Blogs » Inspectagadget » LEDs Light the Way

Energy efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs have long been the darlings of environmentalists everywhere, and for good reason. Traditional incandescent bulbs waste over 90% of their energy on heat, rather than light. By changing just one light bulb, homeowners can save 450 lbs of greenhouse gases being emitted to the atmosphere – that’s like stopping 200lbs of coal from being burnt!

However, in the coming years, even CFLs may eventually become yesterday’s news. There is growing excitement around the prospect of LEDs as an ultra-efficient lighting option (LEDs also contain no mercury – unlike CFLs). Already Raleigh, in North Carolina, has announced ambitious plans to become LED City – installing LED lighting in public parking lots, with plans to roll them out in stadiums, schools, offices and anywhere else where lighting is needed in an effort to kick-start the technology. The Clinton Global Initiative has also earmarked significant funding for LED lighting, so the future is certainly looking bright.

And while applications for the homeowner are currently rather thin, LED bulbs that can replace incandescents or CFLs are beginning to trickle onto the market. The carbon offset company Terrapass, for example, is selling an LED bulb intended to replace a 40 watt incandescent, is said to be twice as efficient as a CFL, and is said to last up to 50,000 hours. If such claims prove to be true, it may well be that the days of the incandescent bulb AND the CFL are numbered.

Keywords: led lighting energy efficiency

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