a solid white so they MAY not give you the "clear flame" look that you may want. I suggest that you click on the link in my first post to see a picture of them so you can see what I mean. That being said, the short answer is yes, they should work in your fixture.

Frank

[autumnspring]

Re: led bulbs
1. They are not all the same. Some are dimable and some are not. If, you want to dim them you may find that you need to replace your dimmers or you might find the bulb will flicker. You may also find it causes static in your radio. If, you like to dim your lights you might be surprised to find that while tungsten bulbs put out a warmer (yellow orange) light as you dim them the LED bulbs have a narrower ability to dim and the light color stays about the same.
2. I've ordered LED bulbs from EBAY sellers direct from CHINA. They are roughly half of what they cost in the US and shipping is FREE. BUT, first of all you will want to buy some extras. The light color varies from lot to lot. I've been using them for about 2 years. Had a high failure rate initially-like 1 in 10-the first week or so. After that, I've not had one fail in two years I've also read that the CE claim (European equivalent of UL) may not be true.

[autumnspring]

Originally Posted by DangeloInspections

Hello all. Many of you have the post light fixture that has 3 candelabra bulbs in them. I typically find 3 40 watt bulbs in them. I'm told by a local Electrician that this costs the homeowner about $83.00 per year to have on every night.

I always suggest to my clients that they change these bulbs to the more energy efficient LED bulbs. LED bulbs last 25 times longer than regular bulbs, use about 1/10th of the electricity, and attract less bugs.

Today amazon is selling a 6 pack of these bulbs for only $17.83. That is less than $3.00 per bulb. This is a good deal. Even at regular prices it is worth it, but at this price you will recoup your money on as little as a couple of months.

Here it is;

This will bring your electrical usage of your postlight from 120 watts down to 12 watts. Mind you, this gives you SIX bulbs.....enough for both you and a neighbor....Hope this helps!

Frank

The bulbs you sent the link for are 25 watt equivalent. The bulbs in your outside lights are 40 watt The company also sells 40W equivalent bulbs but they are 41.99 for the 6 pack. You can buy them at ACE a four pack is 24.99.

[jnieman]

I read some of those reviews on the bulbs mentioned and saw some photos and because of the white band at the bottom of the bulb the light reflects up instead of all around. The reviews said they are more suitable for upside down lights. Correct me if I am wrong but that is what I read. We didn't end up buying them because we wanted them for our chandalier and need the light to go down to the table.

[DangeloInspections]

It is obvious that LED's are the future, and that they will be easier to find and will get cheaper to buy.
Even now there are many options to buy from and they are often on sale at Home Depot, Ace, Lowes, Amazon, etc.

As Suesiegal stated, some are dimmable and some are not. Since my original post was speaking about post lights, I did not mention the dimming aspect of them.

Some are a soft or warm white, while the higher K ratings are a whiter, blueish light.

It has been my experience that many Villagers want less than 120 watts of light. Half the homes have only one light bulb in them, and they are not a 120 watt bulb....they are usually 75 watts at best. I also understand that wattage and lumens are different. Most folks have found that using three 25 watt LED bulbs are more than sufficient. For those who have three regular 40 watt bulbs in their post light, it is rare to see all three lit.

Of course, you can check your HOA rules on this, but I doubt there are HOA police checking postlights with a digital light meter.

All I was trying to convey is that upgrading your postlight to an LED bulb(s) can save you a good amount of money.

Thanks! Frank

[echo11]

Frank,
Thanks for posting the info on the light bulbs. I went ahead & ordered them. I always appreciate your thoughtful & helpful posts!