How far the light bulb has come. For years incandescent bulbs were the only game in town. But in more recent times consumers have seen new choices come along, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Sometimes people prefer a certain type of light bulb for the impact they hope it will have on the environment, and other times people choose bulbs based purely on the kind of light they cast. LEDs compare favorably versus incandescent bulbs in some areas. They produce their light from the movement of electrons across a semi-conductive material, while incandescent bulbs have a filament that glows when heated by an electric current. LEDs are said to last as long as transistors -- that's much longer than incandescent bulbs. LEDs have a typical life span of about 30,000 hours, as opposed to the 750 hours that a traditional incandescent bulb will last.
Furthermore, an LED's plastic construction is much more durable than glass bulbs. Their small size enables them to be used in more applications, such as in electronic circuits. However, the biggest advantage of LEDs boast over incandescent bulbs is their greater efficiency. LEDs produce light without heat, saving all of the energy that goes into heating filaments for incandescent bulbs. A 2007 study by the Alliance to Save Energy determined that if half of all incandescent decorative Christmas bulbs were replaced with LED bulbs, for example, this could save the U.S. some $17 billion dollars a year in energy costs.
So the LED bulb uses much less electricity and causes much less waste than do their traditional incandescent light bulb counterparts, producing much less carbon dioxide. As with most things, however, there is an unfortunate downside and that's immediate cost. LEDs cost much more per bulb than incandescent bulbs, and regardless of the long-term savings they might offer, it's hard for people (especially during difficult economic times) to put so much of their monthly cash flow into expensive light bulbs. Time, and lower prices, may change that equation, however.
Source : How stuff works
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