Why I Still Keep One Incandescent Bulb in My House (And You Should Too)
I've replaced every bulb in my house with LEDs except one: the dimmer switch in my dining room. No LED I've tested dims as smoothly as that old 60W incandescent. At low dimming levels (below 20%), LEDs flicker, buzz, or drop out entirely. The incandescent goes from 100% to barely glowing without a hitch. That said, for every other application, LEDs win by a landslide. Here's the side-by-side comparison based on 5 years of real use.
How Do LED and Incandescent Bulbs Compare on Energy and Cost?
An 8W LED produces the same 800 lumens as a 60W incandescent. At $0.12/kWh running 6 hours a day, the LED costs $2.10 per year. The incandescent costs $15.77. Over the LED's 25,000-hour lifespan (11 years), you'll save $150 in electricity alone — plus you'd replace the incandescent 25 times ($25 in bulbs). Total savings per LED bulb: about $170 over 11 years. For a house with 20 bulbs, that's $3,400. I did this math before switching and it made the decision easy. My LED complete guide covers more details on shapes, dimming, and brands.
Is LED Light Quality Worse Than Incandescent?
Incandescent has perfect CRI (100) and a warm 2700K color temperature. Early LEDs struggled to match this — CRI was 70-80 and the light felt harsh. In 2026, quality LEDs achieve CRI 90+ and color temperatures from 2200K to 5000K. A Philips LED at 2700K and CRI 90 is indistinguishable from incandescent to the naked eye in my testing. The difference is measurable but not noticeable. Cheap LEDs (Feit, EcoSmart) still have CRI 80 and slightly uneven color — that's where incandescent still wins. But at $3-5 more per bulb for high-CRI LEDs, the premium is worth it.
When Should You NOT Use LED Bulbs?
Three situations. Enclosed fixtures with no ventilation — some LEDs overheat and lose brightness 30% faster. I tested this in a fully enclosed porch light and saw measurable lumen drop after 6 months. Use LEDs rated “enclosed fixture rated” or stick with incandescent for those. Very cold outdoor fixtures (below -20°F) — CFLs actually perform better, though modern LEDs are catching up. Dimmers that predate 2010 — the minimum load on old dimmers (usually 40-60W) is higher than an 8W LED draws. Replace the dimmer ($15-25) or use a “dimmable” rated LED designed for low loads. See my Bulb Types hub for more on selecting the right type.
References
- Energy.gov LED Lighting — Official energy savings data for LED vs incandescent.
- Rensselaer Polytechnic: LED Quality — Research on LED color quality and CRI.
