CFL Compact Florescent Lights were the first on the scene and Utility Companies around the world jumped on the CFL bandwagon.

Very quickly we all experienced the slow warm up times they produced and the warnings about Mercury vapor in them. (What happened to going Green?)

I installed some and would turn on a light, rummage around in the dimly lit room until I found what I was looking for, and then, as I was leaving and turning off the light, it was finally bright enough to see. Auuuggghhhh!!!!

LED Light Emitting Diode is the wave of the very near future, and it is changing faster than cellular phones. (are they still called that?)

Now when we go to buy bulbs we are faced with overwhelming options, and the prices!!!!

OMG!!!! (That sounds hip huh) what happened to my 50 cent light bulbs?

Now we are confronted with:

Let's look at it simply and just consider the replacement bulb options for residential

Is what you want to replace a Flood or a Spot?

Typically a Spot is used over a Kitchen counter to put a focused amount of light over lets say a cutting board or some similar task.

Most all other situations a Flood would bath a wider area of the lighted surface.

Will it be used inside or outside in a wet environment?

Using LED in wet environments it is critical to use the right product.

You may see something like 9.5w = 65w on the front of the box.

This is saying that if you are replacing an old 60 to 65 watt bulb, this new bulb will give a similar amount of light only consuming 9.5 watts or about 1/6th of the electricity.

This is really a much better way for you to evaluate the AMOUNT of light a bulb will produce.

Typically a 60 watt bulb will put out about 600 Lumens give or take a 100 Lumens.

If you see a bulb is not quite bright enough going to a higher Lumen number may be your answer.

This is really a sticky note if you like to dim your lights.

Not all dimmers are compatible with all LED lights so ask questions prior to the purchase of either.

The other side of the coin is that if you don't use dimmers, look for NonDimmable lights as they are typically about 1/2 the price as Dimmable

This is our newest and hardest for most to understand so I will try to explain it simply, so all of you technical wizards just give me a break.

VERY SIMPLY it is like this...

Most all of the housing replacement lighting will fall between 2700K and 5000K

This can be found on the side of the box usually on a graph showing Warm to Cool

2700K is on the Warm side and is more of a "Yellowish light", very similar to an old 60 watt incandescent.

3000K is moving to the Cooler side of the graph and is probably looking closer to what you would call a "White light"

5000K is closer to the middle of the graph and is probably considered more of an "Industrial White light".

Because I cannot see anymore I like the 3000K color in my home and love the 5000K for reading lamps, and over my bathroom sink for shaving.

The 5000K is a lot more like sunlight so ladies need to know this if they are using it in an area for applying makeup. (Hey I'm just learning this stuff don't hate)

My kids prefer the 2700K as they feel it is a cooler, softer, light. (I can't see anything in their homes, but maybe that's for the best)

Oh by the way...if you have can lights in your home and need to replace bulbs in them, SERIOUSLY consider using the Lithonia (LEDTRIM6) retrofit can light option as it will save you not only on your electricity for your lights but much more on the electricity for your HVAC. It seals the very leaky can from the attic heat and is easy to install.