"Supporting the LED light revolution, IKEA will be converting its full lighting range to LED by 2016, meaning IKEA will sell only LED bulbs and LED lamps," said the Swedish build-it-yourself retailer, earlier this week. The company phased out plastic bags in 2007 and incandescent bulbs in 2010.
Although LED light fixtures use less energy and last far longer than other light bulbs - nearly 20 years - they're also more expensive. An LED floor lamp, for example, is listed for $99.99 on Ikea's website. A similar, non-LED floor lamp can be had for $19.99.
Ikea said it's committed to reducing the cost of LED lights, and that their lower electricity use saves money too. "IKEA will be selling the LED bulbs at the lowest price on the market, thus making it affordable for the many people," said the company, in a statement. "The total annual cost saving (including purchase price and energy consumption cost) of switching one incandescent 40W bulb to a corresponding LED bulb, is approximately $6.25 (5.3 Euro) on average."
The retailer will also be replacing more than one million light fixtures in its own stores with LEDs. Ikea said replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs saves 50 to 90 percent of energy costs.
What do you think of LED lighting? Have you tried it (I have not. I confess I'm a compact fluorescent light man myself). Here's a summary of a Consumer Reports analysis of LED bulbs: "The best LEDs were as bright as the incandescents they replaced, yet only half were as bright as promised. Consumer Reports found that all LEDs reached full brightness instantly, even at frigid temperatures, providing warm white light that was unaffected by frequently turning them on and off. Energy use matched or exceeded claims."
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