Do LEDs really save energy? Do they last forever?

They absolutely save energy and more importantly save money! For example, every one of those down lights in your house could be 12 watts instead of 65. Imagine saving 80% of the energy you are using now. They aren't perfect or ready for every application, but they are great for down lights, cove, undercabinet and landscaping. And they are ready NOW.

LEDs don't last forever, but they can last decades. They will last 50-75 times longer than a comparable incandescent and 6-8 times as long as compact fluorescent light bulbs(CFL). Imagine putting in a down light when your child is born and not changing it until they graduate college. Another great thing about LEDs is that the typical number of hours you hear for white lighting is in the 30,000-50,000 hours range. This is not like incandescent lighting hours where at the average life you can expect half of the light bulbs to be burnt out and half to still be working. This is saying that at the average rated hours, the LEDs will be at 70% of what they were when they were new. LEDs do NOT burn out at end of life, they gradually fade out.

Making History

Can you imagine in 20 years that our kids or grandchildren could be asking us what that thing is over the person's head to indicate a 'great idea'? It's likely when LEDs become more mainstream that manufacturers will attempt to keep the shape of the bulbs we know today,

but it's not a guarantee.

We're in the midst of a major fundamental shift.

If you're not sure LEDs are here to stay, or wonder what impact the change will make on our society, take a look at some other major fundamental shifts in our history:
Oil Lamp to Electric Light Bulb

Horse & Buggy to Automobile
Analog to Digital