Last summer, my husband and I installed a lamp post in our front yard and one in our back yard. We wanted to add more light to our yard and of course a little cottage charm. We also added a dusk to dawn sensor to each of the posts so the lights will stay on at night and shut off in the morning. This alleviated my yelling to my husband to "leave the porch lights because (insert one of our son's names) isn't home yet!"
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The problem with running your lights from dusk until dawn is that they burn up light bulbs at...well, the speed of light. There are three bulbs per light post. Within less than a month of installing the lamps, the bulbs began to burn out one by one by one. Not only was it a pain where the sun doesn't shine but it was also not very cost efficient.
During another evening stroll through our local Home Depot, we found ourselves gazing at the light bulb section. We found some bulbs that not only looked nice but were super efficient. They are made to last 8000 life hours in comparison to regular bulbs which last around 1000 life hours. (Thanks Bob, the friendly Home Depot employee who explained that to us.) I'm still not sure exactly how long 8000 life hours are but I do know that it is a lot longer than 1000 life hours.
We installed the bulbs last summer and they are still burning bright. Did I mention that they are on everyday from dusk until dawn? They do cost more than regular light bulbs (currently $8.97 for a pack of two) but they have made up for climbing up and down the ladder every other week. We are so pleased with them that we have decided to replace our porch ceiling lights and hard to reach lights in the house with the new bulbs once they need to be replaced. By the way, Home Depot has nothing to do with my opinion of this product. I would imagine that Lowe's and other hardware stores carry them as well. Home Depot happens to be the hardware store in our town.
* I have one more thought to add...since our original purchase, we have replaced our porch lights with the new bulbs. When turning on the lights, I have noticed that it takes a bit for the bulb to light up. It starts out dim and slowly brightens. I didn't notice that on the lamp posts since they turn on and off by themselves. I don't mind at all since it doesn't take long but it's not bright immediately. Just thought you should know the facts.
Have you run across a product that you want to shout from the rooftops about? Or at least brag a little about? Please leave a comment below sharing the goods! We love trying new things!
