Cheapest way to make chandelier energy efficient?

[JEDI]

I'm now using the chandelier in my dining room as my main source of lighting.
it uses candelabra type light bulbs (skinny base) and has 5 of them.

Options:
1) Home depot has a 6pack of 4w LED candelabra base light bulbs for $21.
Costco has a 6pack of 5w LED for $18. 😱

the problem is that I waste 1 LED since I only need 5.

another problem is that according to the reviews, these LED candelabra base light bulbs shine most of the light up into the ceiling with not that much to the floor/dining room table. 🙁


2) or I could have buy a 5pack of 'candelabra to regular light bulb' adapters for $3.50 on ebay.

This allows me to use regular 40w spiral cfl's.

the problem is that the lightbulb + adapter might make the cfl stick out past the dome.
(hm.. 25w is shorter than 40w cfl's?)


what say you ATOT?

 

[shabby]

the problem is that I waste 1 LED since I only need 5.

You'll have a spare one once one of them dies sporadically.

This allows me to use regular 40w spiral cfl's.

Spirals look horrible in a chandelier.

 

[tracerbullet]

Agreed 100% with both of the above. Just do the 6-pack and move on.

 

[JEDI]

package says avg life span of LED is 22.5 yrs! 😱

ok.. will get the 6pack..thx

 

[cabri]

Put #6 up on Craig's List if you do not want the spare

Or find 5 other people that had to duplicate your concept and send/sell the spare from 5 packages to the 6th person.

 

[edro]

Having a spare light bulb is a "problem" in your analysis?
Keep it as a spare. One is likely to burn out prematurely anyway.
If they are TCP brand, even more so.

 

[Murloc]

get LEDs and feel free to splurge to get what you want since on average they just don't break unlike classic bulbs.
Having a spare one is still good. It's probably all you will ever need.

Just don't do spirals or CFL in such a lamp, it looks bad.

 

[dlock13]

Speaking of chandeliers and candelabra bulbs, which are the best that provide the highest degree of light? What I mean is which one actually emits light like a standard CFL/incandescent? We currently have incandescent candelabra bulbs, and it just started to burn out. I'd like to get something that gives off the same amount of light as well as allows me to dim them.

Any suggestions would be great!

 

[tracerbullet]

There should be info on the packages giving an equivalency rating. If not hopefully it mentions output in lumens if nothing else. You should be able to compare that to what you have now (at a minimum find a package simialr to what you have now at the same store and check them out for lumens side by side).

Hope that made sense.

You will also want to consider color temperature. You typically see warm white, cool white and daylight options. You have to make your own decision but I think you will probably be looking for a warm white option.

 

[dlock13]

There should be info on the packages giving an equivalency rating. If not hopefully it mentions output in lumens if nothing else. You should be able to compare that to what you have now (at a minimum find a package simialr to what you have now at the same store and check them out for lumens side by side).

Hope that made sense.

You will also want to consider color temperature. You typically see warm white, cool white and daylight options. You have to make your own decision but I think you will probably be looking for a warm white option.

The thing is I want to make sure the LED is omnidirectional like a standard bulb/candelabra. I currently have a candelabra LED in my front yard post, and instead of it shining light all over, you can see there is a clear cutoff line when it is dark outside. I want to make sure the candelabra bulb can cast light like the current incandescent candelabras I have.

 

[NutBucket]

Just try it. You can always return.

 

[MongGrel]

Why are you using it as a main source of lighting anyway ?

I had to ask.

 

[Murloc]

The thing is I want to make sure the LED is omnidirectional like a standard bulb/candelabra. I currently have a candelabra LED in my front yard post, and instead of it shining light all over, you can see there is a clear cutoff line when it is dark outside. I want to make sure the candelabra bulb can cast light like the current incandescent candelabras I have.

A LED is just a small square that emits light in front of it.

To make the bulbs omnidirectional, they do stuff like this:

You can't know how well it works until you try it.
LEDs allow many innovative chandelier designs since the new lamps don't have bulbs at all.

My ceiling lamp is a LED one and it spreads the light nicely but it has some sort of lens with a surface pattern (like hills) that help do that I think.

In the kitchen there's another LED lamp that doesn't have any lens in front of it (it's just a long strip of LED squares) and it's like turning on a floodlight, the kitchen counter island looks like a surgical table. Which is great for cooking, but I wouldn't want that lamp in the dining room.

 

[Binky]

Do the math before you install LED's to "save money." Your payback period may be longer than you intend on staying in the home....

 

[NutBucket]

That's why you just take all the bulbs with you when you move. That's what I did.

Edit: Pretty sure the people we bought from did the same.

 

[NoTine42]

A LED is just a small square that emits light in front of it.

To make the bulbs omnidirectional, they do stuff like this:

You can't know how well it works until you try it.
LEDs allow many innovative chandelier designs since the new lamps don't have bulbs at all.

My ceiling lamp is a LED one and it spreads the light nicely but it has some sort of lens with a surface pattern (like hills) that help do that I think.

In the kitchen there's another LED lamp that doesn't have any lens in front of it (it's just a long strip of LED squares) and it's like turning on a floodlight, the kitchen counter island looks like a surgical table. Which is great for cooking, but I wouldn't want that lamp in the dining room.

There are filament LED's that look decent

 

[Ken g6]

They make extra-short 40 and 60-watt CFLs. Or at least they used to. I use them in my bathroom where I needed an extender to fit a CFL's base. The ones I like were made by GE and I just heard they're getting out of the CFL business.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I have some Philips "candle" bulbs (medium base, but they make them in candelabra bases too) that has some sort of reflective diffuser thingy inside that actually works quite well in overcoming the unidirectional nature of LEDs.

4 dimmable "60W equivalent" for $20
https://www.amazon.com/Philips-458687-Equivalent-Dimmable-Decorative/dp/B0191YKS0C
6 non-dimmable "40W equivalent" for $20
https://www.amazon.com/Philips-460212-Equivalent-Decorative-Frustration/dp/B0194X2TRA

Here's a couple pics of them in my outdoor light fixtures on my garage. I know you can't see the bulb itself too well, but I got them because of that omnidirectional crystal thing and it does work. These are on a day/night sensor so they run all night every night. So depending on the time of year that is anywhere from 9 to 14 hours a day, and they've been out there since May of 2015.