What does LED stand for?
LED stands for light emitting diode. A diode is a two-terminal device with active electrodes between which a current may flow. When the a current is present some electrons are able to move and when they do release energy in the form of light.
LED Bulbs
The light produced by LED light bulbs can sometimes seem harsh, a little blue in colour and not able to illuminate as well as more traditional lighting techniques. However, the technology behind LED light bulbs is advancing all the time, leaving these problems behind.
Solar Powered Lighting
I was interested in using renewable energy in as many ways as I could economically do so. I also wanted to have a backup lighting source available to me if and when the power fails. I don't suffer from frequent power outages, but it does happen occasionally and I don't like just relying on a torch.
The cheapest way I found to harness renewable energy for lighting was to use battery powered LED lamps. These LED lamps use three AAA rechargeable batteries, I recharge the batteries in a small solar battery charger.
I was able to purchase three of these LED lamps for just £5 including delivery from a popular auction website. They create a spotlight effect rather than illuminating the room like a compact fluorescent light bulb does, the light is good enough to read under and they work for months between charges.
The last time I had a power cut the electricity was off from the early evening and all through the night. I was able to get a lot of reading done under my solar powered LED lamp, while I listened to my solar powered wind-up radio.
GU10 LED Light Bulbs
If you use GU10 halogen light bulbs it is a good idea to replace them with the LED GU10 equivalent. The LED version of the GU10 consumes far less power (perhaps just 2 watts) and they will last an awful lot longer.
Some new GU10 LED light bulbs have an expected life of over 15 years and they don't even cost that much to purchase in the first place.
Since GU10 bulbs tend to be used as additional lighting rather than the main lighting source in the room, you could even change your halogen bulbs for multi coloured GU10 LED light bulbs instead. The GU10 LED light changing bulbs don't really cost more than white ones and use the same amount of electricity as they cycle through their different colours.