8.1 The Future of LED Lighting

High brightness LEDs represent the most significant development in general lighting since the invention of the incandescent bulb more than a century ago. They allow us to create unique, energy efficient lighting solutions with low maintenance costs. Furthermore, as investment continues and volumes increase, acquistion prices descent.

Currently, LEDs are commonly used in indicative applications such as traffic lights and automotive lighting. RGB LEDs have been used with increased frequency in entertainment industry such as casinos or nightclubs over the past few years.

Nowadays, LEDs strongly penetrate into general white lighting, mostly into residential, commercial and business markets. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that if LED lighting is quickly and widely adopted in the United States over the next 20 years, the technology will:

• Deliver savings of about $265 billion.
• Reduce demand for lighting electricity by 33% until 2027.

Accent lighting on commercial buildings provides stunning visual effects, while saving energy. Such effects will be accessible soon for residental applications delivering signifficantly lower operating costs than incandescent bulbs.