A recent study by Pike Research predicts that LEDs will account for nearly half of a $4.4 billion market for lamps in the commercial and industrial sectors by 2020, and residential applications are rapidly expanding. General Electric (GE) is now spending half its lighting research budget on the technology.

Yes, LEDs are still more expensive than conventional lighting, but their cost is falling rapidly, their quality is improving by leaps and bounds, and they can save you serious energy right now.

In November 2009, 2,076 eleven-watt incandescent bulbs were re-moved from the iconic Reno Arch in Reno, Nevada, and replaced with more energy-efficient 2.5-watt light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

This $62,180 retrofit is expected to reduce electricity demand by 92,011 kilowatts, saving $10,441 per year for “The Biggest Little City in the World.” The upgrade is part of a citywide energy and water efficiency plan that is projected to save $1 million a year and create 222 jobs.

At the lighting ceremony, the old incandescents were passed around the crowd as souvenirs of the past.

In California, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) officials switched to LEDs for functional and outdoor lighting, reducing annual lighting costs by $55,000 and lifetime maintenance costs by $980,000.

In Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, Sentry Equipment Corporation chose to light its new factory almost entirely with LEDs, both interior and exterior. The initial cost was three times more than incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, but this price premium is expected to be repaid within two years from electricity savings.

The bulbs are expected to last for 20 years. In New York’s Times Square, the world-famous ball that descends every New Year’s Eve is now covered with bright, efficient LEDs.

In Las Vegas, thousands of tourists have been delighted by the 1,500-foot-long shimmering LED display of the Fremont Street Experience.

In addition, thousands of LEDs brought light, color, and movement to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympics.

On the Rhode Island coast, Joe Hageman and Kim Lancaster’s 70 recessed LEDs save 7,730 kilowatt-hours over standard incandescents and provide excellent, cozy light in their family home.

“LEDs are the most advanced lighting technology we have now, and people are excited about it,” Avani Pavasia explained in the New Generation Lighting shop on the Bowery in New York City (in the lighting district).

Pavasia is a young lighting and interior designer who hopes to work on green projects. “LEDs are especially being used now for commercial work, because that sector is more aware. Typical consumers aren’t that educated about them yet,” she added. (Excerpt from the book,Green Lighting)

See alsoEdit

• Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFL)
• Rechargeable light bulb
  • Light Bulb recycling