'Lighting is a critical element of architecture and design," says architect Barry Goldman.
"The way we perceive a space is changed dramatically by the way it is lit," he says.
"LED lighting gives a range of colours and hues that is breathtaking. When prices start to drop into the affordable range, LED lighting will be an extremely popular option."
Indeed, LED (light emitting diodes) is being hailed as a brilliant breakthrough technology phenomenon that's about to wash over the residential sector, even as it is making inroads into commercial lighting applications.
In fact, LEDs are already omnipresent: in the kitchen, home office, living room - virtually everywhere there is an appliance - a tiny green light beams to let you know the device, microwave, printer, DVD player or computer monitor is turned on.
They may be just dots of light, but they never seem to burn out.
This longevity is one of the attractions of LED lighting.
Now, those tiny dots of light are being produced in larger versions, big enough to provide lighting for an entire room and house.
Current versions are pricey, but the industry believes that costs will soon come down as the new technology - and awareness of its benefits - catches on.
In Ontario, ordinary incandescent light bulbs are being phased out by law, with the provincial government hoping to eradicate Thomas Edison's 100-year-old brainchild by 2012.
Australia is doing the same with an earlier goal of 2010.
Why? Because that handy dandy light bulb is pretty wasteful: 95 per cent of the energy it consumes actually produces heat; only 5 per cent produces light.
Compact florescent bulbs have now become widespread. They can cost as much as $15 per bulb, but consume far less energy than an incandescent bulb. An 18-watt compact florescent is the approximate equivalent of a 60 watt regular bulb.
However, there are issues with compact fluorescents.
For one thing, they can contain mercury, raising concerns about disposal.
And not all consumers find the light they give off to be pleasing.
Mr. Goldman points out that florescent light is traditionally known to emit green light, something that is ideal for a horror movie, but less ideal in a home setting.
Manufacturers are gradually making changes to compact fluorescents that they hope will enhance their desirability to consumers.
Dimmable compact fluorescents are now available and they now come in a variety of white tones.
Retailer Home Depot is redesigning its displays to help consumers choose from among a wider range of possibilities.
"Soon, there will be light boxes in the stores that will enable the customer to see the difference and choose between different whites in terms of colour," says Home Depot's Ron Cleary.
Mr. Goldman, originally trained as a sculptor, notes that the ideal is natural light and that in a perfect world homes would be constructed with natural light available on four sides.
He points out that rooms need careful attention to lighting, according to the function of the room.
A kitchen, for example, needs overall or "fill" lighting and it needs task lighting.
"Fill lighting is often provided by halogen pot lights, and task lighting by florescent tubes hidden under valances of cabinets, shedding light on countertop areas where the work takes place," he says.
With his artist/architect's eye, he is not a fan of compact fluorescents. "I do applaud the effort," he says.
"Preserving the environment is very important to me." But his preference is LED lighting.
"This lighting is now still very expensive as the technology is being developed," he says.
"It provides attractive colours and works well in applications like under-counter lights and accent lights. They're used a lot in outdoor lighting because of the fascinating colours. They don't give off heat and they last and last."
How about a bulb that works for 25 years?
Gary Trott of LLF Lighting in Raleigh, N.C., a company that produces LED lighting, points out that an LED light would last that long in a typical home setting, where it might be on 6 hours a day.
"There have been challenges in three areas in the development of LED lighting," he points out.
"Producing the right colour, producing enough light and thermal management, have all been addressed.
"Now, LEDs are available in recessed lighting for ceilings. These have been tested in commercial uses in restaurants, for example."
Toronto's iconic CN Tower is now a nightly demonstration of LED lighting, boasting a system installed over a three-month period last spring. Currently the lights - some 1,330 of them, capable of producing millions of colours - are in a muted mode to accommodate migrating birds.
For the holiday season, look for a more striking display and at different times of the year, special effects.
"The LED system is both cost effective and energy efficient," the CN Tower's Irene Knight says.
"The lights are anticipated to last for 10 years and consume a fraction of the energy of the former lighting."
Many Ontario families are likewise using LED lights for holiday decorating, partly as a result of light exchange programs last winter when retailers offered the eco-friendly sets as a trade for standard, used Christmas lights.
As the energy crunch squeezes and the government deadline approaches, LEDs are poised to make the jump to the home market.
"As the cost of the lights go down, they will likely appeal to homeowners," Felicia Spagnoli of Philips Solid State Lighting Solutions in Burlington, Mass., the company that supplied the CN Tower lights, says.
"Right now, consumers are faced with a cost of, say, $40 for a unit that might only cost a dollar in the incandescent form," she says.
"A hotel owner might decide to use LEDs for his property because he can see that in terms of energy costs and labour costs (to replace bulbs), he will save substantial money. Homeowners will be more attracted to LEDs as the price comes down."
"There are some pretty exciting LED lighting innovations in Toronto," says Brian Owen of LEDesign Works, which has installed LED lighting at Exhibition Place.
"There's a store, Grassroots Environmental Products, in the Annex that is completely outfitted in LEDs. All the issues, quality of light, colour and thermal management are dealt with, and the light is excellent," he says.
"LEDs have learned from what has been experienced by compact florescent lighting."
Special to The Globe and Mail