Posted by Janet Harriett on Mar.22, 2009

LED lighting gives even more energy savings than compact fluorescent bulbs without using mercury.  While LED bulbs for lamps and overhead lighting remain expensive, LED-based nightlights are gaining inroads in home lighting, reducing electricity consumption for the unit by a factor of 12 at a price point comparable to incandescent fixtures.

GreenDivaMom tested three LED nightlights with photosensitive automatic shutoff features to see how they stack up against each other and a traditional 4 watt incandescent nightlight that might be in a bathroom, hallway or kid’s bedroom.  Tests assessed the function of the auto-off feature, brightness and light quality.  Style is noted as it impacts the function, but the nightlights were not ranked not purely on aesthetics, as personal style preferences vary.

Amerelle Satin Nickel Sphere NiteLite, Model 75153
Price: $4.14
Wattage: 0.15 Watts
Size: Approximately the size of half an orange
Packaging: Plastic bubble on card
Style: Sleek and modern. Approximately 2/3 of the half-sphere is the frosted plastic LED diffuser, and the other third is the “satin nickel” that houses the light sensor.  As is to be expected at the price point, the “Satin nickel” is actually grey plastic.

Sensor Test: When positioned with the sensor half on top, the light turned off.  When positioned with the sensor toward the floor, the light stayed on with room lights lit

Brightness: There was a noticeable difference in brightness depending on which way the light was plugged in.  With the photo cell toward the ceiling–the only way the nightlight turned off–most of the light was directed at a spot on the floor immediately around the outlet and did not provide much light to the room.  This improved when turned so that the light was shining toward the ceiling.

Light Quality:  Diffuse, bright light.

Verdict: The modern styling may not fit in with a kid’s room. However, it would work well as a hallway safety light, since the sensor operates better when the light is cast toward the floor.  The flush hemisphere form factor makes this sleek and modern, but also difficult to unplug. The lack of plastic clamshell packaging was a definite point in this unit’s favor.

First Alert Automatic LED, Model TLED6-1
Price: $4.99
Wattage: 0.3 Watts
Size: approximately the size of half a medium banana
Packaging: Clamshell
Style: Traditional nightlight styling with a bulb and columnar diffuser mounted on top of a base. The design is not as sleek as the hemisphere models, but moves the LED bulb away from the wall, maximizing light output.

Sensor Test: Did not turn off when standard room lights were on

Brightness: This was the brightest of the three night lights tested.

Light Quality:  Unlike the other two lights tested, which have frosted plastic diffusers, the diffuser on the First Alert nightlight is clear plastic with a beveled texture.  This makes the light brighter, but also casts a grid pattern on the wall and concentric circles on the ceiling.

Verdict: The hands-down winner for functionality, giving the most light output at a reasonable price point.  However, the patterned light takes some getting used to, and the style sticks out, both aesthetically and physically.

Feit Electric Eternalite 3 LED Modern with Sensor, Model NL4
Price: $5.80
Wattage: 0.3 Watts
Size: Approximately the size of a kiwifruit
Packaging: Clamshell
Style: Egg-shaped cream plastic with a circular frosted plastic diffuser in the center

Sensor Test: When positioned with the sensor toward the ceiling, the light flickered when room lights were on, but did not turn off.  Nightlight remained illuminated when positioned with the sensor positioned toward the floor.

Brightness: While the brightness of the LED bulbs themselves was comparable to the First Alert model tested, this nightlight had the smallest diffuser area of of the 3 nightlights tested.  This cut the illuminating power of the nightlight, making it the dimmest of the three.

Light Quality:  Projects the light outward rather than up or down, so the nightlight illuminated the center of the room instead of the floor or ceiling like the other models tested.

Verdict:  The nightlight is utilitarian and blends in well with standard cream or putty colored outlet covers, for when an unobtrusive nightlight is desirable.  The lower light output might be desirable for rooms where only a slight nighttime glow is needed. The light output is less than lower-priced units, but the construction feels slightly more durable.

In general, white LED bulbs create a bluer light than traditional incandescent bulbs.  The light on all the nightlights tested was dimmer and bluer than a comparison GE 4 watt incandescent nightlight.  However, all were powerful enough to provide a reasonable glow throughout the room. None had replaceable bulbs. There are several nightlight-sized LED replacement bulbs available now to convert existing night lights to LED.

The nightlights tested are rated at 10,000 hours of LED life, which is 416 days of continual use.  The tests for these reviews did not include determining the accuracy of the advertised lifespan ratings in real-world scenarios.

Except for the auto-off feature that failed to turn the nightlights off–which also failed in the comparison incandescent unit–all three LED nightlights were perfectly serviceable.  When shopping for an LED nightlight, larger diffuser surface areas correlate with higher brightness better than the wattage rating.

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