It’s reasonably common knowledge that the days of the regular incandescent light bulb are severely numbered, thanks mainly to a global initiative to reduce both consumption of energy and output of heat and carbon dioxide. What this means for most of use is that we need to get our heads around how best to switch to new low energy lighting instead.

The alternative lighting technologies boil down to just these two: Light Emitting Diodes (LED) or Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL).

While CFL bulbs have had the market to themselves for a while now, they also have some serious problems; they’re slow to start, deliver low quality light, cannot be dimmed or rapidly switched, are too big for many existing fittings, are expensive to make and contain toxic mercury vapour.

We’re all familiar with LED lights in electronic devices, torches and the like, yet it’s only in the past couple of years that they have emerged as viable replacements for regular domestic lighting. However they have certainly made up for lost time and presently perform ahead of CFL on every score without any of the same issues.

So is it a case of: you pay your money and you make your choice? Well in a word, yes. But first be aware that when it comes to lighting you pay twice; once for the light bulbs and again to power them.

Traditional incandescent lighting is based around the fact that while it is actually rather expensive to run, the bulbs themselves are (like many disposable products) inexpensive and have a short life. CFL light bulbs are a real improvement on this model, but LED’s bring a completely new model to the business of lighting. They are very cheap to run (10x cheaper in fact) and last much longer (20x) though the initial purchase price is by comparison quite high.

Over a period of time the financial savings possible from switching to LED are massive – indeed the break even point can be under a year and rarely more than two or three. With possibilities like that the lighting industry has all but declared CFL a dead technology and that the future is with LED. So, given all this, which way would you bet?

So what’s involved in switching over to LED? First get it firmly planted in your head that trying to replace your existing quite bright incandescent lights with those cheap 1 watt LED’s you see in some stores is a one way ticket to disappointment and wasted money. To replace say 40 – 60 watt incandescent bulbs will require 4 – 7 watts LED which is likely to cost up to 10 times more. But the procedure itself couldn’t be any simpler; just pull the incandescent bulb out and pop the LED in.

Probably the simplest way to begin is by replacing GU10 and/or MR16 halogen spots – these are beyond the scope of bulky CFL’s anyway. Staying with the halogen theme, then replace G4 capsules – these are commonly found in desk lamps and other fittings where space is at a premium (another failure for CFL then).

Getting past halogen bulbs, LED T8 and T5 tubes perfectly retrofit existing fluorescent tube fittings and deliver superb light quality without the flicker. Finally, consider taking on standard GLS light bulbs installed in say table lamps and ceiling pendants with high quality LED globes that retrofit into standard Edison Screw or Bayonet Mount fittings.

If you found this article interesting then this additional article examines low energy LED light bulbs and other specific aspects in greater detail.