# What is the predominant type of lighting in your home? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185 "2016-07-18T03:32:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/1 "2016-07-18T03:32:30Z")
I’m talking electric, not natural. Incandescent? Fluorescent? LED? Ours is still incandescent but I’m trying to make the switch to LED. Most of our lighting comes from ceiling fans and our electricity out here in the sticks is prone to surges that tend to pop the incandescents and the fluorescents. If you’ve switched away from incandescents, are you happy with your choice? I’d make this a poll but I can’t figure out how to do it from Tapatalk. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/2 "2016-07-18T03:34:37Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I’m talking electric, not natural. Incandescent? Fluorescent? LED? Ours is still incandescent but I’m trying to make the switch to LED. Most of our lighting comes from ceiling fans and our electricity out here in the sticks is prone to surges that tend to pop the incandescents and the fluorescents. If you’ve switched away from incandescents, are you happy with your choice? > > I’d make this a poll but I can’t figure out how to do it from Tapatalk. LED. Incandescents are like 1 or 2% efficient at doing their job, so they need to be chucked in the bin. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/3 "2016-07-18T03:42:09Z")
We’re mostly LED now. Completely satisfied. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/4 "2016-07-18T03:44:08Z")
We made the switch from a mixture of CFL and incandescent to mostly LED about a year ago and I don’t regret it. The quality of light is much better than with CFL and the cost to operate is much cheaper than incandescent. The bulbs are rather expensive to purchase but they pay for themselves quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/5 "2016-07-18T04:12:28Z")
I’m in a rental apartment in which I don’t even pay for electricity and I’m still replacing incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs where possible. I like that the LED bulbs last so much longer. And I like the “daylight” temperature bulbs, particularly in places like the walk-in closet, where I can more easily distinguish colors (such as a black t-shirt from a midnight blue one). And yes, the LED bulbs are expensive, but they’ve come down over the past few years and I expect they’ll come down further. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/6 "2016-07-18T04:19:34Z")
Mixture of LED and Halogen Incandescent, which meet the efficiency ratings to be sold though they’re not as efficient as the LED or florescents. Slowly switching to LEDs as they become better. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/7 "2016-07-18T04:19:39Z")
I’m mostly CFLs, they keep lasting. I’m not one to replace bulbs that are working. If I need to buy new ones I’ll go to LEDs ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/8 "2016-07-18T04:29:15Z")
About 1/3 incandescent, CFL and LED. The incandescents aren’t dying too quickly. I replaced some of them with CFL at first but now I’m on to LED. Some CFLs have actually blown out before some incandescents. I think I bought a bad 6-pack of those. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/9 "2016-07-18T04:34:52Z")
Incandescents. But 14 years ago, for about 6 months it was candles when I was living in the Republic of Georgia. There, we only had electricity perhaps 4 hours a day - and some of that was during daylight. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/10 "2016-07-18T04:35:22Z")
cfls. I’d like to switch to LEDs when they burn out. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/11 "2016-07-18T04:45:08Z")
CFL, and fluorescent tubes in the kitchen. I’m too cheap for LED and I’ve adapted or don’t care about the common complaints about fluorescent light. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/12 "2016-07-18T04:54:24Z")
CFL at home, LEDs in the rental. Switching to LEDs in the house involves either changing all the lamps, which I’m not interested in doing, or finding LEDs which fit inside mine (no luck so far). ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/13 "2016-07-18T04:55:17Z")
LED, as of a few months ago. Puget Sound Enery had a promotion where they’d do an energy audit as well as swap out all your bulbs for LED. We took them up on it. About 20 bulbs got us from a mixture to all LED, at no cost to us. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/14 "2016-07-18T04:58:42Z")
Those fun curly-tube fluoros. But I plan to move up to LEDs as these guys burn out. Might be a while, as fluorescent bulbs are pretty long-lasting! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/15 "2016-07-18T05:18:35Z")
Incandescents, being slowly replaced by LEDs as they burn out. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/16 "2016-07-18T05:19:34Z")
Mostly CFL’s. A few LED’s–there are some really small ones that fit small lamps, used more for atmosphere than “lighting.” Will replace the CFL’s with LED’s but they are darn long lasting. I’ve got several ceiling light fixtures–so I need to drag the ladder in whenever a bulb needs changing. Don’t miss incandescent at all… ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/17 "2016-07-18T05:32:00Z")
Incandescents for my household. And it will stay that way for quite a while. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/18 "2016-07-18T11:36:23Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > I’m mostly CFLs, they keep lasting. I’m not one to replace bulbs that are working. If I need to buy new ones I’ll go to LEDs Same here. A few years ago when CFL curly bulbs got cheap I replaced everything in the house with them expecting that they would quickly burn out like every was bitching that they did, and I’d spread the expense of LEDs across the months as needed. 5 years later the CLFs are all going fine. ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/19 "2016-07-18T12:13:56Z")
About two-thirds LED, one-third incandescent. I keep meaning to get more LEDs to replace the incandescents as they burn out, but I keep forgetting. We’re very happy with the LEDs. I was dubious, because I’d tried a couple of LEDs about ten years back and what they gave off barely even counted as light, but the ones we have now are great. The light off them is actually cleaner and nicer than it was before. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185/20 "2016-07-18T12:19:02Z")
CFLs. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predominant-type-of-lighting-in-your-home/760185.md?page=2)