Get ready to dump your government-banned incandescent light bulbs and replace them with some LED-inspired lighting. The US government’s ban on 100-watt incandescent bulbs goes into effect January 2012 and, like it or not, LED may be the replacement.
Light bulb manufacturers are looking at LED technology because it is energy-efficient and easily mass produced. All it takes to create an LED bulb is a handful of these light-emitting diodes and some bright engineers to figure out how to cram them into a standard pear-shaped bulb. Progress comes with a price tag and these 100-watt LED bulbs may cost as much as $US50 each when they first arrive.
If you haven’t started already, you may want to stockpile these incandescent bulbs and avoid the riots. It’s almost a guarantee that shoppers will erupt when they discover a single light bulb now costs more than a carton of cigarettes and a six-pack of beer. [AP]