The future of lighting clearly lies with LED technology. Both energy saving Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and conventional incandescent light bulbs suffer major problems. In addition, LED technology promises to open up other possibilities in the same way that computer chips did (and still do).
Incandescent bulbs consume considerably more energy generating heat than light. This costs money and wastes precious natural resources to create that power. The net result on both scores is yet more unwelcome contributions to atmospheric warming and CO2 pollution.
CFLs provide some advances over conventional light bulbs but add in their own specific disadvantages. Among their many problems, perhaps the worst is that they contain mercury vapor and are thus awkward to safely and responsibly dispose of. They’ve also never been accused of being elegant and attractive.
Using today’s LED technology you should expect to get the same level of brightness as any given incandescent bulb using 1/10th the power. And with no hidden problems either. Moreover they are sturdy little things, pleasingly tiny and you will have to replace a regular bulb an astonishing 25 to 50 times before the LED wears out.
So the obvious question is why isn’t everyone fitting them? This comes down to lack of understanding as regards the real costs involved, plus insufficient awareness about the product itself. When it comes to costs then it’s natural to compare up-front product prices and LED is a much more costly purchase. However, the true overall cost is mostly made up of running costs and here LED leaves the competition standing.
When it comes to utilizing LED lights in the household, there is yet more ignorance and confusion. For a start, not all LEDs are the same and so there are numerous assertions that they don’t work, aren’t bright enough and so on. Well, no and neither would conventional bulbs be if you fitted 10w night lights in place of 60w bulbs. Fit modern high power LEDs and there is no problem at all.
But there is more to it than simply seeing to it your light bulbs are bright enough to begin with. The light from an LED is perceptibly different; whereas the majority of incandescent bulbs give a warm golden glow, they are quite a bit more distinctly white, typically narrow beam and extremely bright when viewed directly. All the qualities that make a superb spotlight, which is why they are a tremendous choice for replacing halogen lamps. Unlike CFLs they also retrofit either 12 volt MR16 or GU10 mains format bases.
Lastly, because an LED gives off so little heat, it can be fitted in many more places than is possible with a seriously hot halogen light. This means you can easily put them in concealed locations to create soft lighting effects by bouncing the light off adjacent surfaces. So in addition to being bright and sparkly you can blend in warmer more diffuse light that also absorbs color from the materials they are reflected from.
To discover more about this topic, I recommend these articles that further cover 12 volt lighting and MR16 LED lamps.