Every day lighting consumes about 20% of all energy used around the world. The traditional incandescent light bulb, a venerable invention in its day, is actually massively inefficient; some 90% of the energy it consumes is wasted as heat.

Lighting accounts for around 15% of the energy bill in most homes, and around 25% in commercial/industrial facilities. The electricity used to light our lives is supplied by power plants largely burning fossil fuels. So all those inefficient bulbs are responsible for a significant percentage of carbon dioxide emissions, a leading cause of global climate change. A global movement is now on to convert traditional lighting to sustainable, cost-effective green alternatives.

The U.S. has mandated conversion from incandescent lighting by the year 2014.