Low energy lighting options can be found almost anywhere these days. The two most common are Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and LED lamps. A 9 watt CFL lighting fixture has an equivalent brightness as that of a regular 45 watt incandescent lamp. An 11 watt CFL is equal to 60 watts and an 18/20 watt lamp will give an equivalent incandescent brightness of 100 watts. They also last 10 to 15 times longer than a regular light bulb, around 15,000 hours. A regular light bulb lasts around 1500 to 2000 hours.
A newer form of low energy lighting is the LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp. It is a form of solid state lighting. Solid state devices are devices built form solid materials where electrons are are confined entirely within the solid material.
LED lamps can give out light equivalent to a 50 watt halogen lamp at a fraction of the energy needed (around 7 watts). An LED lamp also has a lifespan of around 30,000 to 50,000 hours; twice that of a CFL light bulb. One year has 8,760 hours.
At an average daily use of 5 hours a day, an LED bulb would last around 16 years.
LED bulbs are still more expensive than other available lighting options. But in the long term, the energy savings will compensate for it.
The problem with LED lamps is the color temperature that it gives out. The light of the LED has a bluish white tinge that some people find unsettling.
