Shining some light on LEDs

Energy-efficient lighting has been thrust under the microscope in recent years — and not because they've become a consumer darling. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs) have both been criticized (and rightly so) for their high cost and shorter-than advertised lifespan. And CFLs have borne the heaviest brunt thanks to their below-average light quality and, of course, mercury. As quickly as they came onto the energy-friendly scene, CFLs seem to be exiting stage left as the consumer's favored alternative to the incandescent light bulb. That mantle may be getting passed to LEDs, and these may be the real deals.