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undercabinet lighting: CFL or LED

hmj | Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on March 18, 2007 02:54am

Customer asked me to replace halogen undercabinet lights because they got so hot they melted the plastic covers. I suggested cooler xenon bulbs but she wants a greener alernative. Which uses less energy, compact fluorescent or LED lights? Thanks

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  1. User avater
    BillHartmann | Mar 18, 2007 04:52am | #1

    "but she wants a greener alernative. "

    I think that green LED's are the greenist.

    I have not seen any green flourscents.

    Seriously I don't think that any CFL will fit.

    You would want to use one of the strip flourscents.

    .
    .
    A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
    1. hmj | Mar 18, 2007 02:55pm | #4

      There are 1" thick CFL undercab lights, in 13", 18" 36" strips. Linkable. Larger, but not any thicker than the Halogen pucks that are there. Have not seen the LED pucks in action, they look more decorative than useful, the ones I saw did not list the lumens...

      1. User avater
        BillHartmann | Mar 18, 2007 04:59pm | #7

        "here are 1" thick CFL undercab lights, in 13", 18" 36" strips."But those aren't CFL. They are simply strip flourscents.A COMPACT flourscent light is one that that they "compacted" a flourscent light and added an internal ballast so that it can be used in an edison base fixture..
        .
        A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.

        1. hmj | Mar 18, 2007 06:44pm | #11

          Yes, you are right. Owner used the phrase and I continued. How about "compact fluorescent strip light", since they are smaller than most strips?

  2. User avater
    JeffBuck | Mar 18, 2007 08:29am | #2

     "but she wants a greener alernative"

     

    ???

     

    how about no freaking under cabs lights? That's plenty green!

    Sunlight ...

     

    Jeff

        Buck Construction

     Artistry In Carpentry

         Pittsburgh Pa

    1. hmj | Mar 18, 2007 02:57pm | #5

      Yah, but what about at night? Fireflies in jars? She wants the frickin lights and the Halogen pucks got melted.

  3. pebble | Mar 18, 2007 09:04am | #3

    LEDs are now the greenest by far.

    Check out the undercabinet lighting at the Lowes sometime. They sell an LED line. One light it like a 12" bar and the other is 18" or something. Every inch or two on the bar will be a little LED. But the whole thing uses like 2 watts of electricity and puts out the equivalent of 15 watts if it were a CFC light.

    Handyman, painter, wood floor refinisher, property maintenance in Tulsa, OK

    1. User avater
      BillHartmann | Mar 18, 2007 05:09pm | #9

      " But the whole thing uses like 2 watts of electricity and puts out the equivalent of 15 watts if it were a CFC light."Where do you get that from.Here are two comparable fixtures.http://www.energyfederation.org/consumer/default.php/cPath/2050_2023_213515 watts, 600 lumen, LED.http://www.energyfederation.org/consumer/default.php/cPath/2050_25_174_51013 watts, 860 lumens, flour..
      .
      A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.

      1. pebble | Mar 18, 2007 05:34pm | #10

        Those look like canned recess type lights, more powerful than undercabinet lights. Here is a link to ones similar to what Lowes has in their stores. The Lowes site didn't list them, which is not unusual since lots of stuff are not listed online.http://www.improvementscatalog.com/Parent.asp?product=312801x&dept%5Fid=14100&subdept%5Fid=14140I get my wattage readings from somewhere this site, and extrapolated a comparable wattage for the amount of light needed. http://www.ccrane.com/lights/led-light-bulbs/index.aspxI know a typical led light that is meant to drop in place of a 60 watt incandescent uses something like 3.6 watts. The undercabinet lighting would use less and is more of an low level light such as accent lighting.Handyman, painter, wood floor refinisher, property maintenance in Tulsa, OK

  4. danski0224 | Mar 18, 2007 04:18pm | #6

    Try this: http://www.ccrane.com/lights/led-light-bulbs/led-strip-lighting.aspx

    Or this: http://www.ccrane.com/lights/led-light-bulbs/led-under-cabinet-lighting.aspx

  5. reinvent | Mar 18, 2007 05:01pm | #8

    There is also this if you want to get spendy. About $15 ft not including transformer.

    http://www.osram.com/products/led-systems/index.html

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