Lighting Myth

I heard that Discovery Channel's MythBusters did a bit on their show this week about lighting, and whether it pays to keep the lights on when running down to the coffee machine, or turning them off each time. Unfortunately, I didn't see the episode and I can't find the data they generated. I did, however, find piles of posts on their message boards all about their findings.

What I'm told is that you should just get rid of your incandescent bulbs (duh), that you should turn off your fluorescents if you're leaving for more than 23 seconds, and that LEDs don't burn out. All 3 of those statements require some qualification, but I'll leave that research up to you unless you ask for more info - which I'd be happy to dig up.

I've been shopping for more general-use LEDs and haven't come up with much. I wrote about them for Christmas Lights, and still love them. You can buy a few different varieties for general use, but you can't get the candlepower or lumens you can with CFLs anywhere in the affordable range. Give 'em time. If you want to see what's out there, search for "warm LED light" on Ebay.

So buy the penny-pincher on your list a few warm-colored (make sure) compact fluorescents for Christmas, and plan to buy them some LEDs in a year or two.

I'm Dreaming of an LED Christmas

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are the latest craze in efficient lighting. They've been around for a long time for different uses. The first time I noticed them was maybe 5 years ago showing up on the upper brake light on luxury vehicles - when they were able to integrate the light into the top of the deck lid or into a spoiler. Then they started replacing street lights with them, and now every semi on the road has LED tail lights.

Why? They last a very long time and they use very little electricity. I won't bore you with the details, but it's true. They produce almost no heat too, which is another reason they are so attractive for live-tree-buying holiday celebrators who prefer not to burn down their homes this holiday season. Click here to read more about LED Christmas lights and their benefits.

I bought a few strands this year to try them out. We've had one large bulb color strand going for a couple months inside the house (don't worry, I didn't start lighting up the outside until after Thanksgiving) which my son really diggs. We put a few more white (kinda bluish really) and colored strands of the small bulbs on the tree. It is true that they produce almost no heat, which for those of you who don't understand the physics of it, means they are wasting very little energy. My son can walk up and touch them after being on for hours, and I have no fear of burns.

If you're looking to buy: I have found them at most stores I've surveyed. You'll pay a little more of course, but that doesn't seem to be keeping them on the shelves.