Bright future for LED lighting

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) predicts that within 10 years, light-emitting diode (LED) lighting will overtake incandescent to become the main light source in residential lighting applications. Why? Because even today, ENERGY STAR qualified LEDs use at least 75 percent less energy than incandescents, last up to 22 years and provide optimal light color. And the technology is improving rapidly.

LEDs produce light in an entirely different way than incandescent or compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Instead of heating a tungsten filament or sending electrical current through a tube of ionized gas, LEDs become illuminated by the movement of electrons through a semiconductor material.

DOE estimates that rapid adoption of LED lighting in the U.S. over the next 20 years can:

• Deliver savings of about $265 billion



• Avoid 40 new power plants



• Reduce lighting electricity demand by 33 percent in 2027