Do you need to change a few light bulbs in your house? Perhaps you are exploring lighting options for a remodeling project? A great option to investigate when you next go shopping are LED (Light Emitting Diodes) light bulbs. LED boasts an extremely low power consumption, which can save you on your next energy bill. These lights are very durable and they have an impressive life span (50,000-100,000 hours, compared to incandescent light bulbs that last around 1000 hours). The best part is that LEDs are recyclable and contain no mercury or other toxins, making them the cleanest form of lighting.¹

Lighting is responsible for 22% of electrical power spent in the United States.¹  Transitioning to any form of energy efficient lighting is a great idea, because the benefits are good for everyone. Using less energy will save you money and reduces the necessary amount of power generated at local power plants, which in turn will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases and other pollution generated. Finally, with LED lighting you have so many more options because of the product's versatility. You might like the familiar feeling of traditional light bulbs, but energy efficient lighting is quite an easy change to make considering the benefits.

Most of the energy efficient light bulbs you will find at large stores like Wal-Mart, Target and Home Depot will be compact fluorescent. While these are better than traditional incandescent bulbs, you will benefit further from LED lights. Here are some great LED options available today:

C. Crane offers a large selection of LEDs that can be used in many different areas in and outside the home. The Sun Dusk LED Accent light bulb can replace traditional 60 watt bulbs that you would find in a desk lamp or shaded lamp. C. Crane managed to recreate the yellow color that we are familiar with in the classic light bulb so it feels like you never changed to LED lights at all. The 18 LED's in the bulb use less than a watt combined and the bulb will last a long time.² The store also features strip lighting, under cabinet lights, spotlights and a variety of other energy efficient LED's. Another company that specializes in LED lights is BestHomeLEDLighting.com. They offer a large range of products as well.

Yet another company is EnLux, who offer some interesting LED floodlights that come in three different tones: warm, neutral and cool, as well as four different accents: red, green, blue and amber. The bulbs are framed in different colored "fins" that fill out the shape of the typical floodlight bulb. These decorative bulbs can be used both inside and outside to make your home look stylish and smart. Compared to its incandescent ancestors, the R30 floodlight lasts 25 times longer (50,000 hours) and uses only one fifth of the power.³     

What about the holidays and other important celebrations? HolidayLEDs.com offers a selection of decorative LED lights. There are multiple colors of rope light available to replace the old tangled holiday lights, and also various string lights that feature different bulb shapes and colors to match any occasion. Now you can celebrate while saving 90% on energy consumption from your light decorations.

Though you may have your doubts, LED lights are certainly going to become more and more prevalent for consumers when major retailers catch on. Making the switch to LEDs will lower your energy bill and benefit the earth. You can keep feeling proud of the fine benefits as your new bulbs will stay lit for a long time.
 
¹ "Why Energy Efficient Lighting?" Environmental Lights.
    <http://www.environmentallights.com/why/>.    
² "Sun Dusk LED Accent Light Bulb." C. Crane. 2008.
    <http://www.ccrane.com/lights/led-light-bulbs/suns-dusk-led-accent-light-bulb.aspx>.
³ "R30 Floodlight." enLux. 2007. <http://www.enluxled.com/r30-floodlight.php>.