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Incandescent light bulbs had a long and fairly unchallenged run as the standard for residential lighting, but they are relatively inefficient when compared to newer types of bulbs, such as compact fluorescents (CFLs), and produce quite a bit of heat for the amount of light. The move to CFLs seemed like a no-brainer when accounting for bulb longevity and power consumption, but CFLs come with their own set of issues, including the mercury in the bulbs (albeit in very small amounts), the limited color range of the light emitted from them, and the fact that most of them can't work with dimmer switches.
The next generation of lighting, LED bulbs, seems to have overcome many of the issues that CFL bulbs have, and offer extremely long lifespans, low power consumption, dimmability, and a much better color temperature range, although at an initially higher cost. However, the cost of LED bulbs has been steadily dropping over the last few years, and a basic LED bulb for a standard residential light socket can be bought for just a few dollars (and can last for up to 20 years or so, depending on the application). And now we're seeing a number of 'smart' LED bulbs on the market, which can be controlled via an app or smart home hub, allowing for automated or scheduled lighting changes, the adjustment of their color temperature, and remote lighting management.
One of those smart LED systems is the Sengled Element, which I recently spent some time with, courtesy of the company. I received the starter kit, which includes the Element hub and two Element Plus LED bulbs, and which is expandable up to 50 bulbs; the install and setup was very quick and easy to do. The hub came pre-paired with the two bulbs, so all that was necessary was to download the free Element Home app, plug in the hub to both the wall and my home's internet router, power it up, install the bulbs in light fixtures, and create an account and log in. The bulbs were recognized by the hub almost instantly, and the app makes it simple to assign a specific image and name for each bulb, so that individual rooms or bulbs can easily be identified in the app, as they can each have their own schedule, brightness, and color temperature set separately.
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