LED lights are now being used on aircraft to replace traditional  filament-based lights, mainly because of their low power requirements and longevity. If they're bright enough for aircraft, eventually they will be bright enough for your home.most renewable and alternative energy shifts in the U.S. have been the result of regulatory action by state and federal government.

Americans could save a collective $120 billion if they ditched fluorescent and incandescent lights for those using light-emitting diode, or LED, technology, according to a new report.

A recent U.S. Department of Energy report on LEDs reveals that the widespread adoption of the technology over the next 20 years could save 1,488 terawatt-hours of electricity, which at today’s (declining) prices, is worth roughly $120 billion.

To put it in perspective: in our connected, power-hungry age, the energy savings of solid-state lighting is the equivalent of 24 new power plants.

Or for the environmentalists out there: the savings would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 246 million metric tons of carbon.

According to the report, approximately 7 percent of electricity use in the United States is the result of lighting in homes and businesses, a figure significantly less than years past thanks to the transition from incandescent to flourescent lights.

Of course, it all starts with regulatory actions by the federal government, driving inefficient products out of the market.

Once SSL technology hits that magic point of parity with what’s already on the market — from initial price and operating cost to maintenance over the lifetime of the product — the savings will start to roll in. ---news from smartplanet