If you're trying to figure out how to replace light bulbs with LED bulbs, the government offers coupons to make these bulbs cheaper - but only if they are ENERGY STAR certified. ENERGY STAR certified products have this logo on the package:
Ontario offers discount coupons to make the cost of converting to LED bulbs more palatable. Often, the coupons will be found in stores but you can download and print as many coupons as you need from SaveOnEnergy's Printable Coupons page. To save on paper, I've combined up to 5 coupons (store sale limit of 5) on one sheet.
You get $3 off for the regular light bulbs (A-code, one or two bulb package). For a package of 3 or more, there is a $8 off coupon for A-code bulbs. All other types of bulbs get a $5 off coupon. There is also a $8 or $15 coupon for light fixtures, depending upon the number of light sockets. For ceiling lighting, consider Energy Star certified ceiling fans ($10 coupon) because these could also help you to keep cool in the summer and reduce your air conditioning costs.
LED bulbs are sold by the light output (luminous flux, in lumens, abbreviated lm) so:
- 1600 lumens is about the output of a 100 watt incandescent bulb
- 1100 lumens is about the output of a 75 watt incandescent bulb
- 800 lumens is about the output of a 60 watt incandescent bulb
- 450 lumens is about the output of a 40 watt incandescent bulb.
The other thing to look for is the colour temperature in Kelvin (K) and, the higher the temperature, the bluer the light. Common bulb colour temperatures are:
- 2700K – Soft white
- 3000K – Warm white
- 5000K – Cool white / daylight
You should look for a bulb with the lumens you want using the least amount of power (in watts). For example, you can get bulbs that put out 800 lumens but they vary from 9W, 9.5W, 10W, etc. The colour temperature of the bulb affects the watts consumed so bluer bulbs tend to use slightly less power. The last thing I consider is the life rating (10,0000 hrs, 25,000 hrs, etc) of the bulb. If two bulbs are identical in every respect, check to see which has a longer rated lifespan.
LED bulbs were horrendously expensive only until recently. With incentives and increasing economies of scale, the price of LED bulbs has started to come down but they're still more expensive than compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and far more than the old incandescents. 40-60 watt equivalent bulbs are relatively cheap compared with other outputs and shapes. I’ve been looking for LED bulbs that cost less than $3/bulb (with or without the coupon).
Wait for a sale before replacing bulbs and be sure to use your discount coupons!
Light Bulb Shapes
Light "bulbs" come in a variety of shapes in addition to the classic light bulb shape. The classic light bulb with the spherical end (containing the filament) is has shape code "A" (for arbitrary) followed by the 8 x the major diameter. For the typical "A19" light bulb, this works out to 19/8 = 2-3/8" as the approximate major diameter. The diameter is important because lampshades often are designed to fit A19 bulbs and using a smaller size could affect how well the bulb stays in place or at all.
See Incandescent Lamps for more information.
Light Bulb Bases
Screw-in bulbs in North America typically come in 4 sizes. The "E" in the size code refers to the bulb's Edison thread (originally patented by Thomas Edison) followed by 2 numbers. Unlike bulb sizes, these number refers to bulb base sizes that are in mm.
| Name |
North American Size Code |
European Size Code |
Typical Applications |
| Candelabra | E12 / C7 | E11 | candelbras, decorative fixtures, night lights, Christmas lights |
| Intermediate | E17 / C9 | E14 (Small ES, SES) | appliance lights |
| Medium | E26 (MES) | E27 (ES) | common light fixtures, lamps |
| Mogul | E39 | E40 (Goliath ES) | industrial lights |
Compact Fluorescents
Stay away from buying CFLs, even if they're still cheaper than LEDs right now. From my personal experience, CFL bulbs do not last nearly as long as the incandescents they replace and burned-out florescent bulbs/tubes are hazardous waste (see EPA CFL Recycling and Disposal) because of the mercury they contain.
CFL can last longer than incandescents under the right conditions - that is, being left on for extended periods. CFLs burn out quickly if switched on for very short periods (like a 5 minute on/off cycle), which is how many people use their lights.
Canadian Tire
I find that Canadian Tire's flyers are a bit misleading. They'll show a "sale" for LED bulbs with the regular price reduced by the anytime SaveOnEnergy coupon. You always have to check what is really a sale price at Canadian Tire.
Their LED selection includes this 8-pack of 3000K, 800 lumen A19 bulbs for $29.99. With an $8 coupon, the price per bulb would be $2.75/bulb. Too bad it's not Energy Star certified. Each bulb uses 9.8W and is therefore not very efficient for an 800 lm bulb. I’ve seen this package regularly come on sale in the flyer but it's no deal if you can't apply the coupon.
A more efficient bulb is this 3000K 810 lumen Noma. It uses 8.5W so it's one of the more energy efficient LED bulbs. It has a regular price of $5.99 so $2.99 with the coupon.
If you need night light bulbs, these 1W Feit night light bulbs would appear to be FREE with the $5 coupon. An equivalent incandescent bulb uses 7W. However, the coupon only applies to Energy Star certified bulbs, which these bulbs are not.
Feit is one of Canadian Tire's LED bulb suppliers. Many of their bulbs are not Energy Star Certified but Feit informed me that they have submitted (all of?) their bulbs for certification. If you can hold off buying replacement LED bulbs for while, more of them should become certified over time.
Ikea
I’ve bought 2700K, 400 lumen bulbs from IKEA for $3.99. These also consume 5W but IKEA doesn’t accept the SaveOnEnergy coupons so the price per bulb is still $2.00 each.
LED Bulbs in Local Stores
Canadian Tire
Home Depot
Home Hardware
Ikea
Lowe's
Rona Home & Garden
Tractor Supply Company
Walmart