As the traditional pear shaped incandescent lightbulbs are being phased out altogether (2009 in Europe, 2014 in this country), LED lights are pushing in and will eventually eclipse even fluorescents, compact and otherwise.

Just from a lifespan perspective the difference is staggering. Conventional incandescents last about 1,200 hours (about half a year at an average conservative use of 6 hours per day), halogens 2,000, compact fluorescents about 8,000 hours (about 3.5 years), linear fluorescents about 20,000 hours (about 9 years), while LED lightbulbs last a whopping 50,000 hours (yep, that's 23 years!!!!!).

Yes, LED lightbulbs cost a lot more, at least right now. But that's an initial investment that pays in the long run and drastically reduces your electric bill and maintenance costs. On top of that LEDs use only about 1/10th of the electricity of that old lightbulb and 1/2 of that of a CFC (compact fluorescent), so the light output of a 50W incandescent can be replicated with an 8W LED - see comparison chart - and they are less toxic for the environment.

That's what an investment is - a higher upfront cost for a later gain. When we buy organic food or grassfed or pastured meat we make an investment into the health of our body via the higher upfront cost of the healthier meat. Same with LED lightbulbs, we make an investment into a lower electric bill and a reduced lightbulb replacement cost (and ultimately a reduction on fossil fuel consumption).

Imagine not having to change a lightbulb for another two decades?