Hot trends in LED lighting

Using outdated lighting technology can sorely impact your utility bills. And considering that you'll have to climb a ladder to change an old school bulb thirty times more often than newer LED bulbs, it may even increase your risk of brain injury. Despite the huge popularity of LED bulbs there remain a few skeptics in the design industry.

There are several exciting trends in LED lighting that will prompt a switch even among the last few holdhouts who are hoarding old light bulbs in their basement. Since LEDs are really just computer chips (light emitting diodes), the design and color possibilities are endless.

Here are the top trends in LED lighting:

Tone-dimming LEDs

Standard incandescent bulbs or halogen bulbs can be dimmed but only by brightness. CFLs generally cannot be dimmed at all. You must purchase a special dimming CFL to work with dimmer switches.

LEDs are all fully dimmable. The trendy new tone-dimming LEDs can be dimmed by their color temperature. As the bulbs are dimmed they get warmer in color, creating a similar ambience to candle light. During the day they can be set to full brightness and they have a cooler, more daylight-like color temperature.

Designer LEDs

Designer bulbs combine warm light with customizable covers to let you go crazy with designs in a simple retrofit LED bulb. They are great for open fixtures where the bulb is fully visible. As with all LEDs they offer excellent light performance, dimming and energy savings. Unlike standard LEDs they offer a uniquely customizable design.

These are great in any room where aesthetic design is especially important. Philips makes a bulb with covers that can be individually selected and installed by the user to match the surrounding décor. Since LEDs can last for 30 years, you may not want to be stuck with the same design. So, these covers can be updated over the long life of the bulb.

Because the bulbs can be dimmed, they create perfect ambiance and improve energy efficiency -- you use only the energy required to fit your mood

Retro LEDs

In fixtures where a bulb is fully exposed, like a chandelier, wall sconce, modern luminaries or retro-fixtures, a squiggly-pigtail CFL just won't cut it. Now you can get ultra-efficient, long-lasting LEDs that have clear glass and a retro-look that mimics old-school incandescent bulbs. These lamps come in classical slim shapes with unique lens designs. They produce a beautiful sparkling warm light that delivers huge energy savings and minimizes maintenance cost.