If you've gone green, then you probably have those curly-cue compact florescent light bulbs hanging from your fixtures. That's wonderful. But what if I told you that there was a new bulb in town that may one day tell CFLs, "C U L8R?"
The new bulb on the block is the LED bulb, and the advantages of LED bulbs are truly staggering. First off, a 1.3-watt LED bulb uses less electricity than both the 60-watt incandescent and the 9-watt CFL bulb. Secondly, LED bulbs last for a long time. How long? Let's just say that you could get married, have a child and go to his or her college graduation without ever changing bulbs. Some bulbs can last up to 100,000 hours, and they are clean. LED light bulbs don't contain mercury like CFL bulbs.
While compact fluorescent bulbs are currently the most popular option for more energy efficient lighting, LED lighting is already hitting the market. LEDs are even more efficient than CFLs but come at a higher price point, costing as much as $100 a bulb. And while the LEDs will take 5 to 7 years to pay for themselves, the original bulbs are likely to last well past that.
There are only two major drawbacks to the LED bulbs. They aren't that bright. You can find bulbs that produce light that's equivalent to a 50 or 60-watt incandescent bulb, but that's about it. They are also quite expensive. An LED bulb will cost you at least $80 dollars. Seems expensive, but LEDs will save you money in the long run. Imagine two decades of not buying light bulbs.
LEDs aren't mainstream yet, but if they can perform as well as advertised, they'll certainly be the bulb of choice for the future, and the future looks bright.
