›› Compact fluorescent light bulbs were so vogue a couple of years ago. Tree huggers everywhere celebrated a light source that took years to burn out.
Then everybody started realizing the discount screw-in versions on display at Home Depot offered a light source as flattering as a stick of TNT. The bad PR hit about the environmentally friendly bulbs containing hard-to-recycle mercury came next.
Should we blame those twisty CFLs? No. Consumers rushed to purchase the next big thing without really taking a hard look at what we were getting. There are and continue to be several higher-end options that produce a much more natural and appealing light, and with a little knowledge it’s not terribly difficult to find a way to recycle them.
It was enough to push many of us back to traditional incandescent lighting. The classic bulbs have long offered the best quality of natural-feeling light, but they always burn out so darn quickly.
Which brings us to the next trend in lighting: LEDs.
These bulbs are not actually light bulbs, rather diodes that produce light as the acronym suggest. They don’t emit heat the way its predecessors do (so they are cool to the touch while turned on) and can burn for 50,000 hours or so, roughly 25 times longer than the old-school bulb.
“The benefits are the long life, the low output of heat and the technology gets better every single day,” says Suzanne Clark, a lighting expert at Ferguson Enterprises in Aurora (17655 E. 25th Drive, www.shop.ferguson.com). The better technology means better looking light. “We have created LEDs that are closer to the incandescent bulbs.”
Finally.
Most importantly, the versatility of these products — which run about $30 a foot uninstalled — allows them to be built into tape, allowing for some seriously cool lighting applications.
LEDS, THREE WAYS
The Toe Kick: Lining the space below a floor-anchored cabinet or the baseboards provides enough ambient light to replace the need for a nightlight. The glow it creates looks insanely cool, as well, delicately balancing style and function.
Architectural Enhancement: Homes often have beautiful ceilings with coves and other enhancements built in. During the evening, these eye-drawing features get lost in the dim lighting. Strategic placement of an LED tape will not only bring these nuances to light, they will showcase all the details. This works well in dining and entertainment rooms, and the power of the light can range from bright enough to serve as romantic mood lighting to simply as a sidekick to other sources. “You could definitely sit and have a glass of wine and be able to see each other,” Clark says.
Oh So Pool: A few colored lights in a pool do wonders to create a beautiful outdoor setting, but this look is normally limited to just a bulb or two. Wrapping the entire circumference enhances the mood and allows for the easy integration of several rotating colors.
Of course, LEDs can be installed in just about any place throughout the home. Be warned that just like its CFL brother, the cheaper, screw-in light bulbs often showcase the non-flattering white light so many loathe.
Clark knows the high price tag of swapping out complete light fixtures to upgrade to LEDs will be out of the question for many, so she suggests starting with practical exterior projects first. “You don’t have to worry about the bulb burning out,” she says. Nor do you have to be as concerned about the quality of the white.
Soon enough, though, transforming your home to LED might be basically required living. “We will be using 100 percent LED down the road,” Clark predicts.
Better get out ahead of the curve. n
Jacob Harkins is a Denver-based freelance writer.