Ok, so I finally got my LED recessed light replacement project done. We have 6 unsealed, uninsulated old cans with 65w floods in the kitchen and dining room that I upgraded. Background - I was prompted to work on these lights for a couple reasons not related to saving electricity - #1 we get bad ice damming over the cathedral ceiling where a couple of them are mounted, and #2 the temperature sensor was shot on one causing it to go on and off constantly.
So my plan was to replace all the existing non airtight and uninsulated cans with new IC/AT cans, caulk them air tight and pack insulation behind them - hoping to eliminate the heat losses causing my ice dams. While I was at it it seemed interesting to try the LEDs. I used 2 different LEDs - the Home depot version of the Cree CR6 for the flat ceiling ($25, 11w) and the home depot Ecosmart BR30 bulb (made by Lighting Science $29, 15w) in eyeball fixtures for the cathedrals. At these prices, and considering I was replacing 65watt floods every 2 years at $5 each, I calculated the payback would be surprisingly quick - only 2 or 3 years @ 4-6 hours on time per day.
I did run into some issues. The existing cans were new work jobs, so I had to do some fiddling with the brackets to get the old work cans to clip in. Along the way I found one fixture where the idiot who installed it had sliced the romex with a gash right through the insulation (hot was exposed). Lucky we never had a fire. Also most of them had the holes in the drywall a bit off center making it a pain to seal. ON the bright side, with 3 separate dimmers I lucked out that only one wouldn't work with the LEDs - it had a 1986 date stamp on it so probably due to be replaced anyway.
Overall I LOVE these lights. Except when dimmed low you really cant tell they are not incandescent. And on full they are brighter than the 65w R30s at less than 1/4 the watts. The look passed the wife test easily.
Overall, if you are thinking of trying LEDs I recommend them. They are finally ready for prime time.
So my plan was to replace all the existing non airtight and uninsulated cans with new IC/AT cans, caulk them air tight and pack insulation behind them - hoping to eliminate the heat losses causing my ice dams. While I was at it it seemed interesting to try the LEDs. I used 2 different LEDs - the Home depot version of the Cree CR6 for the flat ceiling ($25, 11w) and the home depot Ecosmart BR30 bulb (made by Lighting Science $29, 15w) in eyeball fixtures for the cathedrals. At these prices, and considering I was replacing 65watt floods every 2 years at $5 each, I calculated the payback would be surprisingly quick - only 2 or 3 years @ 4-6 hours on time per day.
I did run into some issues. The existing cans were new work jobs, so I had to do some fiddling with the brackets to get the old work cans to clip in. Along the way I found one fixture where the idiot who installed it had sliced the romex with a gash right through the insulation (hot was exposed). Lucky we never had a fire. Also most of them had the holes in the drywall a bit off center making it a pain to seal. ON the bright side, with 3 separate dimmers I lucked out that only one wouldn't work with the LEDs - it had a 1986 date stamp on it so probably due to be replaced anyway.
Overall I LOVE these lights. Except when dimmed low you really cant tell they are not incandescent. And on full they are brighter than the 65w R30s at less than 1/4 the watts. The look passed the wife test easily.
Overall, if you are thinking of trying LEDs I recommend them. They are finally ready for prime time.