Traditional light bulbs are dead, long live LEDs

The humble Edison light bulb has enjoyed a long lifespan, seeing only modest changes while technologies like television and radio have been drastically revised over time. But the familiar bulb's long, uninterrupted reign could finally be under threat as light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, appear poised to become the new standard. The reason is simple: Traditional incandescent light bulbs lack the efficiency that one would expect of nearly any other piece of modern technology. In fact, about 90% of the energy they use is wasted as heat, with only the remaining 10% actually producing light.