Dimmable 120 volt LEDs for the house?

In the past there have been multiple articles on Technoracle about energy efficiency and ideas for greener, lower footprint living.  Recently we came across a number of really cool LED products that advertise they are ready to replace conventional bulbs and save consumers money while using far less energy.  We're going to test a number of them over the next year and report back.

The first item is a 120 volt, 2 watt LED Dimmable G16.5 Decorative Globe.   This is a product from TCP, which is advertised as a medium base that throws off Halogen white color.  We have ordered two of these (Cost is $17-18 each) to test to see if they do pay for themselves, which we suspect they will.

Click here for more info and how to order

The second is a comparable product, which is also dimmable. It has slightly more power (rated at 3 watts) and is the dimmable G16.5 Decorative Globe with Candelabra Base.  This product also advertises Halogen  white light.  Our hope is that both of these are able to do the job of regular light bulbs while saving money and throwing off a light that is indistinguishable from conventional bulbs.  

Both of these are advertised as comparable to a 15 watt conventional bulb.  These should therefore be effectively reducing electrical bills by 80% and lasting much longer.  Given conventional incandescent bulbs last around 2 years and cost $1, these should have an ROI of around 4 years based on 1500 hours per year at 8c/kwh.

Technoracle will also begin testing some LED Ceiling Lights to replace conventional Halogen designs. 1000bulbs.com has these on sale for 50% below retail price today so we will order a few and report back.