One lesser know alternative to compact fluorescent lights for people looking for energy efficient replacement for their incandescent lights are LEDs or light emitting diodes. LEDs are very efficient as they waste very little energy on heat. LEDs can also easily be recycled and contain no toxic components. LED lights will also outlive even a compact fluorescent lamp by thousands of hours. The downside is that LEDs are still a bit expensive and the technology has not developed entirely so that it is a suitable alternative to incandescent or fluorescent.

However, it has been effectively adapted and applied to lighting applications such as Christmas lights, rope light, and landscape lights. The technology for use of LEDs has been developed well for use in these applications and the cost of these products in an LED is still higher than incandescent but is not unreasonable given the cost savings.

LED alternatives are also available for other lighting types as well. LED replacement bulbs are currently available for MR-16 type lamps that are commonly used in track lighting. LED lamps for the common PAR style bulb are also now available online but have not made it into big box stores and do not quite pack the same punch as their incandescent ancestors.

Lots of cool things are happening in lighting and most of us don’t get exposed to all the options because they haven’t hit the big box stores yet. However, if you do a little research and look around a bit online you can find some great lighting solutions that are more efficient than CFLs and better for the environment too.

“We are very excited about the new Lizard Lighting line of LED landscape lights,” said Andy Nicholls,  a landscape contractor and owner of Ecoyards.  In response to customer demand, many landscaping companies, like Ecoyards, are focusing on environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional landscaping and yard care practices.  “I had the opportunity to see the new LED lights by Lizard Lighting and they are impressive.” added Nicholls.  “There are some LED products on the market now but this is the first product I’ve tested that has light output that meets that of a halogen lamp,” Nicholls concluded.

The Lizard Lighting LED landscape lights utilize state-of-the-art LED technology which can produce 100 lumens per watt or more.  Unlike a traditional incandescent lamp or halogen lamp which produces a tremendous amount of heat, the LED lamp produces very little heat as all of its energy is directly transformed into light.  Additionally, the solid state LED lamp contains no fragile filament and is therefore much more resistance to shock and other impact damage.  “When you have a solid-state lamp with no fragile components that produces less heat you end up with a light source that will last a very long time,” said Michael J. O’Connor, co-owner of LizardLighting.com.  Lizard Lighting’s LED landscape lights are rated to last for 60,000 hours or more.

Lizard Lighting’s ecommerce store will be open March 2008 and will offer a full line of LED low voltage landscape lighting and solar landscape lights.